Study materials

[Dieseldog13]

What do you folks suggest for study materials for the Tech test? ARRL's Tech Q&A 6th Edition, the manual, an online course or some other source?
Thank you.

 

[VetteGirlMA]

OOoohh a question I can answer. I just took the technicians exam last weekend. Prior to that I had taken a 5 week study course that went through the ARRL study guide (red book) 2 chapters each night. What was good was the instructor asked questions from the chapters and that got me thinking about the answers. But here's the thing.

Take the exams online. I used these two:

http://aa9pw.com/radio/

and

https://hamexam.org

Those 2 sites have the actual questions that are on the exam.

I took them over and over until I got to the point where I was doing 35 out of 35 and then I knew I was ready for the exam and scored 35 out of 35, and crazy enough scored 24 out of 35 on the general, closing to a passing score.

If you have basic knowledge of Ohms law E=IR and P=IE and can read a schematic diagram (basics like resistors, capacitors and transistors) the rest is pretty much about FCC and amateur regulations. Best of luck and don't forget to post up your call sign!

PS: If this is any encouragement, but a guy walked in off the street and took the exam at the same time I did. Now the guy said he was an EE, but in his first attempt he squeaked by and passed it. It's not that hard, the question pool is just loaded with some trick questions.

 

[NHCraigT]

I used the Gordon West study guides for all 3 tests.

Its not like I studied others, to compare the GW study guides to. But, heck = they worked for me and got me to an extra in 3 months, and I had zero electrical background.

The eham.net sample tests were also an added big help.

 

[cockpitbob]

When my son was 11 he got his tech in a Tech in a Day class, then his General 2 weeks later just grinding through the practice tests on qrz.com. I explained a few things, but mainly that young, absorbent brain was able to remember 100s of correct answers. He's 18 now and hasn't been interested in ham radio since the hormones kicked in when he was 13 or 14

 

[Len-2A Training]

Scouter-Rick ran a course at our gun club for ~12 weeks and covered Tech and General, we used the ARRL books shown here:
Tech:
http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual-3rd-Edition/

Gen'l:
http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-General-Class-License-Manual-8th-Edition/

and we ran the tests (actual questions) on https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/

It seemed to have worked as 11 of took the Tech exam and all of us passed. 7 of the 11 of us passed the General test that same evening.

 

[FPrice]

Damn! I gotta get off my lazy mule and start studying for this.

 

[peterthefish]

I used the Gordon West study guides for all 3 tests.

Its not like I studied others, to compare the GW study guides to. But, heck = they worked for me and got me to an extra in 3 months, and I had zero electrical background.

The eham.net sample tests were also an added big help.

I'm thinking doing this - i.e. Going from zero to extra in 3 months. Did you use anything other than the Gordon West books and sample tests? Seems like a good skill set to add.

 

[BenDover]

i recommend https://hamstudy.org. They have good metrics to show you the sections you need more study on. I also like that each question had explanations so you can better understand the topic.

Would not waste time with books...flash cards are the shortest method to a ticket. Spend 10-15 minutes a day for a month and you will pass.

 

[cockpitbob]

I'm thinking doing this - i.e. Going from zero to extra in 3 months. Did you use anything other than the Gordon West books and sample tests? Seems like a good skill set to add.

Having the Extra is a great accomplishment. Something to be proud of. But I'll say that beyond bragging rights all it gets you is privileges to operate in a few extra KHz at the edges of some bands. You can work the same bands with a General ticket. However if you plan to become a Volunteer Examiner and help administer ham tests, they always need Extras so they can administer the General and Extra tests. Becoming a VE is easy.

 

[ToddDubya]

Download the question pool, highlight the correct answers, memorize them, ignore the wrong answers, take the test.

The hardest questions for me were band related ones, which are basically rote memorization. Since I can very easily download a band plan chart and reference it any time I'm unsure about where I can operate, I don't feel the need to memorize exact frequencies, USB/LSB, etc. Passing the test just gets you a license/call sign. You'll learn plenty as you try to get your equipment set up.

Disclaimer: I'm an electrical engineer, so most of the science/math stuff was pretty basic for me. The biggest things to know are:

V=IR
P=VI
f (in MHz) = 300 / wavelength (in meters)

 

[peterthefish]

Having the Extra is a great accomplishment. Something to be proud of. But I'll say that beyond bragging rights all it gets you is privileges to operate in a few extra KHz at the edges of some bands.

Aside from the utility, I'd like to go Extra because my dads been in the hobby since forever. It wasn't something that interested me as a kid but now it'd be nice to have a hobby in common, plus access to some cool toys (old pic here but hams probably know more about what this is than me!).

