Best Study Resource

[CoonManJim]

What resources are considered good for preparing for Technician and General license preparation? There seems to be a lot out there but some seems really dense while others seem incredibly thin on info. Like most things, I presume 99% of Ham is learned hands on after you are using it. What resources should I rely on to get through licensing?

 

[AK9R]

Everybody studies and learns differently.

When I was preparing for the Technician test, I bought a license study book from the ARRL, went immediately to the back of the book where the entire question pool was listed, and answered every question. I then "graded" my test. For any question I got wrong, I went back to the text of the book to gain understanding of the material I had missed.

When I was preparing for the General and Extra test, I used Ham Test Online and kept doing practice tests until I felt comfortable with the material. In paid mode, Ham Test Online tracks your progress so it can put more emphasis on questions that you have trouble with.

Yes, an amateur radio license is a "license to learn". The knowledge gained by studying for the tests will only take you so far.

 

[ladn]

+1 on HamTestOnline - Study for your Ham Radio License Exam

 

[Rt169Radio]

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[K7MEM]

In early 1999, I decided to upgrade from Novice to Extra. I had already been a ham for a long time, so the only study material I used was the practice tests on QRZ. com. I just read through all the questions and started taking some practice tests. The practice tests are nice because they keep track of your progress and mark anything you get wrong, for further study. When you are getting a 85% - 90% on each practice test, you are ready for the real test. In just 3 months, I went from Novice to Extra. If I waited a couple of years (2007), I could have skipped the 13 and 20 WPM Morse tests, but I opted to take them too.

As someone else mentioned, the real learning happens once you get the license. Many wannabe hams are able to take all three written tests (Tech, General, and Extra) in a single sitting. It's worth a try, if your up to it.

 

[CoonManJim]

I appreciate your advice. I've been doing some practice tests and they've been enlightening. As one could imagine, some of the results were pitiful but I was pleased with some of the areas that I already had a decent body of knowledge. I appreciate you folks pointing out the resources that are useful.

It doesn't hurt that I'm simultaneously trying to solve a specific comms issue so looking for a particular band solution, at least theoretically, and it's forcing me to better understand the way propagation works across the different bands. This is going to be fun.