SARC

In the early 90’s I developed an interest in “world band” just in time for the first Gulf War. This was entirely on the “receiver” end of things, but even then I toyed with the idea of getting my “ticket.” Life intervened, however. Fast forward to 2013, at which point I began volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol. This, as well as other experiences, has impressed upon me the need for emergency communication skills during times of crisis.

I primarily used 3 completely free resources: (a) A set of power-point videos by Ham Whisperer  in conjunction with notes from (b) FCC Technician Class Exam Study Guide – 2014-2018  … and (c) the Roy Watson Ham Radio Exam practice tests–available as both android and iOS apps. I found straight/rote memorization of answers to be insufficient to my needs. The Ham Whisperer videoss along with the wikibooks pages provided just enough explanation to get me through.

I got interested in ham radio by watching my son operate his radio and seeing all the new people that he made contact with and all the different areas of the United States and the world that he connected with. I realize that with some nice equipment and the knowledge and skill for operating it the opportunities seemed boundless to make connections with people all over the world.

I used the book I called Now You’re Talking [from the ARRL]. I read the book cover to cover and then I started to use the practice exams online I studied for about 6 weeks, an hour or two hours a day and took practice exams and when I got to the point where I was getting 30 or more correct on a regular basis I took the test. This was somewhat difficult for me because I have no electronics background, being in corporate media sales for 25 years, but it was fun. I’m retired now and I had the time to do it.