so i've been interested in ham radio for a while now, my neighbor has a big antenna setup and it got me curious. i looked it up and apparently you have to pass a test to even get started? i found like a hundred different websites and apps and i dont really know which ones are actually worth using vs which ones are just trying to sell me something.

im mostly just wondering what other people used when they were studying for the technician exam. did you just memorize the question pool or actually try to understand the material? i feel like i could probably just brute force memorize everything but i dont know if thats a good idea long term. also how hard is the test actually, like be honest with me because some people online make it sound super easy and others act like its a huge deal

honestly the technician test really isnt that bad, i was stressing about it for weeks before i sat down and actually started studying and then knocked it out in like 3 weeks. i used HamStudy.org almost exclusively and just did practice questions every night before bed for maybe 20-30 minutes. the site tracks what you're getting wrong and keeps throwing those at you which helped a lot.

the thing is the question pool is publicly available so you literally know every possible question that could show up on your exam. thats a huge advantage. i did read through the ARRL technician manual too just to get some actual understanding of whats going on with the electronics stuff, because some of those questions make zero sense if you dont know even the basics of like what voltage and current are. but you dont need to go deep, just enough so the questions click. day of the test i was done in maybe 10 minutes and passed with one wrong. find a local club doing a VE session and just go do it, sitting on it too long doesnt help

I was in the same spot about a year ago. What got me was the Gordon West study book, some people swear by it. I paired that with the Ham Radio Prep app on my phone and just did it on my lunch breaks. Passed first try though I definitely had a couple questions on the exam where I was just guessing if im being honest.

One thing nobody told me beforehand — bring your ID to the VE session, I almost forgot mine and panicked in the parking lot. Also the fee for the FCC license is like 35 bucks now that you have to pay separately after you pass, that surprised me. Used to be free I think.