Interested in ham license?

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rlocone

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Kokomo, IN
Hello All!

I've been interested with scanners for a number of years. I attempted to take the ham test about 14yrs ago. Never took the actual exam. Lately I've had a renewed interested. There has been a lot of changes over the years. How & What is the best way to get your license today?

Thanks for your time and attention,
 

n9mxq

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www.arrl.org is a good start, there are online practice tests and study material.. Google will pop plenty on those.

Then use the ARRL site to locate a local club, and testing date..
 

iMONITOR

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It's much easier than it was 14 years ago, that's for sure! You don't need to learn code either.
 

KC0QNB

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Nov 4, 2007
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Gothenburg, NE
Hello All!

I've been interested with scanners for a number of years. I attempted to take the ham test about 14yrs ago. Never took the actual exam. Lately I've had a renewed interested. There has been a lot of changes over the years. How & What is the best way to get your license today?

Thanks for your time and attention,

Have you started studying yet? just wondering
 

kg4ekc

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I used Gordon West's books to prepare. Currently it is incredibly easier to get your license and you should be able to take both the Tech and General at the same sitting. I suggest you get the Books from Gordon West and the CD ROM with testing on them. This is the way to do this. Study the material and then start taking the tests when you can repeatedly score in the 90% go take the test. You will do well and can be on the air. Hurry we about to get into a new sun cycle and it should be fun. Even at the bottom of this sun cycle it is incredible.
 

macdude22

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I picked up one of the ARRL books and have been using HamTestOnline. Within a couple of weeks I've been able to ace every sample test I take. I'm going to take the test on the 20th. I highly recommend HamTestOnline even if it costs a few bills.
 

kb2vxa

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
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Oh HOW could I not add my 2c here? (;->) I should add that the Gordon West study manuals are available through the W5WY Group and you can order on line. I found Gordo's method excellent, you can study or you can be a dummy acer (UGH!) and you'll find out why and how when to peek between the pages. Hopefully you'll learn something and follow it up with a few ARRL technical study publications you can also order on line. The reason why I stress technical study is since CEPT has disqualified US licenses due to operator ineptitude thanks to inadequate testing there is this certain feeling of shame about having my country go down the crapper.

Subpart A--General Provisions

Sec. 97.1 Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an
amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the
following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service
to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to
contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through
rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and
technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio
service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to
enhance international goodwill.

My point is a ham is supposed to know something about radio communications and the hardware involved, if you have no pride in accomplishment and just want to talk there is always CB.
 

kennyloatman

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I picked up one of the ARRL books and have been using HamTestOnline. Within a couple of weeks I've been able to ace every sample test I take. I'm going to take the test on the 20th. I highly recommend HamTestOnline even if it costs a few bills.

I am in the same boat, been hitting the ARRL technician book for about a month now, 6 to 12 hours a day. I am kind of a slow learner in my old age, so a lot of it I have to read over and over again to get. Should be ready sometime next month. I wanted to get a full understanding of ham radio instead of just trying to memorizing the answers, so when I go to the test questions I try to figure out the answers before reading the multiple choice answers then see if one of them is what I came up with.
 

Gbcue

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I just got mine in April and I suggest the QRZ tests on their website. They are free and gives you instant gratification!

Just memorize away for tech test.
 

af5rn

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I just got mine in April and I suggest the QRZ tests on their website. They are free and gives you instant gratification!

Just memorize away for tech test.
Yeah, that's just what we need. More idiots who did nothing more than memorise eighty percent of a question and answer pool, but never learned a thing about radio theory. Wonderful. Then we end up with what we have here, a lot of supposed Hams asking the most basic questions over and over, because they were too lazy to learn the theory in the first place.

You don't have to earn a Ham licence anymore. You can just go get it. And that's what most people do nowadays. But it's a lot more meaningful if you actually earn it. It says a lot about your integrity and character as a person.
 

jon_k

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Yeah, that's just what we need. More idiots who did nothing more than memorise eighty percent of a question and answer pool, but never learned a thing about radio theory. Wonderful. Then we end up with what we have here, a lot of supposed Hams asking the most basic questions over and over, because they were too lazy to learn the theory in the first place.

