Plain-English Study Guide for the FCC Amateur Radio Technician Class License

I have written a study guide for persons who want to pass the test for the entry-level FCC Amateur (Ham) Radio license, the Technician license. This technician class license study guide is intended for persons with no background in radio or electronics, and will explain all of the material on the test in plain English. Each section of the guide is followed by the actual questions that will appear on the test, with the correct answers.

By reading this guide, you will be able to pass the test, and you will also have a basic understanding of the material, which will allow you to get on the air with confidence when your license arrives.

You can purchase from Amazon at the following links:

• Paperback edition
• Paperback edition

I have recorded the following audio lessons to help you with your studying:

• Chapter 1: Basic Electricity and Electronics
  • Part 1 41:25
  • Part 2 6:50
• Chapter 2: Radio Waves 18:56
• Chapter 3: Antennas 19:03
• Chapter 4: Propagation of Radio Waves 12:40
• Chapter 5: Radio Equipment & Setting Up a Station 14:31
• Chapter 6: Different Modes 11:55
• Chapter 7: Different Operating Activities 5:34
• Chapter 8: Operating Procedures 9:09
• Chapter 9: FCC Rules 10:25
• Chapter 10: Safety 7:47
• Chapter 11: Miscellaneous 5:02

The current edition of the book includes the 2026 questions, which will change on July 1, 2030. If you studied for the test using either my book or another book covering the 2022 version, there's no need to worry. The vast majority of the questions are exactly the same, or have only minor changes in wording. There are 36 new questions, and most of them cover the same material. So if you used my book, or another book, to study for the 2022 test, you shouldn't have any problems. To make sure, scroll to the bottom of this page, where you will find all of the new questions. If there are any you don't know, you can just memorize that answer. The revised version of my book will be available within a few weeks.

Here is a complete list of all of the new questions for the 2026 Technician exam (other than minor changes in wording, or different wrong answers). The correct answer is in parentheses after the question number.

1. T1A04 (A) [97.23]
   How do you receive official notification of your new license and call sign after passing the exam?
   A. Email from the FCC with a link to download the license grant
   B. USPS First-Class Mail from the FCC
   C. Email from the lead volunteer examiner
   D. USPS First-Class Mail from the lead volunteer examiner
   
   
2. T1A06 (D) [97.203(d)]
   On which of the following HF frequencies can automatically controlled amateur propagation beacons be found?
   A. Anywhere in the Technician portion of 10 meters
   B. Anywhere, if they are registered with the FCC
   C. In a specific portion of each of the HF Technician bands
   D. On ten meters, between 28.200 MHz and 28.300 MHz
   
   
3. T1A10 (C) [97.407(a)] Besides an FCC-issued amateur operator license, what is required to be the control operator of a Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Station?
   A. A written recommendation by the local ARRL Emergency Coordinator
   B. Membership in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
   C. Certification of current enrollment by a civil defense organization
   D. Nothing
   
   
4. T1B05 (D) [97.301, 97.305] Which of the following bands include frequencies where Technicians are authorized to use digital modes such as FT8?
   A. 10 meters
   B. 6 meters
   C. 2 meters
   D. All these choices are correct
   
   
5. T1C06 (D) [97.5(a)(2), 97.11(a)]
   Which of the following statements is true about using your amateur radio license when operating aboard a vessel or craft in international waters?
   A. Amateur operation is prohibited in international waters
   B. You may only operate during maritime emergencies
   C. You need special FCC authorization for maritime mobile operation
   D. You may operate from a US-documented vessel with the master's permission
   
   
6. T1C07 (B) [97.21, 1.949]
   How long before the expiration date may an amateur radio license renewal be requested?
   A. 30 days
   B. 90 days
   C. 6 months
   D. 1 year
   
   
7. T1D07 (A) [97.113(d), 97.201(e)]
   Which of the following is an example of an auxiliary station?
   A. A station sending one-way transmissions between a remote repeater receiver and the main repeater transmitter
   B. A backup radio for emergency use in case the main station radio fails
   C. A station used in the Military Auxiliary Radio System for linking government and amateur stations in a digital network
   D. A second station utilized in multi-operator contest stations
   
