Author Michael Daly is a former Captain in the United States Marine Corp. He currently works at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Senior Enterprise Architect in Infrastructure Operations and previously was a Project Manager at the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade MD. He has been involved in military and civilian communications technologies for over 40 years and holds a GMRS radio license (WRDQ914), a HAM Radio Amateur Extra class license (KC2SBR), is an accredited Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Volunteer Examiner, an accredited ARRL Volunteer Emergency Communications Field Examiner, and currently is a volunteer radio operator with the Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (OCARES), the Ocean County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the ARRL Southern New Jersey Mutual Assistance Team (SNJMAT), and is a NOAA trained National Weather Service Severe Storm Spotter.
Welcome back. Last time, we talked about the process for applying for your HAM license. This time, we’ll talk about actually getting it! This is where the fun starts – you have to study. The ‘Technician’ test is really very easy, provided you put in an hour or two a week of genuine study time. It’s a 35 question test and you must get at least 26 questions correct. Years ago there was also a requirement to be able to copy morse code at 5 words a minute, but that is no longer a requirement for any license.
There are many free resources on the Internet to help people study for the Technician test (there are also MANY that charge you money). I have found the free ones to be every bit as good as the one’s that cost money. It’s up to you.
I happened to use this one, but there are many out there. Under their resource tab they have study guides and practice exams using actual exam questions to help you get used to taking the exams and master the study material. There is a whole pool of 423 questions they draw from for the exams so it’s unlikely you will memorize the entire pool of questions and answers. The preferred goal is to learn the material so you can pass the exam.
You can also take practice exams that randomly ask questions, or you can take exams that focus the questions on specific topics. For me, I found working through a specific topic study guide and then taking an exam that focused on that topic really helped me. Then going back over anything I might not have a good grasp of, then taking the simulated exams where its set up like a real exam. That all helped me push my practice score up rapidly.
I also downloaded and used an app on my phone that did the same and anytime I had a spare moment I’d take an exam or study a topic. Your goal should be to consistently score above 80% on any practice exams. When you can do that consistently, you’re ready to take a REAL exam.
Where do I go for the exam? Years ago you’d have to travel to an FCC field office and sit for the exam, today many volunteer organizations offer the exams locally to you, so you no longer have to travel a long distance to sit for an exam. For example the Ocean County ARES (one organization I am involved with) conducts license exams at Robert Miller Airport in Ocean County every other month, but there are many other organizations through out the state. Its pretty easy to find a location, day and time convenient to you.You can go to the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) website and find a list of exams being offered in your area. Some exam locations allow walk ins meaning you just show up and take a test. Others require you to register before hand. Make sure you’re aware of the exam location you want to attend does allow walk-ins.
What do I need that night for the exam? You will need to bring the following with you on the night:
- $15.00 cash or check made out to ARRL-VEC
- A government issued photo identification – drivers license, passport, etc.
- Federal Registration Number (FRN) from the FCC you previously obtained.
I also brought with me a few Number 2 pencils, a sharpener, an eraser (although many places will provide these as well).
Leave your cell phone in the car, you won’t be allowed to have it out for any reason during the exam and frankly cell phones going off are a distraction.
Take your time, answer each question. What will be different is that this real test is paper based, while all your previous practice exams were online. If you studied there will be no surprises. Those practice online exams you took will look identical to this paper exam. It’s multiple choice, so fill in and darken the little circle that corresponds to your answer for each question. There is no rush, I even took a moment when I thought I was done and just closed my eyes and relaxed for a few minutes. Then I went back and counted all the filled in circles just to verify I didn’t miss one. Don’t forget to check your answers.
When you’re ready, turn in your exam and it will be graded right there and verified separately by three volunteer examiners. You will know that evening if you passed or not. If not, you will be allowed to try and pass again that night. By all means try it again, there are different exams that pull different questions from the same question pool. Different exams means different questions.
When you pass you are given a receipt indicating you passed. It will take a few days to a few weeks for the FCC to process your exam paperwork and formally enter you into their record systems and assign your call sign. They used to mail you a paper license and I believe these days they send an email with your call sign. if you need or want a paper copy of your license, you can download it from that same CORES website where you got your FRN.
You’ll also be offered the chance of taking the next level exam that same evening, at no additional fee. It does not hurt to try even if you did not study for General. You passed the Technician already, so even if you do not pass the General exam that has no effect on your Technician. I have seen some people attempt and pass all three exams in one sitting. That’s quite an accomplishment if you can do it.
