Table Of ContentPASS YOUR AMATEUR RADIO TECHNICIAN
CLASS TEST – THE EASY WAY
2018-2022 Edition
By: Craig E. “Buck,” K4IA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: “Buck,” as he is known on the air, was first
licensed in the mid-sixties as a young teenager. Today, he holds an Amateur
Extra Class Radio License.
Buck is an active instructor and a Volunteer Examiner. The Rappahannock
Valley Amateur Radio Club named him Elmer (Trainer) of the Year three times
and Buck has successfully led many students through this material.
Email: [email protected]
Published by EasyWayHamBooks.com
130 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401
“Easy Way” Books by Craig Buck are available at Ham Radio Outlet stores
and Amazon:
“Pass Your Amateur Radio General Class Test”
“Pass Your Amateur Radio Extra Class Test”
“How to Chase, Work & Confirm DX”
“How to Get on HF”
“Prepper Communications”
“Pass Your GROL Test”
Copyright ©2018, Craig E. Buck All Rights Reserved. No part of this
material may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any manner, in any form or
by any means without the express written permission of the author. 1l
ISBN 978-1985125643
PASS YOUR AMATEUR RADIO TECHNICIAN
CLASS TEST – THE EASY WAY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO STUDY
HOW I GOT STARTED
INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR RADIO
WHO ARE YOU?
WHERE CAN YOU OPERATE?
WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?
WHO CAN YOU TALK TO?
WHO IS IN CONTROL?
BANDS AND FREQUENCIES
MODES
FM MODE
AM MODE
CW MODE (MORSE CODE)
BANDPLANS
PROPAGATION
BE SAFE, STAY SAFE
RADIO OPERATION
HOW TO START A CONVERSATION
EXTENDING YOUR RANGE WITH REPEATERS
OPERATING SIMPLEX
EMERGENCY
SATELLITES
COMPUTERS
RADIO DESIGN
CLEAN UP THE SIGNAL
ELECTRONIC THEORY
VOLTS, OHMS, AMPERES & POWER – OHM’S LAW
HOW TO DRAW A RADIO
DECIBELS
MOVING DECIMALS
BUILDING EQUIPMENT AND MEASURING VALUES
ANTENNAS -
POLARIZATION
ANTENNA LENGTHS
DIRECTIONAL ANTENNAS
COAXIAL CABLES
ANTENNA ANALYZERS AND SWR
BATTERIES
QUICK SUMMARY
SUBELEMENT T2 - Operating Procedures –
SUBELEMENT T3 – Radio wave characteristics: properties of radio
waves; propagation modes
SUBELEMENT T4 - Amateur radio practices and station set-up
SUBELEMENT T5 – Electrical principles: math for electronics;
electronic principles; Ohm’s Law
SUBELEMENT T6 – Electrical components; circuit diagrams;
component functions
SUBELEMENT T7 – Station equipment: common transmitter and
receiver problems; antenna measurements; troubleshooting; basic repair and
testing
SUBELEMENT T8 – Modulation modes: amateur satellite operation;
operating activities; non-voice and digital communications
SUBELEMENT T9 – Antennas and feed lines
SUBELEMENT T0 – Electrical safety: AC and DC power circuits;
antenna installation; RF hazards
DIAGRAMS REQUIRED FOR EXAMINATIONS
INDEX
If you are stuck on a question or concept, visit my Facebook group
"Ham Radio Exams." You will find plenty of folks happy to assist and
encourage.
INTRODUCTION
There are many books to help one study for the amateur radio exams. Most
take you through all the possible answers on the multiple-choice test. The
problem with that approach is that there are three incorrect answers for each
correct answer. That’s 1,272 wrong answers and 424 right answers. No wonder
people get overwhelmed.
This book is different. There are no wrong answers. I’ll answer every
possible question on the Amateur Radio Technician Class exam in a way that
will help you understand and retain the answers. The test questions and
answers are in bold print.
I might repeat a question because the explanation fits into more than one
topic.
The second part of this book is a Quick Summary – just the question and the
right answer. I’ve condensed what others say in over 200 pages down to 40
pages because you do not see the wrong answers.
Once you get your Technician license, you’ll want to move up with my
other books: “How to Pass Your Amateur Radio General Class Test – The
Easy Way” and “How to Get on HF – The Easy Way.” Order them today, so
you’ll be ready!
EasyWayHamBooks.com
THE TEST
The test has 35 questions from a possible pool of 424. The question pool is
amended every four years, and this book is good for tests before June 1, 2022.
The questions and the answers on your test are word-for-word out of the
published question pool. You know what will be on the test. The answer’s
order is scrambled, so answer “B” in the question pool is not necessarily “B” on
your test. Don’t memorize the multiple-choice letters.
The pool is large, but only about one in a dozen questions will be on your
exam, one from each test subject. You won’t get 35 questions on Ohm’s Law.
There are three license classes: Technician, General, and Amateur
Extra[1], each conferring more privileges. How hard is the Technician test? It
is not hard. There is no heavy-duty algebra, calculus, or trigonometry. Don’t let
the material intimidate you. There is no Morse code required for any class of
Amateur license. Morse code is still very much alive and well on the amateur
bands, and there are many reasons you might want to learn it in the future. Just
don’t worry about it now.
My high-school chum, Billy, and I studied for our test by reading textbooks.
We didn’t know what questions would be on the test. Now, the questions and
answers are available to study with the confidence that you are focusing on the
right material.
I have personally taken students who didn’t know anything about electronics,
radio, or math through this material, and they passed. You want to learn it all
but, if there’s a question you can’t get, chances are less than 10% that it will on
your test. And, you can miss nine out of the thirty-five questions and still pass.
Do you know what they call the medical student who graduates last in his
class? “Doctor” – the same as the guy who graduated first in the class. My
point is: all you need is to pass, and no one will know the difference. To pass,
answer 26 out of 35 correctly.
The questions are multiple-choice, so you don’t have to parrot the answer
