The ARRL ham radio license manual

What Hacker News says

1. tzsSep 2017
   If you want to actually learn the relevant material, but tailored toward passing the exam, the ARRL books are very good [1] [2] [3].

   The exam structure is quite conductive to just memorizing the answers [4], but it is really better if you try to have some understanding so I recommend the books.

   You can take practice exams, or drill with flash cards, or review the entire question pools at hamexam.org or hamstudy.org. Make accounts at those sites and they will keep stats on how you do for each subsection of the test questions so you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses.

   There are mobile apps for iOS and Android that provide functionality similar to hamexam.org and hamstudy.org.

   [1] https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625...

   [2] https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/d...

   [3] https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Class-License-Manual-Spiral/dp/...

   [3] See this comment for some more on the exam structure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15353793

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2. steauengeglaseFeb 2017
   K&R gets so much hell, but it's a good, raw back to basics text. It deserves a place on the shelf beside the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, or Wheelock's Latin, or Lyman's Guide to Reloading, or The Joy of Cooking, or the Elements of Style. It's the programming book for Boy Scouts, a crude, but essential Swiss Army Knife --the great programming book for the post-Apocalypse.

   Also all of these are open source submissions.

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3. cannikinFeb 2016
   This book has everything you need: http://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/16259...
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4. ansonhoytOct 2023
   The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 3rd edition, section 1.1 explains the term:

   > How did “amateur” become “ham”? The real answer is unknown! Even before radio, telegraphers referred to a poor operator as a ham. Perhaps this was derived from a poor operator being “ham-fisted” on the telegraph key — an operator’s “fist” referred to his or her distinctive style over the wires. With all radio stations sharing the same radio spectrum in the early days, commercial and military operators would sometimes refer to amateurs as hams when there was interference. Regardless, amateurs adopted the term as a badge of honor and proudly refer to each other as “hams” today.

   While you'd buy the latest 5th edition from the ARRL [1] to prepare for the exam, the older 3rd edition is freely available online [2].

   [1] https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual

   [2] https://macaloney.blogspot.com/2019/06/how-to-prepare-for-ha...

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5. weppleSep 2016
   I'm currently going thru the process. It seems quite simple, buy the book[1], sign up for a $15 exam, do a bit of study (there's a test quiz trainer app on iOS), and you should be good.

   [1]https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625...

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