Search Basics

To enter a query, type in a few descriptive words (keywords) and press Enter (or click the Search button).

The search results you get depend on the keywords you choose to search for. Here are some tips:

• Be specific. If you are looking for information about how to handle traffic, try searching for traffic handling rather than say, HF nets. If you getting results tht aren't what you want, try being more specific by adding or changing keywords.

• By default, only pages that include all of the keywords you enter are returned, so there is no need to include and between terms. (In fact, the and will be ignored.)

• The order of the keywords affects the search results. For example, searching for license class returns a different set of results than searching for class license.

• The search system ignores common words and characters such as where and how, as well as certain single digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a + sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the + sign.) Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are included in the search.

• Using quotes to do a phrase search is also a good way of being more specific. For example, if you wanted only pages that discussed the APRS protocol, you might search for "APRS protocol" rather than APRS protocol, as the latter would return any page that included the words APRS and protocol anywhere on the page.

• Searches are not case sensitive.

• The system does not use "stemming" or "wildcard" searches. It searches for exactly the words that you enter in the search box. It will at times suggest alternative searches, though. For example, if you search for novise license, the system will ask: Did you mean novice license?

Please contact ARRL with any comments or questions.