You don't have to earn a Ham licence anymore. You can just go get it. And that's what most people do nowadays. But it's a lot more meaningful if you actually earn it. It says a lot about your integrity and character as a person.

Hey I'm an idiot who did nothing more than memorize eighty percent of the question pool!

I'm learning now by Googling anything prior to asking (Then I don't ask much. Mainly it's about radio specific features if anything. I've got a few friends who are recent HAM's and I seem to feel like I'm answering a lot of their questions already.) The internet has ALL the documentation you need on anything. I'm quickly coming to speed in understanding. (Of course, I have to admit I knew just about everything except the RF theory portion -- I've never been a stranger to electronics. I also knew all the regulations by going to a HAM class years earlier (which also taught me quite a bit about RF))

I'm now studying for general though, and I'd like to better understand the material on the general test prior to just "memorizing" it. I'm studying and doing research on the theories so I have a basic understanding right now. Then I'll take the test until passing and get the real test under my belt.

I realize many people aren't self-starters who will actively research things as they progress -- so if they memorize and pass the test they'll never push themselves to learn what they "passed". However, if someone uses a term -- or starts using or builds something I've never seen before... it's in my instinct to find out EVERYTHING I can about the new technology.
 
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wogggieee

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When i got mine i got the ARRL book and studied that over the period of about a month and took the online tests to find out where i needed more work and then when i was consistently scoring very high on the online tests i went and did the real deal.
 

bakechad

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Jun 28, 2008
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I used a combination of materials.

I used the ARRL Technician study guide to actually learn the material.

Then I used Nutest to prepare for the actual questions. It allows to produce an unlimited amount of random tests. It also tracks your progress and points out your problems areas. Really well designed software.

It was like $30 back when I used it in 2000. Their site is: http://www.nu-ware.com/

Chad
KB9WVS
 

RayAir

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Dec 31, 2005
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Hello All!

I've been interested with scanners for a number of years. I attempted to take the ham test about 14yrs ago. Never took the actual exam. Lately I've had a renewed interested. There has been a lot of changes over the years. How & What is the best way to get your license today?

Thanks for your time and attention,

Go on amazon.com and find a new used Technician class license study book. I bet you can find one for $6-10.
 

RayAir

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Yeah, that's just what we need. More idiots who did nothing more than memorise eighty percent of a question and answer pool, but never learned a thing about radio theory. Wonderful. Then we end up with what we have here, a lot of supposed Hams asking the most basic questions over and over, because they were too lazy to learn the theory in the first place.

You don't have to earn a Ham licence anymore. You can just go get it. And that's what most people do nowadays. But it's a lot more meaningful if you actually earn it. It says a lot about your integrity and character as a person.

huh???
 

Gbcue

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Apr 8, 2008
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CA
Yeah, that's just what we need. More idiots who did nothing more than memorise eighty percent of a question and answer pool, but never learned a thing about radio theory. Wonderful. Then we end up with what we have here, a lot of supposed Hams asking the most basic questions over and over, because they were too lazy to learn the theory in the first place.

You don't have to earn a Ham licence anymore. You can just go get it. And that's what most people do nowadays. But it's a lot more meaningful if you actually earn it. It says a lot about your integrity and character as a person.
Wow SUPER BASHER!

I'm an engineer. I already know more about the subjects than most people do. Radio theory? Peh, nothing compared to electrical engineering. How much electrical engineering have you had?

Scored 100% on the ham test.
 
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af5rn

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N. Tex / S. Fla
Wow SUPER BASHER!

I'm an engineer. I already know more about the subjects than most people do. Radio theory? Peh, nothing compared to electrical engineering. How much electrical engineering have you had?

Scored 100% on the ham test.
Well, that would be wonderful if somehow, all the people you encourage to just memorise the test and go take it, absorbed all your knowledge by osmosis. But they don't. Just because you are teh 4w3some doesn't mean that everyone who memorises 80% of the questions is.
 
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