9 ms·

What are people using to study for HAM licenses these days? Any modern resources to know about?

kw71 9y ago
There are lots of practice apps on websites and smartphone apps that give flashcards from the question pool. Some people memorize the answers, but you should look into why the ones you don't know are what they are.
elihu 9y ago
The test questions and answers are public, so the simplest/cheapest thing is to just read through them all. Aside from that, I think the ARRL puts out some study guides that are a bit easier to digest.
jlgaddis 9y ago
You can buy books on the ARRL web site that contain every question -- along with the answer! -- to every question you could possibly be asked on the tests. If you just want to get the license as quickly/easily as possible, get a copy of the book (hell, the question pools are probably even online, I'm sure) and spend a weekend memorizing the answers before you go take the test. If you want to actually understand the material (which I highly recommend), then spend the extra time to research the questions and answers. I don't think it's ever been easier to get a ham radio license.
tzs 9y ago
If you want to actually learn the relevant material, but tailored toward passing the exam, the ARRL books are very good [1] [2] [3]. The exam structure is quite conductive to just memorizing the answers [4], but it is really better if you try to have some understanding so I recommend the books. You can take practice exams, or drill with flash cards, or review the entire question pools at hamexam.org or hamstudy.org. Make accounts at those sites and they will keep stats on how you do for each subsection of the test questions so you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses. There are mobile apps for iOS and Android that provide functionality similar to hamexam.org and hamstudy.org. [1] https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625950136/ https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625... [2] https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625950314/ https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/d... [3] https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625950551/ https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/... [3] See this comment for some more on the exam structure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793
stannouskj4vwg 9y ago
I made these tech flash cards for a group of elementary school kids. I downloaded the questions and processed them with a small python program that generated latex (I can provide the source code if anyone needs it)... They're at http://www.employees.org/~stannous/tech.pdf http://www.employees.org/~stannous/tech.pdf The first test is not hard... a couple of 9 year old kids passed it after studying a little.
krupan 9y ago
https://hamstudy.org https://hamstudy.org is really nice
nickysielicki 9y ago
For studying for the test, KB6NU's study guides and hamstudy.org, without any other resources even coming close. For actual knowledge that you might find useful and interesting but don't have to really memorize, ARRL books.

kw71 9y ago

There are lots of practice apps on websites and smartphone apps that give flashcards from the question pool. Some people memorize the answers, but you should look into why the ones you don't know are what they are.

elihu 9y ago

The test questions and answers are public, so the simplest/cheapest thing is to just read through them all. Aside from that, I think the ARRL puts out some study guides that are a bit easier to digest.

jlgaddis 9y ago

You can buy books on the ARRL web site that contain every question -- along with the answer! -- to every question you could possibly be asked on the tests. If you just want to get the license as quickly/easily as possible, get a copy of the book (hell, the question pools are probably even online, I'm sure) and spend a weekend memorizing the answers before you go take the test. If you want to actually understand the material (which I highly recommend), then spend the extra time to research the questions and answers. I don't think it's ever been easier to get a ham radio license.

tzs 9y ago

If you want to actually learn the relevant material, but tailored toward passing the exam, the ARRL books are very good [1] [2] [3]. The exam structure is quite conductive to just memorizing the answers [4], but it is really better if you try to have some understanding so I recommend the books. You can take practice exams, or drill with flash cards, or review the entire question pools at hamexam.org or hamstudy.org. Make accounts at those sites and they will keep stats on how you do for each subsection of the test questions so you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses. There are mobile apps for iOS and Android that provide functionality similar to hamexam.org and hamstudy.org. [1] https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625950136/ https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625... [2] https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625950314/ https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/d... [3] https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/1625950551/ https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/... [3] See this comment for some more on the exam structure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793

stannouskj4vwg 9y ago

I made these tech flash cards for a group of elementary school kids. I downloaded the questions and processed them with a small python program that generated latex (I can provide the source code if anyone needs it)... They're at http://www.employees.org/~stannous/tech.pdf http://www.employees.org/~stannous/tech.pdf The first test is not hard... a couple of 9 year old kids passed it after studying a little.

krupan 9y ago

https://hamstudy.org https://hamstudy.org is really nice

nickysielicki 9y ago

For studying for the test, KB6NU's study guides and hamstudy.org, without any other resources even coming close. For actual knowledge that you might find useful and interesting but don't have to really memorize, ARRL books.