KB7UV's
Guide to Passing Amateur Radio Exams
Andy Funk, KB7UV
[email protected]
I first wrote this guide in
the early 1990s to be given out at Technician Exam Cram Classes
presented by the Radio Amateur Telecommunications Society. We held these
classes for several years at the Trenton Computer Festival, and elsewhere, because the FCC had
recently eliminated Morse code as a requirement for the Technician
license, and we wanted to assist technically-inclined computer hobbyists
and professionals to get their Amateur Radio licenses.
The guide has been slightly
updated for posting on the web in August, 2002. Yes, more updating is
needed, and I hope to get to it soon. Why did it take so long to post
this online? Well... the file was hiding. Yeah, that's it, hiding. But
it's been found again, so here it is.
I'd appreciate hearing your
comments and suggestions for improving this guide.
�Andy Funk, KB7UV
3 August 2025
|
Introduction
Everyone
getting involved with Amateur
Radio is advised to read the book, Now
You're Talking! All You Need For Your First Amateur Radio License. Even experienced
"hams" are advised to pick up a copy of this book and go through
it.
In
it you'll find the
question pool (complete with correct answers) for Technician Amateur Radio
examinations. Now You're Talking! explains
the radio theory, regulations and operating practices you will need to
know�not just to pass the test but also to make your Amateur Radio
experiences much more enjoyable and rewarding.
Now You're Talking! is
published by ARRL, the national
association for Amateur Radio. Probably the easiest way to get a copy is to
order it online from Amazon.com.
All Amateur Radio tests
are given at scheduled Volunteer Examination (VE) sessions by certified
Volunteer Examiners.
Don't think that this
means the examinations aren't well run, however! VEs take pride in their
exam sessions. Improprieties are not tolerated. You will find your examiners
to be courteous, and the examinations administered professionally.
Before You Take The Test
Make
a "cheat sheet" of all the information you have found difficult to
remember.
No, I don't advocate
dishonesty! it's really a virtual "cheat sheet" �
keep reading!
Bring it, and a blank
sheet of paper, with you to the testing location. Copy your "cheat
sheet" over to the other paper while you are waiting to get your test.
The act of writing will help you remember the material, and doing it right
before taking the test will keep it fresh in your memory.
|
Don't
take either copy of the "cheat sheet"
with you when you actually take the exam! |
To avoid any possible
appearance of cheating I suggest you hand both copies of your "cheat
sheet" to the examiners before they give you your test.
The tests are relatively
inexpensive. If you have the chance, take the exam before you're really
ready�just for the experience. There will be no pressure, as you won't be
expecting to pass, so you should feel very relaxed. Who knows, you might
even pass! If not, when you take the test "for real" you will have
already gone through the process, so you should be more relaxed (and do
better) than if it were your first time.
At The VE Session
Unless
you are under time pressure, check the box for the "Amateur Extra"
test where it asks you which exam you will be taking.
Why?
The Amateur Extra exam is
all-inclusive � it begins with the Technician test goes on from there. You
will be able to take written tests as long as you keep passing, and will
receive credit for each exam passed so you won't have to sit for that
section again. (Exam credit is valid for one year.)
If you are technically
inclined you may find that you have passed the theory required for the
General or Amateur Extra license, but not the Morse test. You will walk out
with a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) for the
General or Amateur Extra written exams, and will receive a Technician
license from the FCC. Later, to upgrade to a higher license class all you
will need is to pass the remaining element(s) for the license you desire,
and present your CSCE(s).
Taking the Test
The
moment of truth arrives�they hand you your test. Put down your pen and
pencil. Also put down the test! Close your eyes and take a deep breath...
Relax! Remember, this is only a hobby. (Only a hobby... Only a hobby... Only
a hobby...)
Take a moment to write
down on your work paper as much of the material from your "cheat
sheet" as you can. This way it will be right in front of you, on paper,
to refer to�without cheating!
Now pick up the test. Read
it fully, from beginning to end, before answering any of the questions.
It is quite likely that
some of the questions will contain the answer for other questions. By
reading through the entire test, before answering any questions, you will
easily be able to take advantage of this.
Also, the human mind does
something similar to what computer engineers call "background
processing." By reading all the questions your subconscious mind will
start to work. Because of this, when you do begin to answer the questions
you will find many answers seem to just pop into your head, out of nowhere!
After you read through the
entire test, go back to the beginning and start answering the questions. If
you can't immediately answer a question just skip it�go on to the next
one.
When you've answered all
the "easy ones" go back to the "toughies." See if some
of the answers are obviously wrong, then make your best guess from the
remaining choices.
If you have no idea at all
pick "C." Why? Well, it seemed to work in high school and college,
and it'll probably work here, too!
Tips
Frequency and Wavelength
Many
of the questions ask about frequency privileges. One simple formula, and a
little common sense, will help you answer these questions correctly.
The questions will ask for
you to choose the Technician privileges on a given Amateur Radio band. The
band will be given in meters, a measure of wavelength, and the band segments
will be given in kiloHertz (kHz) or megaHertz (MHz), which are measures of
frequency. Two of the choices will usually be on a completely different
band. By getting a "ballpark" idea of the correct frequency for a
given meter band you'll be able to eliminate two choices immediately.
