If you are like me when I first got into Amateur Radio, you did it without too much help. I had to do most of my own research and find out for myself when the testing dates would be and so forth. It would have been great to have a senior operator to instruct me on the intracacies of Amateur Radio. I would suggest finding a local club and enquiring about test dates and materials. Most club members are very nice and willing to assist you. In the mean time this website will provide you with some very useful information regarding getting started in Ham Radio. To be a licensed operator in the United States you must pass an element 2 technician class test at an official test site approved by the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League). This test is composed of 35 multiple choice questions covering everything from basic electronic principles to emergency operating procedures. Study materials can be purchased at a number of places. You can look in the phone book for a Ham Radio Store (mostly only found in larger cities), ask radio shack to order you one, or order one off the internet from a ham radio retailer or book shop. Gordon West's study manuals are the most popular study materials in the United States. They are also some of the cheaper ones. I used Gordon West's study manual to obtain my general class licence. It gets the job done but is not as entertaining as other study manuals such as "Ham radio from Alfa to Zulu". The latter book was set up like a series of comic strips teaching the fundamentals of ham radio. I would recommend the second option for children. Gordon West's manuals are set up like a college text. (Refer to the first link for a website with Gordon West's study manuals.) You can get test site information by contacting a ham radio club. They will be able to direct you to where you need to go to get the information about the next test site. This may prove to be somewhat difficult because there is usually no one at the clubs meeting place except for on meeting nights usually held bi-weekly. I would suggest going ahead and purchasing a 2 meter radio and listening in on the more active repeaters. Many times you will be able to pick up information about nets which carry the updates on testing sites and times. I remember the frustration of not being allowed to transmit and ask questions of the operators before I was licensed. All I could do was listen and hope the subject would come up. (Refer to the second link for information about ham clubs in your area.) Once you find some clubs near you google their names and see if you find their web sites. On their web sites they should have their meeting times, net times, and contact information. You do not have to be licensed to go to a club meeting or listen to nets. Both of these things provide wealths of information. Once you have got your study materials and are tracking on the next testing day you can begin the study process. I would read through your study manual and then take as many practice tests as you can. I must have taken 1,000 practice tests before my examination day, no exageration. (Refer to the third link to take a practice test.) I will continue to update this website with more useful information. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Links from Text
Study materials
Find a Ham Club
Practice Tests
