Go for your ham license! Not just because of the benefits to your RC hobby, but because its also a great hobby. There's a lot of cross over between the two. A love of home construction, electronics and technology. Ham radio is a very deep and many faceted hobby and you might find some aspects of it very interesting.
BUT. There are a few things to remember. I cant speak for US law, but I hold an unrestricted ham license in the United Kingdom and Australia. I should imagine the following will be similar in other countries, so check first!
Ham radio has different classes of license which have different frequencies and power levels permitted. The entry level license most likely will not allow you to operate on 5.8Ghz. In the UK and Aus its called the foundation license and it does not allow transmission above 440MHz. You'll need to study and pass the more advanced license exam to legally use 200mW on 5.8Ghz.
Ham radio was never really intended to allow model planes to transmit video. Check your countries rules on remote operation. Your country may not allow a remotely controlled transmitter.
Ham radio transmissions are legally required to identify themselves with the station callsign. FPV transmitters do not do this. I have not figured out a way round this yet. But some other smart guy might.
Many frequencies used by RC pilots just happen to overlap with ham bands. 433Mhz, 2.4, 5.8Ghz etc. But these ham frequency bands have band plans where certain frequencies are used for certain types of operation. For example, on 433Mhz, many countries have hill top repeater stations. These can wipe out your signal or receive interference from your transmitter. Check what is happening on the amateur bands local to you and what frequencies you intend to use to check your transmissions don't conflict. Interfering with other stations will at best make you unpopular, at worst it'll result in the loss of a model.
Which brings me to- on ham radio you are required to listen on the frequency you intend to use before transmitting. To ensure you don't interfere with ham radio traffic already using that frequency. Do you do that before switching on your RC gear? No neither do I
The ham license was not really intended for FPV. If you get your ham license you will be able to legally buy high powered equipment and will most likely get a pat on the back for your efforts to remain legal. But you wont really be 100% with the ham radio operating conditions.
On a ham radio forum I visit occasionally has talk of "rogue quadcopter operators with unapproved transmitters on our bands" (shock horror gasp). So non-RC sympathetic hams will not consider FPV within the spirit of ham radio.
I'm not trying to put anyone off getting that ticket. But the idea that being a ham will solve everything is definitely not the case. Get informed before committing.
BUT. There are a few things to remember. I cant speak for US law, but I hold an unrestricted ham license in the United Kingdom and Australia. I should imagine the following will be similar in other countries, so check first!
Ham radio has different classes of license which have different frequencies and power levels permitted. The entry level license most likely will not allow you to operate on 5.8Ghz. In the UK and Aus its called the foundation license and it does not allow transmission above 440MHz. You'll need to study and pass the more advanced license exam to legally use 200mW on 5.8Ghz.
Ham radio was never really intended to allow model planes to transmit video. Check your countries rules on remote operation. Your country may not allow a remotely controlled transmitter.
Ham radio transmissions are legally required to identify themselves with the station callsign. FPV transmitters do not do this. I have not figured out a way round this yet. But some other smart guy might.
Many frequencies used by RC pilots just happen to overlap with ham bands. 433Mhz, 2.4, 5.8Ghz etc. But these ham frequency bands have band plans where certain frequencies are used for certain types of operation. For example, on 433Mhz, many countries have hill top repeater stations. These can wipe out your signal or receive interference from your transmitter. Check what is happening on the amateur bands local to you and what frequencies you intend to use to check your transmissions don't conflict. Interfering with other stations will at best make you unpopular, at worst it'll result in the loss of a model.
Which brings me to- on ham radio you are required to listen on the frequency you intend to use before transmitting. To ensure you don't interfere with ham radio traffic already using that frequency. Do you do that before switching on your RC gear? No neither do I
The ham license was not really intended for FPV. If you get your ham license you will be able to legally buy high powered equipment and will most likely get a pat on the back for your efforts to remain legal. But you wont really be 100% with the ham radio operating conditions.
On a ham radio forum I visit occasionally has talk of "rogue quadcopter operators with unapproved transmitters on our bands" (shock horror gasp). So non-RC sympathetic hams will not consider FPV within the spirit of ham radio.
I'm not trying to put anyone off getting that ticket. But the idea that being a ham will solve everything is definitely not the case. Get informed before committing.