hey everyone, ive been lurking on this forum for a while and finally decided i want to actually get my ham license. i dont really know anyone who does this hobby so i kind of have no idea where to begin. like i know theres a test involved but i dont know how long it takes to study or what the test is actually about or if i need to buy a radio before i can even take the test or what

i guess my main question is just... how did you guys go about studying for it and how hard is it really? i work full time and have maybe like an hour a night to study if that. is there a book i should get or is there like an online thing

honestly the technician test isnt that bad at all, dont overthink it. the question pool is public - all the actual questions that can appear on your exam are published and you can just study those directly. hamstudy.org is probably the best free resource, it does spaced repetition flashcard stuff and tracks which questions you keep getting wrong. i studied maybe 2-3 weeks doing like 20-30 minutes a day and passed no problem

you dont need a radio before the test, you just show up and take it. the ARRL technician study guide book is good if you like having a physical book and want to actually understand the material vs just memorizing answers, but honestly for passing the test alone the question pool practice is sufficient. find a local club that runs exam sessions, most of them are pretty welcoming to new people and the fee is usually pretty small, like 15 bucks or so. good luck

i did mine last year, same situation as you basically. used hamstudy and also watched some youtube videos when i hit concepts i didnt get, there's a guy on there who goes through all the technician material and its pretty decent. the electricity and antenna theory parts tripped me up a bit but you dont have to get every question right, just 74% i think. the test is 35 questions and you need 26 correct

took me maybe 3 weeks of casual studying. the day of the test i was way more nervous than i needed to be lol, the volunteer examiners are just regular hams not scary at all