Let's get your HAM license!

If getting your HAM or Amateur Radio License seems a little intimidating. Then let me ease your mind. Within a few weeks or less you could be taking and passing the "Technician" class exam required by the AMA and FCC (AMA 550) to operate FPV video transmitters on the amateur bands.

To pass the Technician class exam, you must answer 26 of 35 multiple choice questions correctly from a pool of around 394. This information can be found on the www.fcc.gov website.

U.S. licenses are good for 10 years before they have to be renewed. You can read more about renewing here. 

The test costs around $15 and you will need to bring a legal photo ID, Social Security card, two #2 pencils, and a pen. You can read more about what to bring on the ARRL website. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a great resource for Ham operators. I suggest you browse through their website and learn about HAM.

To find out where to take a test in your area, you can go here.

Seems fairly easy, right? The good news is....."IT IS!"

Now that I've given you all the details on what's required and where to take the exam, it's time to study. Don't worry I found it quite enjoyable to learn. You'll be surprised at what you pick up during studying and how it applies to RC and FPV.

There are many ways to study for the exam. I personally used Ham Test Online. This has a subscription fee of $24.95 for the Technician class study course. The subscription lasts for two years and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. It worked for me. I passed on the first try.

The web offers many free sites to study for this exam and I am not going to go into all of them. Hint: Google is your friend. 

Here are a few sites you can use. Some may require registration.

HamStudy.org (seems very similar to Ham Test Online)

QRZ.com

eHam.net

Ok you're ready to get started! I'll share with you how I studied. During the first couple of days I took every study question. This helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses on the subject. It generally took me a couple of hours to do this. Anything I missed I would research and learn a bit further using Google or the study site itself. It took me 4 or 5 days before I felt comfortable that I could pass. That's about 10 to 12 hours total of study time. Once I felt I could pass, I found a test site close to me. I think I had to wait a week to take the test. During the wait, I studied every day for 30 minutes just to keep the information fresh. I was a little nervous and excited when I went to take the test. But I am happy to say I passed! You can do it too and it's not as hard or maybe even as boring as you might think. FPV is more than just flying in "First Person". It's also about learning the technology involved. This may save you some money in the future and make the hobby safer for all.

I hope this article provides the information you need to start studying. Have fun!