   
8. T1E09 (D) [97.109(c)]
   Which amateur stations may be remotely controlled?
   A. Only repeater stations
   B. Only automatically controlled stations
   C. Only digital stations
   D. Any station
   
   
9. T1E11 (D) [97.3(a)(13)]
   What is a control operator as defined in Part 97?
   A. The person speaking or otherwise communicating messages over an amateur station
   B. The person who is the licensee of an amateur station
   C. An amateur operator identified in the FCC database as responsible for transmissions and FCC rules compliance at a station license location
   D. An amateur operator designated by the licensee of a station to be responsible for transmissions and FCC rules compliance at that station
   
   
10. T2A06 (D)
    What is an effective way to seek a call from any phone station when not using a repeater?
    A. Sign your call sign once, followed by the words "listening for a call;' if there is no answer, change the frequency and repeat
    B. Say "QTC," followed by "this is" and your call sign; if there is no answer, change the frequency and repeat
    C. Transmit an unmodulated carrier for approximately 10 seconds, followed by "this is" and your call sign, and pause to listen; repeat as necessary
    D. Repeat "CQ" a few times, followed by "this is," and your call sign, then pause to listen; repeat as necessary
    
    
11. T2B12 (A) What is the digital color code used on DMR repeater systems?
    A. An access code which must be programmed into a DMR transmitter to access a specific repeater
    B. A code which automatically programs the repeater offset to a frequency chosen by the user
    C. A code which identifies the specific CODEC being used so that the repeater can properly decode the audio
    D. A code transmitted by the repeater to indicate health and status of the equipment
    
    
12. T2B14 (B) Which of the following is a "talkgroup"?
    A. A group of amateur radio operators who share email on a specific amateur radio topic
    B. An identifier used by DMR to organize radio traffic so that those who want to hear the group aren't bothered by other radio traffic
    C. The members of a net organized for amateur radio operators with a specific common interest
    D. A method of automatically alerting all group members to the frequency where any member is transmitting
    
    
13. T2C08 (A)
    Which of the following relays messages using email addresses based on amateur callsigns?
    A. Winlink
    B. FT8
    C. PSK31
    D. AMTOR
    
    
14. T2C12 (B) Which of the following requires certification by a civil defense agency?
    A. ARES
    B. RACES
    C. MARS
    D. SKYWARN
    
    
15. T3B12 (D)
    Which of these frequencies travels at the highest velocity in free space?
    A. Microwaves
    B. UHF
    C. VHF
    D. All radio frequencies travel at the same velocity
    
    
16. T4A10 (A)
    What function does a digital mode hotspot perform for nearby transceivers?
    A. Communication with a digital voice or data network
    B. FT8 digital communications via AFSK using a smartphone connected to the internet
    C. RTTY encoding and decoding without a computer
    D. High-speed digital communications for meteor scatter
    
    
17. T4B04 (D)
    What does an FM signal sound like when received slightly off frequency?
    A. The audio increases in pitch
    B. The audio decrease in pitch
    C. There is no effect except for reduction in amplitude
    D. The audio becomes distorted
    
    
18. T4B07 (B)
    What is a DMR "code plug"?
    A. An adapter cable used to connect a DMR radio to a computer for internet access
    B. Configuration data loaded onto your radio to access repeaters and talkgroups
    C. An upgrade to DMR programming software provided by the radio manufacturer to accommodate new radio models
    D. A Coder-Decoder (CODEC) that converts analog voice data to DMR digital data and vice versa
    
    
19. T4B09 (C)
    How is a specific group of stations selected on a DMR digital voice transceiver?
    A. By retrieving the frequencies from transceiver memory
    B. By enabling the group's CTCSS tone
    C. By entering the group's identification code
    D. By inserting a five-pin, pre-programmed code plug
    
    
20. T5A10 (C)
    Which term describes the rate at which electrical energy is used?
    A. Resistance
    B. Current
    C. Power
    D. Voltage
    
    
21. T6B11 (D)
    What does the term gain mean in amplifiers?
    A. The output signal voltage relative to the input signal voltage
    B. The output signal current relative to the input signal current
    C. The output signal power relative to the input signal power
    D. All these choices are correct
    
