Hello everyone. Was hoping someone might help me out here.
Yesterday I was introduced to some very small and portable ham radio transceivers. I'm interested in low power (QRP), wire attennas, and portability such as the Icom-IC705.
My question pertains to study prep. I've already found courses online but can someone suggest a good study book or other avenue that gets right to the chase. I've been over at ABE Books and it seems like the study guide questions are updated over time (like the USCG). Is this true so some books are outdated? Can I go straight to a General License and skip the Technician?
Thanks. Rob.
Yesterday I was introduced to some very small and portable ham radio transceivers. I'm interested in low power (QRP), wire attennas, and portability such as the Icom-IC705.
My question pertains to study prep. I've already found courses online but can someone suggest a good study book or other avenue that gets right to the chase. I've been over at ABE Books and it seems like the study guide questions are updated over time (like the USCG). Is this true so some books are outdated? Can I go straight to a General License and skip the Technician?
Thanks. Rob.
I think the absolute fastest way to study to pass a ham license test is to go to this site (sign up with an email address as it says, and I recall there may be other free websites with the same material), and repeatedly take the test(s) you're interested in until you consistently pass. When you take the actual test you can't skip the Technician test, but you almost certainly CAN take the General test at the same testing event right after you've taken the Technician and they determined that you passed it. Each test takes, I forget, something like 30 to 45 minutes. If you have the study time and find the Tech and General test material easy enough, you might as well also study for and take the test for the Extra. If you fail a more advanced test, it isn't counted against you, you still get the license for the test(s) you passed. And yes, there are (probably many) outdated books and such, the FCC changes the tests every few years (I don't know how often) as technology changes and the license structure changes (in the 1990s there were five classes of amateur license, vs. three now).
https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
Ben. AK4XL
https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
Ben. AK4XL
I was not aware that you had to take the tech test before taking the general test, since one of my friends started his ham radio journey at general.....this was however in 1985.
I agree with the qrz.com practice test scenario. All of their tests are made from the exact same questions that are on the real FCC test, just randomized differently. Take a few practice tests to see which kind of questions you consistently get right, and which ones you miss. Then you know what you need to study / memorize.
I had a Tech Plus license from the mid 80's which became a free upgrade to a general when the licenses were restructured and the tech plus was eliminated. The only catch was that you had to have the ORIGINAL license as proof. I had renewed twice since the 80's and did not have the original. Many years passed and some of those restrictions were lifted. In the 2000's the ARRL stated that finding your name in an 80's vintage ARRL call book with "tech plus" next to it was valid proof. A zillion phone calls later and I found a ham club about 30 miles away with a stack of old call books that would give me a general license if I came to their VEC event which was about three days later and paid the VEC fee. I asked that since I had to pay the exam fee, "Could I take the extra test and walk away with either a general license or an extra license?" The guy laughed and said that I could take the extra test, but the odds were that I would get a general license. I zipped through that test in about 10 minutes and was informed that I missed only one question.
He did not know that I was a transmitter designer at Motorola and the only questions I stumbled on were the rules and regulations and some of the antenna theory. I blew three days of Motorola's precious engineering time doing those practice tests at work and got my extra license. I liked my old novice call since I hung out at a Lafayette Radio Electronics store when I was a kid, so I kept it.
George - KB4LRE
I agree with the qrz.com practice test scenario. All of their tests are made from the exact same questions that are on the real FCC test, just randomized differently. Take a few practice tests to see which kind of questions you consistently get right, and which ones you miss. Then you know what you need to study / memorize.
I had a Tech Plus license from the mid 80's which became a free upgrade to a general when the licenses were restructured and the tech plus was eliminated. The only catch was that you had to have the ORIGINAL license as proof. I had renewed twice since the 80's and did not have the original. Many years passed and some of those restrictions were lifted. In the 2000's the ARRL stated that finding your name in an 80's vintage ARRL call book with "tech plus" next to it was valid proof. A zillion phone calls later and I found a ham club about 30 miles away with a stack of old call books that would give me a general license if I came to their VEC event which was about three days later and paid the VEC fee. I asked that since I had to pay the exam fee, "Could I take the extra test and walk away with either a general license or an extra license?" The guy laughed and said that I could take the extra test, but the odds were that I would get a general license. I zipped through that test in about 10 minutes and was informed that I missed only one question.
He did not know that I was a transmitter designer at Motorola and the only questions I stumbled on were the rules and regulations and some of the antenna theory. I blew three days of Motorola's precious engineering time doing those practice tests at work and got my extra license. I liked my old novice call since I hung out at a Lafayette Radio Electronics store when I was a kid, so I kept it.
George - KB4LRE
The ARRL website has a lot of information on the subject that will be of use to you and, if you want to spend the money, have good study books to get your license.
Unless things have changed since I did it, you can sit down and take one test after the other at the exam and go right up on to Extra class if you know your material. Since they got rid of the code requirement, testing is just a matter of memorizing the questions and answers from the pool for the simplest way. That's how most have done it the past twenty some years rather than put the energy into learning and understanding the elements behind the questions.
Unless things have changed since I did it, you can sit down and take one test after the other at the exam and go right up on to Extra class if you know your material. Since they got rid of the code requirement, testing is just a matter of memorizing the questions and answers from the pool for the simplest way. That's how most have done it the past twenty some years rather than put the energy into learning and understanding the elements behind the questions.
