What with greater interest in long-distance communications in the event of loss of internet / phone, many are turning (returning?) to amateur or “ham” radio. Here’s a quick list of things to use to study for the amateur radio tests.
Books: There are many out there. Any study books recommended by the ARRL (http://www.arrl.org/shop/Latest-Arrivals/) are excellent. For those with Kindles, I also highly recommend Craig Buck’s series told in a more narrative format & are less technical than the ARRL books. They cover from Technician (entry level) through Amateur Extra (the highest level). For long distance communication, most will want to go to at least General (middle-ground level).
Apps: HamStudy.org (available on iOS & Android) and Ham Test Prep (also available for both iOS & Android) are both inexpensive & cover all levels of radio licensure. What’s good about them is you can practice taking the tests wherever you are with your phone or tablet. It won’t give you the whys of the correct answer, but through repetition, you can learn to see what the correct answers are, and when you consistently score 85% or better, you can schedule to take the real test. The app’s test questions are exactly the same as the real test.
Online: The test questions are free online in several places. A google search will pull up many, including ARRL, Quizlet, etc. However, if you want to know the whys & hows, Ham Test Online (http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/index.html) is a subscription based site (Technician is $20, General is $25, Extra is $30) but it also goes into more detail about how ham radio works, physics of radio waves, basic Ohm’s Law, etc.
Best of luck, all good medicine, and 73!
George Olschewski KD2QNF
