Issue 11 — May 5, 2026
This week: Getting your HAM Technician license. What the exam actually covers, how long it takes, and the upgrade kit for households ready to make the jump.
We are now entering peak severe weather season. April, May, and June historically produce the most tornadoes across the continental United States. It is also the week we have chosen to talk about the radio system that connects directly to emergency management infrastructure when everything else is overwhelmed.
HAM or Amateur radio sits at the top of the five-layer framework for a reason. It is the most capable system available to a private household. It is also the one with the highest barrier to entry. You need a license. That license requires passing an exam.
This week, we make that barrier feel smaller. Because it is smaller than most people think.
What the Technician Exam Actually Covers
The HAM Technician license exam consists of 35 questions drawn from a publicly available question pool. You need to answer 26 correctly to pass, which is a 74 percent threshold. The exam covers three broad areas.
Basic radio theory. How radio waves propagate, what frequency and wavelength mean, the difference between AM and FM, and how antennas work. None of this requires a physics background. It requires about two weeks of patient reading.
FCC regulations. What licensed HAM operators are and are not permitted to do, frequency allocations for the Technician license, and identification requirements. This section is mostly memorization and is the easiest part of the exam for most people.
Operating practices and safety: How to make a radio call, emergency communication protocols, basic electrical safety. If you have been following SignalGuides for ten weeks, much of this will already feel familiar.
The full question pool is public and available at hamstudy.org. You can take unlimited free practice exams, see your score immediately, and identify which topic areas need more work. Most people who study consistently for two to three weeks are ready to pass.
The Study Plan That Works
Week 1. Download the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual or use the free resources at hamstudy.org. Read through the material once without worrying about memorizing it. Take a practice exam at the end of the week to establish a baseline score. Expect to score 50 to 60 percent. That is normal.
Week 2. Focus your study on the topic areas where you scored lowest. Take a practice exam every day. Track your score. Most people hit the 74 percent threshold somewhere in this week.
Week 3. Polish and confirm. Take practice exams daily. When you are consistently scoring 85 percent or above, you are ready. Schedule your exam.
Finding an exam session: Exams are administered by volunteer examiner teams across the country. HamStudy.org maintains a current listing of in-person and remote exam sessions. Remote online exams are available and accepted by the FCC, which means you can take the exam from home.
What You Can Do With a Technician License
The Technician license grants operating privileges on all amateur radio frequencies above 30 MHz and limited privileges on some HF bands. In practical terms, for emergency communications, this means access to the VHF and UHF repeater networks that HAM emergency communication teams use, the ability to participate in ARES and RACES nets in your area, and the capability to operate at significantly higher power levels than FRS or GMRS.
It also means joining a community. Local amateur radio clubs run nets, training exercises, and emergency communication drills year-round. Showing up with a Technician license and a radio is how you start building real emergency communication capability beyond your household.
This Week's Upgrade Kit
Primary recommendation: Yaesu FT-60R Dual-Band HAM (~$130). The FT-60R has been a standard recommendation in the HAM community for years because it earns that recommendation. It is built to last, sounds excellent in noisy conditions, and is simple enough to operate without constant reference to a manual. The battery life is exceptional. If you are going to carry one radio into a serious emergency situation, this is it.
One honest limitation: the FT-60R is a single-display radio with no touchscreen or menu-driven interface. Some people find this refreshingly simple. Others find it initially confusing. Give it a week, and it becomes second nature.
Affiliate link: Available via our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/4vQjRF6
Budget alternative: Baofeng UV-5R (~$30). The UV-5R is the most common beginner HAM handheld in the world for one reason: it costs $30, and it works. It is not durable. The audio is adequate rather than good. The programming interface is notoriously difficult without a programming cable and CHIRP software. But for someone who wants to study for the Technician exam and have a radio to practice on before committing to a serious purchase, the UV-5R gets the job done.
Affiliate link: Available via our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/4d0T7dq
| Price | Build Quality | Audio Clarity | Warranty | Best For |
Yaesu FT-60R | ~$130 | Excellent | Excellent | 1 year | Serious use |
Baofeng UV-5R | ~$30 | Basic | Adequate | Limited | Starting out |
Both links above are affiliate links. We only recommend gear we would use ourselves.
The One Thing
This week: Go to hamstudy.org and take one practice Technician exam right now. Do not study first. Just take it cold and see your baseline score. Most people are surprised how much they already know. The score tells you exactly how much work is left. |
Next Issue
Final issue of the first 12-week run. We review where you started, where you are now, what the next 90 days look like, and introduce the SignalGuides Emergency Communications Binder to help you keep everything organized in one place.
Stay connected,
Editor, SignalGuides
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