Make it so federal agents don't show up if you do it wrong?
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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Make it easier to get into? I've wanted to for years but when I looked into studying for the test (which can only be taken in another city in my state and only a few times a year), I found a like 4 hour long video and when I tried watching it it was like someone speaking a foreign language. I don't have a ton of free time to study for the test and it seems like I need to already be a master electrician to even study for the test.
So yeah, maybe don't make it so difficult and more people might want to get into it?
If you're in the US, you can test online! https://hamstudy.org/sessions/remote
I do agree that the test itself could be tuned down a bit, especially for the tech license. hamstudy.org also has all of the test questions available online to help you study.
Thanks, I'll try to remember to check this out after work!
Are you eligible for a US license? HamStudy.org and study for the Technician’s license. Memorize the answers. Then when you are passing practice exams with a solid 80% or better, schedule your remote exam through the HamStudy website, take it, then get on the air.
I did my Tech from a beachside resort in the Philippines during the peak of the pandemic.
You can do it!
I'm intensely jealous of people who couldn't work during COVID (well more specifically those who could manage or were being paid still). Working at a grocery apparently makes you as essential as a doctor or nurse...
Great advice though, sir or madam.
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I love hamstudy's algorithm, that it feeds you back questions you missed later. I actually contacted them once to see if they could maybe also do aviation knowledge tests (which are formatted almost exactly like amateur radio tests; they're both government ABC tests) but we tripped over a source for the question pool, the FAA doesn't publish it.
It’s a great algorithm called spaced repetition. I use the method so much I discovered Anki (and its parent site Anki Web) to do a ton of university studies. There’s a small learning curve, but once you get it, you can make all sorts of flash cards with fine grain detail for spaced repetition.
As for the FAA, once you are past PPL, Sheppard Air is pretty much the golden standard, only there is no space repetition in their system.
This is helpful advice, thank you.
This exactly. My brother keeps trying to get me into it. It's hard to even take the test let alone how boring it is to study for. I want someone who's passionate about it to explain it to me. I also have hella ADHD so that's a factor for me personally lol.
Oh same here. It's a struggle to listen to a monotone voice talk about numbers and electrical terms I'm completely unfamiliar with.
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I think it’s pretty screwed. What is ham radio? The name means nothing to today’s youth, it’s just confusing and they’ll move on to something else. Our attention is so fractioned these days that no one will stick around to find out more, we’re never bored. And you need boredom to get into this type of thing.
What can you do with ham radio? Talk to strangers? You can do that online with milliohms of resistance whereas getting on ham radio is megaohms of resistance in comparison. What I’m saying with this resistance analogy is that ham radio has a big learning curve and friction. You’re competing with the internet, social media, games. Ham radio simply doesn’t have a good hook, it doesn’t have a good incentive.
The name means nothing to today’s youth
Story time: When I was a kid in the late 90s, there was a fad for toy walkie-talkies at my school. I was obsessed with seeing how far I could get my signal, which wasn't very far given the likely minuscule power.
The teachers decided to capitalize on this trend by inviting a representative of a local ham club to speak at our school. I was absolutely floored when I learned you could talk around the world. Two things kept me from pursuing my license at the time. There was still a code requirement, and nobody for the life of me could tell me what lunch meat had to do with wireless communication.
Present it as an alternative to social media -- one without the kinds of mental health issues and corporate controls.
Present things like electronics tinkering as a life skill instead of a hobby. That includes the Tech license.
It's a long shot, sure.
I have a ham radio
Talk to them about climate change
Tell them it is cooler to talk on radios than headphones playing CoD
Allow encryption.
I don't want to talk on open air with anyone and everyone able to listen in.
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