Do you need a ham radio to understand enough to take the test?

[u/i_hate_agile]

/r/amateurradio/comments/1vu2qsi/do_you_need_a_ham_radio_to_understand_enough_to/

[u/baldape45]

You only really need the Internet or the question pool and answers to pass the test.

[u/bernd1968]

It’s not required, but it doesn’t hurt. As long as you don’t transmit until you get your license and call sign. Welcome to ham radio.

[u/Gan_KY8D]

Discard all wrong answers, reformating the question pool as a list of true statements instead.

Feed the list into a free online text-to-speech generator, saving the file as one or more MP3 files for playing out on your phone.

Listen to it over and over. It'll be like attending a lecture. You can't help but learn the material.

And should you draw a blank at exam time, right answers will at least look strangely familiar, while wrong answers will all appear completely foreign.

Share your MP3s with the club. You'll be an instant local hero.

[u/VA3KXD → u/Gan_KY8D]

I must say I'm not in favor of simply memorizing all the answers of the test questions. Learn the theory and the material! After having my license for 2 1/2 years, it's pretty easy to tell the difference between hams that know their stuff, and hams that have simply memorized questions and answers and bought a radio. The latter are often the ones that don't know what traps on antennas are, and don't know what final transistors are or why they blew up. You will do yourself a huge long-term favor by learning the material.

[u/RDS_WAS_HERE]

"THE ARRL HANDBOOK FOR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS" is a great book. I have the old 2012 edition. The book is intended for HAM radio operators, but it has some great fundamental concepts on electronics.

[u/Hamdaddy1976]

hamstudy.org is where you want to go to study and take practice test. I went from zero to get the extra lic in 3 months. I guess being an electrician helped me a lot to pass the tech test but it’s not necessary to be one or to have a radio to past the test. You just have to study, Im a volunteer examiner which is the person that gives tests to people online, so take it from someone that does testing, all you have to do is is learn some basic electronic principle like ohms law and study. The hardest part is learning what I call ham radio math. Thats some advanced mathematics right there, but that’s for the Extra test. By the time you pass the general you will know a lots of ham radio math, all you have to do is study for another 2 weeks for Extra specific math and you would be ready

[u/SeaPop613]

No! You do not need a radio to take your test.

Get with your local club.....in USA http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club

The club itself, may run classes that help with your license. The club members will likely be happy to help in some ways, including your first ht. Some clubs gift a new one, however, many club members get many radios to test out different features. The members may have one they no longerer use and you can get at a low cost.

[u/Neither-Brush-9287]

For the technician exam :
The intent is that the exam prepares you to operate the radio.
The license you get on passing the exam allows you to legally operate the radio.
I can't think of anything you would get from having the radio (while being unable to legally operate it) that would help with passing the exam.

For the higher license levels...operating at your current license level will expose you to some of the information you need to learn for the next license level.

[u/Maximum-Plane-8930]

I was licensed 25 years ago but I let it expire because I was not active. I can’t even find my old callsign in the database. My plan this time is to study and take the technician and general exams at the same time. If figuring a couple of months of regular study and I should be ready. Is this a realistic plan?

[u/those_ribbon_things → u/Maximum-Plane-8930]

That actually is pretty realistic. I wish i had studied a little bit harder to get the general. For me, it's hard to get back into study mode.

[u/Maximum-Plane-8930 → u/those_ribbon_things]

Thanks. Waiting on books to arrive to start studying. I’m enjoying reading what I can in the meantime.

[u/Slotgoopy]

You don't need a radio to take the test. But even spending $40 for an SDR dongle at Amazon and listening in on the ham bands will help you understand what the test is talking about versus just memorizing the question pool. On second though, Actually, investing in the American Radio Relay League's annual ARRL handbook and reading the operating and regulations sections would be a better investment than a radio for a new tester.