okay so ive been interested in ham radio for a while now, like maybe a year or two, mostly because my neighbor has a big antenna setup and he let me listen in once and i thought it was really cool. anyway i finally decided i want to actually do this and get licensed but honestly i dont even know where to start. like do i need to take a class or can i just study on my own? and how hard is the test actually, i'm not a super technical person but im not totally clueless either. i looked at some stuff online but theres so many different websites and i cant tell which ones are actually good. also does it cost money to take the test and how long does it usually take before you can actually get on the air after you pass

honestly its way more approachable than most people expect. the technician exam is 35 questions and you need to get 26 right, which sounds scary but the question pool is completely public so you basically study the exact questions that will be on the test. hamStudy.org is probably where id send anyone first, just make flashcards and keep grinding through them until you're consistently passing the practice tests. HamStudy also has an app if you want to study on your phone during breaks or whatever.

as for cost, the exam fee is usually around 15 bucks give or take depending on the VE team running it, some clubs do it cheaper or even free occasionally. after you pass your info goes to the FCC and a callsign usually shows up in the ULS database within a few days, sometimes faster. technically you can transmit as soon as your license shows up there, you dont have to wait for a paper license in the mail or anything like that. your neighbor might actually be a ham himself, if so ask him, having someone local to help is honestly huge when youre starting out

went through this exact thing like 8 months ago. i used hamstudy and also watched some youtube videos from a channel called Ham Radio Crash Course, it helped me understand the why behind some of the questions instead of just memorizing answers. took me maybe 3 weeks of casual studying before i felt ready and i passed first try. the electrical theory questions tripped me up at first but once you get the basic formulas down its fine. just dont overthink it