I have (now) fond memories of a lot of Saturday morning cartoons disturbed by the RF interference on the TV carrying seemingly endless loops of calls during contests.

Download the question pool, highlight the correct answers, memorize them, ignore the wrong answers, take the test.

The hardest questions for me were band related ones, which are basically rote memorization. Since I can very easily download a band plan chart and reference it any time I'm unsure about where I can operate, I don't feel the need to memorize exact frequencies, USB/LSB, etc. Passing the test just gets you a license/call sign. You'll learn plenty as you try to get your equipment set up.

Disclaimer: I'm an electrical engineer, so most of the science/math stuff was pretty basic for me. The biggest things to know are:

V=IR
P=VI
f (in MHz) = 300 / wavelength (in meters)

I'm good at testing and did a couple years of EE in college (finished through RLC circuits) so the above seems pretty straightforward.

But is there any benefit to actually studying the materials? Will I learn anything useful? Or will I learn more the first day I stop by my dads and with my license?

 

[scatter]

Aside from the utility, I'd like to go Extra because my dads been in the hobby since forever. It wasn't something that interested me as a kid but now it'd be nice to have a hobby in common, plus access to some cool toys (old pic here but hams probably know more about what this is than me!).

I have (now) fond memories of a lot of Saturday morning cartoons disturbed by the RF interference on the TV carrying seemingly endless loops of calls during contests.

I'm good at testing and did a couple years of EE in college (finished through RLC circuits) so the above seems pretty straightforward.

But is there any benefit to actually studying the materials? Will I learn anything useful? Or will I learn more the first day I stop by my dads and with my license?

Common sense and a smattering of EE knowledge will get you through a lot of it, but not enough of it. As others have mentioned, there are enough rote memorization questions to fail you even if you go in with general smarts. So yes you need to study the materials. I did the free online stuff that has already been posted. Studying the bank of actual test questions is tedious, especially when you start seeing the same question for the 10th time, but it is also invaluable. Just make sure you treat it like a final. Intense studying right before the exam. Otherwise all the memorization stuff will leak out of your head.

ETA: CRTs? Really? How old are those pics? LOL

 

[ToddDubya]

Aside from the utility, I'd like to go Extra because my dads been in the hobby since forever. It wasn't something that interested me as a kid but now it'd be nice to have a hobby in common, plus access to some cool toys (old pic here but hams probably know more about what this is than me!).

I have (now) fond memories of a lot of Saturday morning cartoons disturbed by the RF interference on the TV carrying seemingly endless loops of calls during contests.

I'm good at testing and did a couple years of EE in college (finished through RLC circuits) so the above seems pretty straightforward.

But is there any benefit to actually studying the materials? Will I learn anything useful? Or will I learn more the first day I stop by my dads and with my license?

1. You don't need Extra to share the hobby with your dad. General gets you like 95% of the privileges. Take a look at the band chart and see how much more an Extra gets. I'm not trying to dissuade you, just saying you don't need to go overboard.
2. By the time I needed anything that was on the test, I had to look it up again. It's like school where you learn things and might forget, but you know how to get the answer again.

I'm not trying to give the impression that they shouldn't have a test or that the testing is stupid, because the test keeps all the (some of the) dummies from wreaking havoc on the airwaves. It's like when I passed my motorcycle test and they said "Congratulations, you're now certified to ride a motorcycle in a closed parking lot". The real learning happens once you start doing.

 

[peterthefish]

ETA: CRTs? Really? How old are those pics? LOL

Looks like almost 20 years old now.

1. You don't need Extra to share the hobby with your dad. General gets you like 95% of the privileges. Take a look at the band chart and see how much more an Extra gets. I'm not trying to dissuade you, just saying you don't need to go overboard.
2. By the time I needed anything that was on the test, I had to look it up again. It's like school where you learn things and might forget, but you know how to get the answer again.

Fair enough - usually if I do something I go all in and it doesn't seem like a ton of work even if the extra has fairly limited utility.

How does it work with vanity call signs - can someone transfer theirs to you, or is it all lottery.

 

[ToddDubya]

I didn't answer your question about "But is there any benefit to actually studying the materials? Will I learn anything useful? Or will I learn more the first day I stop by my dads and with my license?"...

The test is pretty basic. It's making sure you have a good basic understanding of what you're going to be doing. When you get your brand new license in the mail you're going to plug in your radio and go "Uh, now what". Now you'll start the learning.

Here's an example from the Tech test pool...

T1A03 (D)
Which part of the FCC regulations contains the rules governing the Amateur Radio Service?
A. Part 73
B. Part 95
C. Part 90
D. Part 97

Answer: Who gives a shit. If I hadn't highlighted it in my study guide, I'd never remember the answer and I'd probably never care again unless I had a specific reason to look up a specific regulation.

