Tag: Ham Radio

General Upgrade – Achievement Unlocked!

That’s right. K7ZWB is now a General Class amateur radio operator!

As some of you may know, I have been studying to test for my upgrade to General for the past month. This past Monday (September 25), I was offered a slot to test online with the GLAARG HRCC VE Team and I decided to go for it. While I was slightly nervous that I wasn’t ready to test, I took the leap and passed with flying colors.

Now that I have earned my upgrade, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first HF radio (more on that in a future post). So, I thought I would use some of this time to share the resources I used to study for the General exam in case it might be helpful to other hams out there.

Study Resources

When it comes to study materials for earning your amateur radio license there are a ton of great resources out there. In this section I will share the resources that worked for me in my study approach.

Ham Radio Prep: The Ham Radio Prep online ham study courses offer a multimedia approach to covering the material you will need to pass the exam and best practices to be a responsible amateur radio operator. Each lesson includes a video hosted by Jim Reed, N4BFR, written transcript, activities, and quizzes to help you learn and retain the information quickly. They make the content fun and interesting, taking a lot of the stress out of the study process. Ham Radio Prep offers courses for each level of amateur radio license (Technician, General, and Extra) as well as other courses like an HF Masterclass and a Baofeng Basics course (for the #FengGang hams out there). At the time of this post, Ham Radio Prep is offering several deals, including a package with all three course levels and a bonus course for only $79. Learn more and sign up here.

The Fast Track to Your General Class Ham Radio License Audiobook: When I am trying to learn a lot of new information, I learn best by immersing myself in the information in as many ways as possible. In an effort to do that, I wanted to find an audio resource that I could listen to while getting in my morning workouts on the treadmill and in the gym. This audiobook, written by Michael Burnette, AF7KB and Kerry Burnette, KC7YL is a comprehensive study resource that was designed with learner in mind, using a research-based approach to presenting the material. The Fast Track to Your General Class Ham Radio License goes beyond just the answers you will need to know to pass the exam and offers a wealth of useful knowledge to help you understand the principles behind the answers, in addition to information that will be helpful to hams once they pass their test and get on the air. It doesn’t stop there, they even offer a collection of free quizzes, progress checks, and full practices tests for you to take as you work your way through the material. I found this to be an invaluable resource for the way I like to study. Check out the book (audio and/or print) here.

The ARRL General Class License Manual (1oth Edition): This is the official ARRL study guide for taking the General Class exam. While this is the resource I probably used the least, I found it very helpful when I wanted a written resource, not a screen, during my study — especially for the math equations and practice. I may be a bit old school in this way, but it works for me. When I took passed my Technician exam years ago, it was pretty much the only resource available and ended up being a great reference resource for me after the exam. I highly recommend this book if you are the type of person who likes to have the textbook when you take a class. Learn more about it and buy your copy here.

Finding an Exam Session

When you are ready to sign up for your exam you can choose to either take your exam in-person or online. If you are looking for an in-person session, the ARRL Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area search tool will help you find a session near you. If you prefer to take your exam online from the comfort of your own home, the HamStudy Find a Session page will help you find a session that works for your schedule.

Pro Tip: Sign up for your exam before you are ready to test. This is a technique that a lot of people recommend to increase your commitment to studying and learning the material.

Gratitude

To close this post, I would like to send out some gratitude and appreciation for the GLAARG HRCC VE Team that made my online testing experience fun and memorable. Big thanks to: Mike – WX0MIK, Craig – W5TP, Seth – N2SPG, Sepehr – N6IRN, and Ben – AE4FQ.

73,

Zach, K7ZWB

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

HAM – Official Documentary (2022)

In 2022, Missoula, Montana based filmmaker and artist, Grace Wolcott directed and produced a 30-minute documentary simply titled, “Ham”.

In 2022, Missoula, Montana based filmmaker and artist, Grace Wolcott directed and produced a 30-minute documentary simply titled, “Ham”. Wolcott gives viewers a look inside of amateur radio (often called ham radio) culture in her home state of Montana, introducing us to a number of amateur radio operators in the area, including, Lance Collister, W7GJ (formerly WA1JXN). Lance has accomplished a lot in the amateur radio hobby over the years including a host of exotic activations around the world (DXpeditions) and his exploration of earth-moon-earth (EME) or moonbounce communications. Lance may be most widely remembered for the historic moment on December 1,1983 when he became the first amateur radio operator on earth to make contact with another amateur radio operator in space, NASA Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL (silent key), a member of STS-09 crew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Astronaut Garriot became the first amateur radio operator to operate an amateur station from space that day using a Motorola MX-340 handheld, 5-watt, 2-meter radio.

After launching viewers into the world of amateur radio with that historic moment, Wolcott paints a portrait of a hobby that is viewed by many as esoteric and according to some, declining in popularity through the stories of people who love it. She does a good job of exploring why the hobby is important to the amateur operators included in the film and shines a light on a form of human connection through technology that has, in some ways been lost in the noise of the Internet age. Like any good documentarian, she facilitates the story her subjects have to tell honestly while stoking the curiosity of the audience.

Ham aired on Montana PBS on November 24, 2022, and can currently be viewed on YouTube. Learn more about Grace Wolcott, her films, and her other creative works at www.grace-wolcott.com.

Thank you to Grace and her crew for telling the story of these Montana Hams and introducing the hobby to people who may not have otherwise learned about it.