Get Licensed

To serve our community as part of GCARC, you need to obtain an amateur radio license. New hams will start with the Technician class license which will allow you access to all ham bands with frequencies of 30 MHz or higher. For more on license classes, click for the ARRL descriptions.

Free Technician Prep Class & Exam

Class Registration Sheet

Limit: 30 registrants, first come, first serve. Sorry, this is a hard limit, but come back and see when the next training will be!
Schedule: Thursday Evenings @ 7- 8:30pm Training: Oct. 17, 24, 31, Nov. 7, 14; Testing: Nov. 21
(5 Training Sessions, Nov. 21 will be reserved for Testing.)
Remote Attendance: Even if you have a conflict for some of the training sessions, go ahead and sign up! Those who register will receive a Zoom link to join remotely if you’re out of town, and a URL to watch the video later if you have a time conflict.
Location: Southern Adventist University, Hickman Science Center 1105: 1st floor, SE corner, enter through “Pendulum Atrium, E side (facing University Dr) MAP LINK
Cost: None for the class, just a charge for the book. Buy one yourself (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGXYDB1P/, choose paperback or the $8-Kindle version), or bring cash to buy one from us. ($18)
Materials: The Ham Radio Prep Technician Class License Manual (2022 – 2026) linked above. There’s also an app (iOS/Android), so bring your smartphone.
Testing: (Nov. 21) There is a $15 charge per adult to participate in the testing session, reduced to $5 for youth candidates (< 18 yrs old). If you pass the Technician exam, you may take tests for additional level for no additional charge. Note: in addition to the testing fee, the FCC now charges $35 (paid online) to process the ham license application for successful applicants. (Note: the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant will reimburse the $35 FCC application fee!)
Sponsors: Greater Collegedale Adventist Radio Club, Southern Adventist University, School of Engineering and Physics: https://southern.edu/physics, SAU Physics Club

Other Licensing Study Resources

The test for the technician license consists of 35 multiple-choice questions on regulations and technical radio topics. You have to get 26 or more correct to pass.

There are several ways to study or prepare for the Technician class license test:
1) Use study material from the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL). The ARRL prints many books and guides to help you study, they can be purchased from their website www.arrl.org and many other vendors like Ham Radio Outlet (HRO), and Amazon.

2) Study using online practice tests:
https://aa9pw.com/
https://www.eham.net/exams/
https://www.qrz.com/ht/

3) Use Mobile Apps:
Both Google Play store and Apple Store have free or low-cost apps to drill the test questions.
– Ham Tech on the apple store

4) “Ham Crams”:

There are groups that offer study sessions (usually free) (typically over a couple of evenings) with a testing session following.

5) YouTube: