so ive been a tech for about 2 years now and mostly just been doing VHF/UHF stuff, some APRS, helped out with a few public service events. but lately ive been really curious about HF and everyone keeps telling me i should just go get my General already. my question is how difficult is the exam compared to the tech exam because honestly the tech exam was not that bad but i remember studying for like 3 weeks and still feeling nervous going in.

i downloaded the question pool and just kind of skimmed it and some of it looks familiar but then there's stuff about like propagation and operating practices and some electrical theory that I'm not sure i ever really learned properly. is there a certain section that trips people up the most? i feel like the regulations part is gonna be the hardest for me personally but maybe im wrong. also do the HF privileges kick in right away after you pass or do you have to wait for the FCC to update your license or something

honestly the General exam is not that much harder than the Tech, the question pool is bigger but if you've been operating for a couple years a lot of it will click faster than you expect. the stuff that trips people up is usually the electrical theory section, ohms law and impedance stuff, but if you just work through HamStudy or the Gordon West book for a few weeks you'll be fine. i passed mine on the first try after maybe 2-3 weeks of casual studying, like 20 minutes a day while eating lunch or whatever.

and yes you do have to wait for the FCC update before you can actually use the HF privileges, it usually shows up in the ULS database within a few days of passing, sometimes faster. once it's in there you're good to go even before the paper license arrives. the VEs at the session should be able to tell you roughly how long it'll take for their particular session to get uploaded. just keep checking the FCC ULS lookup every day and you'll see it when it posts.

i just did this like 4 months ago and same situation, been a tech for a while just doing local repeater stuff. the propagation questions were actually the ones i found weirdest because its hard to memorize stuff that feels abstract until you actually get on HF and hear it yourself. like reading about 40 meters being good for regional contacts at night doesnt really mean much until you tune around at like 10pm and hear a station from 800 miles away booming in. the regulations stuff wasnt as bad as i thought, theres a lot of overlap with tech regs anyway.

my advice is just grind the practice tests on HamStudy until your scoring like 85 percent or better consistently and you'll pass no problem. the actual exam felt easier than the practice tests to me for whatever reason.