H. Ward Silver - Ham Radio For Dummies

Because the exam questions are public, you’ll experience a strong temptation to memorize the questions and answers. Don’t! Take the time to understand as much of the material as you can, memorizing only what you must. After you do get your license, you’ll find that studying pays off when you start operating.

If you’re ready to start studying, what do you study? Fortunately for you, the aspiring ham, numerous study references are available to fit every taste and capability. Common study aids include classes, books, software, videos, and online help. Many aids are listed in the Getting Licensed area of the ARRL’s website ( www.arrl.org/getting-licensed ) or you can try some of the resources listed below, including special resources for the disabled. If you need personal help, give the ARRL’s New Ham Help Desk a call at 1-800-32-NEWHAM or send email to newham@arrl.org .

Exam questions and regulations change once every four years for each class of license. The latest changes in the Technician class questions, for example, took effect July 1, 2018, so the next set of questions will be apply starting on July 1, 2022. Be sure that any study materials you purchase support the latest updates. For the dates of the current question pools, see www.arrl.org/question-pools or www.ncvec.org .

If you learn better with a group of other students, you’ll find classes beneficial. You can find classes in several ways:

Checking with your radio club: You can take classes sponsored by the club. If you don’t see the class you want, contact the club through its website or social media pages, and ask about classes. To find a club in your area, turn to Chapter 3.

Looking for upcoming exams to be held in your area: The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has a search engine devoted to upcoming exam sessions at www.arrl.org/exam:sessions/search , as do the W5YI VEC ( www.w5yi.org ) and Laurel VEC ( www.laurelvec.com ). You can check other VEC sessions by going to the national VEC website ( www.ncvec.org ) and clicking the FCC Certified VECs link.Get in touch with the exam’s contact liaison and ask about licensing classes. Because exams are often given at the conclusion of class sessions, contact liaisons are frequently class instructors themselves.

Asking at a ham radio or electronics store: If a ham radio store is in your vicinity the staffers there usually know where classes are being held.Businesses that sell electronics supplies or kits to individuals may also know about classes. In a pinch, you can do a web search for ham radio class or radio licensing class (or close variations) and your town or region. Maker and robotics groups often include hams as members. Ask around and see if they can point you in the right direction.

Community colleges: It is increasingly common for local colleges to offer ham radio classes sponsored by a local club as part of an adult education or hobby instruction program. Even if the classes aren’t being held right away, there will often be information to help you contact the previous instructor for more information about the schedule.

Because of the pandemic, in-person classes may have shifted to an online format. This means you can take classes from almost any organization since you don’t have to travel to attend. Online classes are likely to continue since they have been very successful.

Other options for finding classes include local disaster-preparedness organizations such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA); the National Weather Service’s SKYWARN instructors; and public-safety agencies such as police and fire departments. By asking around, you can usually turn up a reference to someone who’s involved with ham radio instruction.

Occasionally, classes are advertised that take you from interested party to successful exam-taker in a single weekend. The Technician exam is simple enough that a focused, concerted effort over a couple of days can cram enough material into your brain for you to pass. The good part about these sessions is that by committing a single weekend, you can pass your exam on Sunday and find your new call sign in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database right away. For busy folks or those who are in a hurry, this timesavings is a tremendous incentive.

Remember when you crammed for a final exam overnight and the minute after you took the exam forgot everything that was on it? The same phenomenon applies to a weekend course. A lot of information that you memorize in a short period will fade quickly. In two days, you can’t really absorb the material well enough to understand it. You’ll use everything you learn in your studies later in real life. If you have time to take a weekly course, that’s the better option.

After the license study course, the same sponsor may also offer “new ham training” courses or presentations that help you use your new license. These are well worth your time, will help you learn to operate effectively, and you’ll have an opportunity to make new friends, as well!

You have a variety of options to help you study on your own. If you can, look at a few of the different resources to find one that seems right for your style. Here are a few of the more popular choices:

Study guides: The best-known guide for licensing studies is the ARRL’s Ham Radio License Manual. Aimed at the person studying for a Technician exam, it goes well beyond presenting just the questions from the question pool; it teaches the why and how of the material. A great companion to the manual is ARRL’s Tech Q&A which gives the correct answer to each exam question . Both books are available in the ARRL Store ( www.arrl.org ) in the Licensing, Education & Training section and at numerous retail outlets.Gordon West (WB6NOA) has written a series of licensing guides and audio courses for all three license classes. These guides focus tightly on the question pool in question-and-answer format and are geared to students who want to pass the exam quickly without the more extensive background of the ARRL books. West’s books are available at www.masterpublishing.com/radio.html , www.w5yi.org , and various retail outlets.Dan Romanchik (KB6NU) also writes a series of popular study guide books that present the material in a very focused format. Dan has also written a great guide to learning Morse code and blogs extensively on a variety of ham radio topics at www.kb6nu.com .A team led by Stu Turner (WØSTU) offers a two-license package of study material for the Technician and General licenses ( www.hamradioschool.com ). The book includes graphics and explanations for each question.

Websites: Here are a few good choices:HamTestOnline ( www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/index.html ) offers online tutoring and training material that you can access through your web browser.Hamstudy ( hamstudy.org ) is a practice guide in a flashcard format with apps for Android or iOS.