There is an easy to
remember relationship between frequency and wavelength:
| Frequency in MHz
x Wavelength in Meters = 300 |
But who wants to remember
a formula and use algebra to turn it into the form needed for a given
problem? (OK, but not all of us are engineers, mathematicians or
scientists.) Nope, there's an easier way to remember, and use, this formula.
Look at this circle:
Not only is it easy to
remember, it's easy to use. Say you have the wavelength in meters and need
to find the frequency. Using the diagram, put your hand over what you are
looking for, in this case the frequency in MHz. What's left? 300/meters.
Divide 300 by the wavelength in meters and you will get the frequency in
MHz.
If you have the frequency
in MHz and are looking for the wavelength, cover meters in the circle and
you'll have 300/MHz left. Divide 300 by the frequency in MHz and you'll get
the wavelength in meters.
The circle is an easy to
use method of remembering the frequency�wavelength formula. There are two
more formulas that are needed to pass the Technician class exam. These are
known as Ohm's Law and the Power formula.
Ohm's Law
Ohm's Law relates voltage
(E), current (I) and resistance (R) in an equation:
where E is the Voltage, in
Volts (V); I is the current, in Amperes (A); and R is the resistance, in
Ohms (Ω). (The symbol for voltage in an equation isn't "E"
just to be confusing. E stands for "electro�motive force,"
which is another term for voltage. But yes, some electronics books use
"V" for voltage. I'm using "E" here so, if you do see it
used, it won't come as a shock.)
Yes, there is an easy to
remember and use circle for this formula:
This circle is used the
same way as the other circle: Cover what you need and what's left is the
formula to use. For example, say you have the voltage and the resistance,
and need to determine the current. Cover the "I" in the diagram
(current), and what's left is E/R. Divide the voltage (in Volts) by the
Resistance (in Ohms, Ω) and you'll get the current in Amperes. Using
numbers, if you have an electrical circuit with 12 V across 6 Ω the
current will be 12/6, or 2 A.
Power Formula
The Power formula is:
where P is the power in
Watts (W), E is the voltage in Volts (V), and I is the current in Amperes
(A).
Here's the circle:
As with the other circles,
cover the symbol of what you need and you'll see the formula to use.
For example, how much
current flows through a 60 W light bulb when plugged into a 120 V electrical
outlet? Cover the I in the circle any you'll see that the formula is P/E,
the power in Watts divided by the voltage in Volts. So, divide 60 W by 120 V
(60/120) and you'll get the answer of �, or 0.5 A.
Prefixes
Electrical values, such as
Volts, Amperes, Ohms, etc., are metric units. This isn't very
important by itself, but as metric units there are prefixes which are used
to indicate different size units. For example, the prefix milli- means
thousandths, so 1 milliAmpere (1 mA) is one�thousandth of an Ampere (.001
A).
Here's a chart with some
common prefixes you will run into:
|
Prefix |
Symbol |
Power
of 10 |
Multiplication
Factor |
|
giga |
G |
109 |
1,000,000,000 |
|
mega |
M |
106 |
1,000,000 |
|
kilo |
k |
103 |
1,000 |
|
milli |
m |
10-3 |
0.001 |
|
micro |
μ |
10-6 |
0.000001 |
|
nano |
n |
10-9 |
0.000000001 |
|
pico |
p |
10-12 |
0.000000000001 |
Resources
| ARRL,
the national association for Amateur Radio |
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111
1-860-594-0200
In addition to
publishing training material (such as Now You're Talking!), the
ARRL can connect you with local
clubs and test
sessions. Call for your free "Prospective Ham Packet" of
helpful information.
| Local Amateur Radio
Stores
There may be a local Amateur Radio store in your area. If so it will
carry study guides, operating guides, radio equipment and accessories,
and also serve as a gathering area for area "hams." There's a
good chance it will have a bulletin board listing area club meetings and
exams. Two "chains" specialize in Amateur Radio: HRO,
Ham Radio Outlet and AES, Amateur
Electronic Supply. If there isn't one of these stores nearby, try
searching on the Internet for "amateur radio" and your city
� maybe you'll find a truly local, non-affiliated store nearby.
|
| Radio Shack |
Many Radio Shack stores
carry the ARRL guide for the Technician class Amateur Radio exams,
"Now You're Talking!" Stop by a store near you if you don't want
to wait for the book to arrive by mail from Connecticut! Radio Shack also
carries Amateur Radio gear, mainly VHF and UHF mobile and handheld
transceivers, plus accessories.
In addition to their
other activities, many radio clubs hold license preparation classes. Club
meetings are also a great place to meet experienced Radio Amateurs who
will be happy to work with you, one�on�one, to help you not only pass
your test but also set�up your station and become a good operator. Use
the online Club
Search Form to find an ARRL�affiliated radio club near you.
Should you wish to help defray some of
the Webmaster's expenses,
consider using the search box below for Amazon.com and perhaps
purchasing an item. |
|
|
|
KB7UV's
Guide to Passing Amateur Radio Exams
is part of the:
|
