Influencer I
FWIW: There's an AWESOME iPhone app to help you study for the ham radio exam. It's called "HamRadioExam" (Technician) by Roy Watson (he also has apps for the General and Extra exams). There's also a book I liked: Gordon West's 2018-2022 Technician Class FCC Element 2 Amateur Radio License Preparation (again, he also has books for General and Extra).
I know "taking a test" usually seems like a big deal and tagging it "Technician" makes it seem worse, but the ham radio license exam is NOT difficult. The exam is designed so that the it can be passed regardless of previous technical background. The book and the app require zero previous background. Use the app for practice exams until you're brain just begins to recognize the correct answers and then, when you're consistently scoring well on the practice exams, go get your license. Done. I'm not an electronics or radio guy, but a week of practice in spare moments and I passed the Technician and General Exam both (missed Extra but a couple questions).
How can this be? Well, all of the questions are multiple choice. AND the pool of question is published. AND the right and wrong multiple choice answers for the questions are published. The overall pool is about 400 questions and the exam will pick 35 of those. You only need to get 26 of the 35 questions correct (74%) and BANG! you passed. You've already seen the questions, the right answers, and the wrong answers. The app let's you see the questions and the right answers, and it lets you take a practice exam over and over until you're consistently scoring well enough to feel confident in taking the test.
The General exam? Same deal - 35 questions from a pool of ~400, get 74% right and BANG! you passed. The Extra exam is a little longer - 50 questions. But same deal: fixed pool of questions, fixed pool of right answers, fixed pool of wrong answers. Practice until you KNOW you'll pass.
So, you're now you're wondering: if the exam is really so easy, why bother to require it? There are a few things you need to know and the exam is set up for you to simply demonstrate that you know those things. Ham radios can operate at very high power (upto 1500W in some cases) and the frequency bands we are licensed to use are adjacent to bands used by radar, air traffic control, public safety and a variety of other uses. By preparing for the exam, you learn how to avoid interfering with those other communications. There are a few electrical safety issues with installing and operating any radio - all good to know. Antennas are application-specific tools - sometimes 2dBi gain is BETTER than 6dBi gain - you'll want to know this before wasting hard-earned money on antennas that don't do what you want (not to mention the pros and cons of installing an antenna on your hood/roof/trunk). AND a few helpful tips to get good performance out of your own radio installation.
I know, it sounds like a hassle. But I played with the practice exam until I was consistent (bathroom visits may have been involved), then took the test - that'll take an hour or so if you want to try all three tests (the exam fee is $15 regardless of whether you take 1 test or all 3, and by using the practice app, you'll know in advance that you're going to pass).
IF I had it to do over: I studied for the Technician test. When I took the test, I passed technician (missed one question, solid pass), and they asked if I wanted to take the General test. I had studied a little for the General, so I took it - perfect score. They asked if I wanted to take the Extra test (I hadn't studied at all) and I missed it by just a couple. SO in retrospect, all I really NEEDED for overlanding was the Technician license. I could have spent less time studying. On the other hand, if I had spent a little time studying for the Extra exam, I'd have passed all three.
What's the difference? Overlanders generally use frequencies in the 144-148 MHz (aka 2meter / VHF) or 420-450MHz (aka 70centimeter / UHF) bands and Technician Class gets FULL privileges on both of those bands. General and Extra Class add privileges on the frequency bands below 144 MHz that can "skip" off the upper atmosphere, so you can talk to Australia or Europe or at least further than VHF or UHF, but these long distance communications are "art", and not super reliable. But despite that, there's still a HUGE amount of information in the General and Extra exams that is useful for buying, installing, and using radios. The Technician Class license covers everything I need, but I'm still going to get the Extra Class license at some point. (I'm currently using 2m/70cm Ham and GMRS in my truck - the Ham study helped a lot in terms of what I needed to know the install the radios right)
Oh, and I should mention "Elmer". Ham radio has a tradition of helping and mentoring. The mentors are called "Elmers" (in honor of the original Elmer) and once you have a Technician license, you'll discover that there's an entire world wide community of Elmers willing to take their time to answer your questions. The Technician exam is just a "gatekeeper" and it doesn't set a high bar. You can do it.
Well, that was a lot more than I intended to say.