So now that was all Easy Peasy wasn’t it?? You passed and now you’re a HAM. You will have quite a satisfied feeling when the Volunteer Examiner tells you you’ve passed and you finally get your first call sign. It’s an accomplishment, be proud of yourself. Celebrate! You now have a skillset that will serve you and your family, and perhaps your community, in an emergency.
If you have any questions related to getting your first license, or just related to communications, please feel free to reach out to me, me at [email protected]. I hope to write a series of these blogs talking about specific topics of related interest such as how to select a first radio, other radio and communications technologies and when you might need each, Fox Hunting (Radio Direction Finding), Parks On The Air (off the grid operations), Building your own antennas, how to get power while your operating remotely, and other topics related to communications and preparedness.
Please take a moment to leave a comment!
One addition, as of 19 April 2022 the FCC is now assessing an additional $35 licensing fee for new, renewal, rule waiver, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign.
Everything I wrote remains unchanged, this is brand new and in addition to. I was aware a new FCC fee was in the works but there was some confusion how it was being implemented and I did not want to confuse since when I wrote this it had not been implemented.
As explained to me last week once you have passed the exam and the VEC team (the volunteers running your exam session) submits all documentation to the FCC they will send you the applicant an email with a link. You follow the link and pay a $35 fee (this is in addition to the $15 fee you paid the evening you took the exam) directly to the FCC.
The key detail is you have 10 calendar days from the day the application file number is issued by the FCC to access the provided link and to pay this new fee. Once received the FCC will send a second email with the link to your license.
https://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee
The sound so interesting! And the added incentive now of not having to interpret five words a minute of Morse code? Certainly very tempting! Great article, thank you Mike!
An interesting mapping tool I thought I’d share, allows you to see all the licensed HAM operators in a given area. You can search by zip code, street address, call sign, etc..
Remember in Part 1 of my article I mentioned your information becomes part of the public record, meaning anyone can see it.
I was surprised how many are out there in my general area, see who is around you?
I take the attitude in this day and age there are so many ways to find information out that trying to live a life of obscurity to achieve security is a futile effort. If someone wants to find you and about you they are going to. But there are other things you can do that work. Perhaps another article?
https://haminfo.tetranz.com/map
Like any test in life, there is a strategy to study and make it easier on yourself.
You can try to blunt force trauma your way through and that might work for the Technician and the General exam. The test is shorter and the pool of questions for each is smaller.
If you decide to go for the Amateur Extra your probably going to come up short that way, putting in a lot of time and then wondering why you aren’t passing.
So lets stick to the Technician, the total pool of questions to draw from is 423, but only 35 will appear on the test. You have to get 74% correct so basically you can get 9 wrong and still pass.
But we need to look a little deeper to better understand how to spend our time.
The breakdown of the 35 questions comes from a certain number of questions coming from each of a total of ten topic sections.
Here’s the breakdown for Technician
Chapter 1: Introduction to Amateur Radio 6 questions 17% of the exam
Chapter 2: Operating Procedures 3 questions 9% of the exam
Chapter 3: Radio Wave Characteristics 3 questions 9% of the exam
Chapter 4: Amateur Radio Practices 2 questions 6% of the exam
Chapter 5: Electrical Principles 4 questions 11% of the exam
Chapter 6: Electrical Components 4 questions 11% of the exam
Chapter 7: Station Equipment 4 questions 11% of the exam
Chapter 8: Modulation Modes 4 questions 11% of the exam
Chapter 9: Antennas and Feedlines 2 questions 6% of the exam
Chapter 10: Electrical Safety 3 questions 9% of the exam
I’d say roughly concentrate on each of these sections as they are a percentage of the total exam. So I’d put the most time into Chapter(s) 1, 5, 7, 8. That’s 22 questions right there.
I realized tonight people tend to focus on the easier sections and are misled getting high percentages in practice exams on those sections thinking they are doing great. It all helps no doubt, BUT I’d say instead you have to play the percentages and put your time into those sections that will have the majority of the questions on the exam you take.
While the individual questions will vary depending on the version of the exam you take, the percentage of how many questions from each section will remain the same.
Like I said you could blunt force memorize it through Technician and maybe even General but trying to do that with Amateur Extra the game changes. 50 questions drawn from a pool of 622 total questions. Not as easy as it sounds.
Most of the online advice will say cram cram cram, study study study, practice exams. But what I did was break down the percentages and invested my time accordingly.