so ive been a Tech for about 14 months now and mostly just do local repeaters and some APRS stuff, got a couple HTs and a mobile rig in the truck. honestly wasnt really planning to upgrade but a buddy at our club keeps saying i should go for General so i can get on HF. the thing is i dont really know what id even do on HF once i got there, like would i need a whole new radio setup? right now all i have is the IC-2300H in the truck and a handheld.

the exam prep part is also kind of intimidating, i heard the General pool has a lot of electrical theory stuff that went over my head when i did my Tech. propagation and all that. is it actually harder than Tech or is that just me overthinking it. also does it even matter which band i start on when i first get down there, i see people talking about 40m and 20m a lot but idk what the difference really is in practice.

not in a huge rush just kind of on the fence and curious what people think

honestly the General exam isnt that bad, i was dreading the electrical theory sections too but most of the questions on the actual pool are pretty repetitive once you drill them with HamStudy or something like that. i think i did maybe 3 weeks of studying, maybe 20 minutes a day on the app during lunch and i passed without too much trouble. the formulas are a little annoying but you dont have to understand them deeply to get the right answer on the test, just recognize the pattern.

as for HF being worth it, i was exactly like you for two years just doing VHF and then i finally got on 40m and it completely changed the hobby for me. there is something really different about throwing a signal across the country or catching a station in europe on 20m during a good opening. you dont need a fancy station either, even a used Icom 7300 or a Yaesu FT-891 and a simple wire antenna and youre on the air. 40m is good for regional stuff especially at night, 20m is where you get the DX during the day. just get the ticket first and figure out the gear later

same boat as you like 6 months ago, went for it mostly because my elmer wouldnt stop bugging me lol. the exam was fine, HamStudy app just grind the practice tests until you're consistently passing and you'll be good. the theory is a little more involved than Tech but its not crazy.

only thing i'll say is budget for at least a basic HF rig before you get too excited. i got my ticket and then had to wait like 3 months to actually get on the air because i wasnt ready gear-wise. kind of anticlimactic. but 40m late at night is genuinely fun once you get there, lots of ragchewing and its pretty forgiving for new HF ops