    
22. T7A10 (B)
    What can be added to the output of a transceiver to increase the transmitted output power?
    A. A potentiometer
    B. An RF power amplifier
    C. An impedance multiplier
    D. All these choices are correct
    
    
23. T7A11 (A)
    What is the function of the Variable Frequency Oscillator (VFO)circuit in a transceiver?
    A. Set the receive and transmit frequency
    B. Provide automatic frequency control
    C. Inject a variable frequency to allow CW reception
    D. Generate and demodulate single sideband signals
    
    
24. T7B04 (D)
    Which of the following might be the cause of low RF power output from a solid-state transceiver?
    A. Poor amplifier noise figure
    B. Poor amplifier linearity
    C. Low SWR
    D. High SWR
    
    
25. T7B05 (A)
    Which of the following might reduce interference by an amateur station to a non-amateur over-the-air radio receiver?
    A. Block the amateur signal with a filter at the antenna input of the affected receiver
    B. Block the interfering signal with a filter on the amateur transmitter
    C. Switch the transmitter from FM to SSB
    D. Switch the transmitter to a narrow-band mode
    
    
26. T7B11 (C)
    Which of the following can eliminate distorted voice transmissions?
    A. Adding extra feedline to the antenna to lower SWR
    B. Turning the radio on and off to reset the computer-controlled circuitry
    C. Adding a clip-on ferrite "choke" to the microphone cable to prevent the transmitted signal from feeding back into the transmitter
    D. Turning the squelch control fully clockwise to prevent the transmitted signal from triggering the squelch circuit
    
    
27. T7C11 (C)
    What is an advantage of foam-dielectric versus solid-dielectric coaxial cable?
    A. It is more resistant to moisture contamination
    B. It has higher voltage breakdown
    C. It has less loss per foot
    D. It has a better impedance match to 50 ohms
    
    
28. T7D05 (A) How does an ohmmeter measure the resistance of a circuit or component?
    A. By applying a small current and measuring the resulting voltage
    B. By placing a variable resistor in parallel with the circuit
    C. By placing a variable resistor in series with the circuit
    D. By applying a variable voltage and measuring the resulting current change
    
    
29. T8B10 (D) What does the term LEO mean in reference to communication satellites?
    A. Low Energy Orbit, which conserves battery power
    B. Low Elevation Orbit, which appears close to the horizon from the earth station
    C. Low Equilibrium Orbit, which has a slightly unstable period
    D. Low Earth Orbit, which has a period of around 100 minutes
    
    
30. T8B12 (C)
    Which of the following is a way to determine whether your satellite uplink power into a linear transponder satellite is neither too low nor too high?
    A. Check your signal strength report in the telemetry data
    B. Listen for distortion on your downlink signal
    C. Your signal strength on the downlink should be about the same as the beacon
    D. Compare your signal to others on the downlink using an internet SDR receiver
    
    
31. T9A03 (B)
    How is the polarization of an antenna described?
    A. By the shape of the driven element
    B. By the orientation of the electric field
    C. By the orientation of the magnetic field
    D. By the direction of radiation
    
    
32. T9A08 (C)
    Why is a 19-inch-long vertical antenna often used on 2 meters?
    A. It has high gain
    B. It is a resonant half-wave
    C. It is a resonant quarter-wave
    D. It has low RF radiation exposure
    
    
33. T9B01 (D)
    Which of the following connectors should be carefully taped for weather protection when used outdoors?
    A. PL259
    B. BNC
    C. Type N
    D. All these choices are correct
    
    
34. T9B09 (B)
    What can cause erratic changes in SWR?
    A. Local thunderstorm
    B. Loose connection in the antenna or feedline
    C. Over-modulation
    D. Overload from a strong local station
    
    
35. T9B12 (A)
    What is standing wave ratio (SWR)?
    A. A measure of how well a load is matched to a transmission line
    B. The ratio of amplifier power output to input
    C. The transmitter efficiency ratio
    D. An indication of the quality of your station's ground connection
    
    
36. T0A08 (A)
    Where should a fuse or circuit breaker be installed in a 120V AC power circuit?
    A. In series with the hot conductor only
    B. In series with the hot and neutral conductors
    C. In parallel with the hot conductor only
    D. In parallel with the hot and neutral conductors
    
    

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