I recommend finding either a local club or online class. As Diogenes notes, passing the test is a memorization and practice game for the most part and it helps to be guided by people who know both the material and the test. If you remember some college physics it won't be too hard to pass tech and general at the same time. Extra is possible but remember that general gets you almost all operating privileges anyway.
I got my Tech license in 1965 and upgraded to General in 1967. Now working to get the license back after being in active for decades.
About 20 years ago I purchased a Heath SB310 receiver -- this will help cover the new ham bands. Regret selling my SB610 6m transceiver!
About 20 years ago I purchased a Heath SB310 receiver -- this will help cover the new ham bands. Regret selling my SB610 6m transceiver!
I got some clarification on this. Yes, you can walk into a testing session and walk out having met the requirements for a general class license without having to hold a technician class license first. Your license will come in the mail a few weeks after passing the test.
You will have to pass two 35 question tests to do that. You could also walk in and get an extra class license by taking all three tests, two 35 question tests and one 50 question test. Passing scores are 26 questions right on the 35 question test, and 37 questions correct on the 50 question test.
The licensing system refers to these tests as elements. The tech license requires element 2, the general license requires element 2 and 3, while the extra license requires elements 2, 3, and 4.
More info here:
http://southmetroveteam.org/amateur-license-elements/
Back in 1965 you had to go into an FCC field office to take a ham radio license test if you lived within a certain distance from one (50 miles?), which we did. I had built a crude station in 1965 with an old Hallicrafters receiver and an ARC-5 transmitter with a box full of 40 meter crystals. I made a code key from a kitchen spoon, a spring, a piece of wood, and a brass furniture tack and got proficient enough to do 5 WPM. My father had promised me a trip to the Miami field office once I got that far, but that trip never happened. I eventually gave up and traded away my stuff. Didn't get back to ham radio until the 80's when we had a ham radio club in the Motorola plant with a nice station and a 5 element beam on the roof.
I looked into it some more today and actually started a practice test online. Got to question 16 when duty called. Learned a lot in 24hrs and have a path forward.
Thanks everyone for the help and advice. I appreciate it.
Thanks everyone for the help and advice. I appreciate it.
Sneaky rascal, heh heh... I like it.
And somehow I'd have been severely disappointed if you hadn't cobbled together at least part of your first rig. Using a spoon showed some serious resolve and ingenuity. It's a shame the trip to the field office didn't work out 'cause you sure earned it.My first assigned call as a newly-minted Technician was KG4IYL (Kegs Galore 4 Idiotic Young Lads). I hated it so badly it spurred me to get my Extra once the vanity signs became available. I took the first 2X1 call that appeared on the registry.
@Jack, I still have my first HF rig, an HW-101 purchased at the Salisbury Hamfest ~2003. I haven't powered it up in years (I hesitate to use the term 'fired up' in this context), but that may change soon. I'm considering a recap of the power supply, possibly with one of those Harbach power supply recap kits.
Shortwave, good luck in your quest, and please keep us posted on your progress. It sounds like you're well on your way!
73, KT4G
Yes - good luck shortwave, always good to have another radio amateur in the world! I passed my UK exam in 1972 and have been active ever since. Got a 40m sked later today... 🙂
Two weeks ago the local ham radio club sponsored a testing session at our local library and I passed the technician and general. I had a look at the extra and decided the chances of passing were not so good so I didn't try it. Next session is in three months and I will be ready for it.
Just wanted to update and say thanks again for the suggestions on how to prep. My motivation for this was QRP operation and that remains the plan for now. It will be a few weeks before I get on the air but looking forward to it. Getting ready for work Thursday morning and found the FCC emailed my call sign.
73's.
KE8YZY
Just wanted to update and say thanks again for the suggestions on how to prep. My motivation for this was QRP operation and that remains the plan for now. It will be a few weeks before I get on the air but looking forward to it. Getting ready for work Thursday morning and found the FCC emailed my call sign.
73's.
KE8YZY
great job!
invest in 100w HF trx maybe second hand, maybe ic706 ic7000 ic7100 or yaesu équivalent, you can turn the power down for qrp
dont go for 10w qrp rig you will end up buying an External 100w PA with all the inconvenience....
73
invest in 100w HF trx maybe second hand, maybe ic706 ic7000 ic7100 or yaesu équivalent, you can turn the power down for qrp
dont go for 10w qrp rig you will end up buying an External 100w PA with all the inconvenience....
73
I passed my test in 1976 as a teenager in the uk, however I became more interested in computers after a few years and let my license lapse. I’m now in Ireland and not sure if I’d have to take the test again as I think that predated the current standard test. There are no clubs near me unfortunately as I live outside Dublin. The electronics doesn’t look too hard but all the regulations are different now.
I had a class B license, so 144MHz and above at that time. I think this has also changed.
For those licensed folks especially in the UK and Ireland, I’d be interested to hear a bit about current Ham Radio as I keep toying with the idea of getting involved again. After all, there are only so many amplifiers and speakers you can build right? 🙂
I had a class B license, so 144MHz and above at that time. I think this has also changed.
For those licensed folks especially in the UK and Ireland, I’d be interested to hear a bit about current Ham Radio as I keep toying with the idea of getting involved again. After all, there are only so many amplifiers and speakers you can build right? 🙂