Spoiler alert, it's D.

Another one that's more technically relevant...

T4A04 (A)
Where must a filter be installed to reduce harmonic emissions from your station?
A. Between the transmitter and the antenna
B. Between the receiver and the transmitter
C. At the station power supply
D. At the microphone

A Day 1 technician isn't even going to know he/she has harmonic emissions that need to be reduced. That's going to come from experience and neighbors complaining (or the kids complaining that dad's radio is messing with their Sunday morning cartoons ). At which point he/she is going to dig into the problem and find that he/she needs a filter and where that filter needs to go. So yes, you might have learned something while studying for the test but then you won't need that information again until you do.

When I "memorized" the answers, what I really did was read the question, read the correct answer and said to myself "Does that make sense?". If it did, I moved on. If it didn't, I learned what I needed to and moved on. The trick is to focus on the correct answers and ignore the wrong ones (distractors as they're called). The test uses the exact same questions and answers out of the pool, with the answers shuffled.

So for the second example, the answer is A. Does that make sense? If not, learn enough to convince yourself and move on. If and when the time comes to add a filter, you research it a little deeper (What frequencies/bands are you having problems with? What's your grounding like? What equipment are you using? Who else has had this problem before? etc), buy and install a filter and see if it solves the problem. The real learning happens after the test.

Bonus advice: Study just as hard for each test you plan on taking that day. I took Tech/General the same day, had focused on General and it was easy breezy, but when I hit the rote memorization questions in the Tech test I almost shit a brick. Not focusing on Tech could have meant leaving with no license.

 

[scatter]

I didn't answer your question about "But is there any benefit to actually studying the materials? Will I learn anything useful? Or will I learn more the first day I stop by my dads and with my license?"...

The test is pretty basic. It's making sure you have a good basic understanding of what you're going to be doing. When you get your brand new license in the mail you're going to plug in your radio and go "Uh, now what". Now you'll start the learning.

Here's an example from the Tech test pool...

T1A03 (D)
Which part of the FCC regulations contains the rules governing the Amateur Radio Service?
A. Part 73
B. Part 95
C. Part 90
D. Part 97

Answer: Who gives a shit. If I hadn't highlighted it in my study guide, I'd never remember the answer and I'd probably never care again unless I had a specific reason to look up a specific regulation.

Spoiler alert, it's D.

Another one that's more technically relevant...

T4A04 (A)
Where must a filter be installed to reduce harmonic emissions from your station?
A. Between the transmitter and the antenna
B. Between the receiver and the transmitter
C. At the station power supply
D. At the microphone

A Day 1 technician isn't even going to know he/she has harmonic emissions that need to be reduced. That's going to come from experience and neighbors complaining (or the kids complaining that dad's radio is messing with their Sunday morning cartoons ). At which point he/she is going to dig into the problem and find that he/she needs a filter and where that filter needs to go. So yes, you might have learned something while studying for the test but then you won't need that information again until you do.

When I "memorized" the answers, what I really did was read the question, read the correct answer and said to myself "Does that make sense?". If it did, I moved on. If it didn't, I learned what I needed to and moved on. The trick is to focus on the correct answers and ignore the wrong ones (distractors as they're called). The test uses the exact same questions and answers out of the pool, with the answers shuffled.

So for the second example, the answer is A. Does that make sense? If not, learn enough to convince yourself and move on. If and when the time comes to add a filter, you research it a little deeper (What frequencies/bands are you having problems with? What's your grounding like? What equipment are you using? Who else has had this problem before? etc), buy and install a filter and see if it solves the problem. The real learning happens after the test.

Bonus advice: Study just as hard for each test you plan on taking that day. I took Tech/General the same day, had focused on General and it was easy breezy, but when I hit the rote memorization questions in the Tech test I almost shit a brick. Not focusing on Tech could have meant leaving with no license.

Lots of good advice here. I'm a rookie at this but I did manage to pass the exams and I agree with all of Todd's post. It's kind of like getting into guns--the amount of information out there is overwhelming, and unfortunately a lot of it is wrong or at best misleading. Study the test bank on a free online site just so that you can pass the test. Then go get some equipment, get online, listen and learn. That's what I'm doing. You won't pass with basic EE and common sense knowledge because there are stupid memorization questions like Todd cited that you can't possibly get right without rote memorization, and where knowing the right answer has no practical benefit. Good luck!

 

[ToddDubya]

I just noticed that I talked about the question pool but never told you where to find it. Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth. Next to the question number you'll see a letter in parentheses. That's the answer.

http://www.arrl.org/tech-question-pool

 

[peterthefish]

Thanks!