Montana's Ham Radio Forum

If you are working on getting your Technician Class Amateur Radio license, be aware that the clock is ticking on the current set of exam questions.

As established by the FCC, the pool of questions from which the FCC Amateur Radio license exams are generated is not fixed in stone. Every four years or so the question pool for each license class is reviewed and updated. The next question pool scheduled for update is the one used for the Technician license class.

Right now the new Technician question pool is still undergoing review. Any changes will be generally done to improve clarity, improve or replace weak or inappropriate questions, and to bring questions up to date with changes in technology.

The new question pool will become effective for Technician Class license exams beginning July 1, 2014 and be effective until June 30, 2018.

So stop your procrastination and hit the books today! Make your New Year's resolution today to study and take the Technician class license exam early in 2014! Or better yet, come prepared to the test session on 3 December 2013 and pass the test then. That way you still have time to add ham gear to your wish list in time for Christmas this year!

As was mentioned in the post above, the question pool for the Technician license exam has changed. The new questions went into effect on 1 July 2014. As a result, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) published a new and updated Technician license manual for those studying to take their first ham radio license exam.

The manual is titled, "The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 3rd Edition". It is item #0222 and sells for $29.95 (plus shipping & handling) on the ARRL web site, www.arrl.org

On the cover it clearly lists the effective dates of 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2018 that the book will be valid for. The next scheduled update for the Technician question pool will be in July 2018. If you are shopping at Barnes & Noble or some other book store, be sure you do not purchase the previous (now expired) edition. Some book stores may still have the older edition sitting on their shelves. Check the cover of the book for the effective dates. Don't pay full price for an obsolete book!

But wait, there's more! Copies of the new license manual were purchased by GFAARC and once again donated to local libraries. Two new copies were donated to the Great Falls Public Library, and two new copies were donated to the base library on Malmstrom AFB. If you know someone who is interested in ham radio, have them check out the license manuals at their local library! They are chock full of background information, practical advice, and sample test questions. An additional chapter in the back of the book contains tips on choosing your first ham radio.

If someone wants to purchase their own copy for self-study, GFAARC still has several extra copies available locally for purchase. This is the most effective way to study for the test, as you can scribble notes on the pages and high-light the critical stuff to remember. The book will become a handy reference for operating your radio equipment once you pass your test and am ready to get on the air.

If anyone is interested in purchasing their own copy locally, please contact me directly concerning the extra copies available.

Just an update to let folks know that the extra copies of the Technician license manual have been sold. Thanks!