Amateur Radio — Technician Class

FCC Element 2. Entry-level US amateur licence: all amateur privileges above 30 MHz plus limited HF. Gateway credential for the VHF/UHF gear already on the bench.

Pool note. Replaced the 2022-2026 pool on 2026-07-01. Printed study guides bought before 2026 teach the retired pool — treat any book question numbering as untrustworthy and derive everything from data/pools/tech-2026/.

Modules

8

Study time

251 min

Exam

26/35

Pool covered

100%

2026-2030 Technician (Element 2) · Errata issued 2026-02-19 · valid 2026-07-01 to 2030-06-30 · practice exam · official release

Modules

1. 01 The Commission's Rules

   DraftT1A · T1B · T1C · T1D · T1E · T1F

   What the Amateur Radio Service is for, who may operate, on which frequencies, with what call sign, and what may never be transmitted. Six of the 35 exam questions come from here.

   1. 01What the Amateur Service Is For, and Who Runs ItState the Basis and Purpose in the FCC's own terms, name who regulates and who merely coordinates, and recognise the definitions Part 97 relies on.
      5:40
      9 min
   2. 02Licences, Call Signs, and Keeping YoursName the three licence classes, read a call sign's format, and get the renewal timing right — including the trap in the grace period.
      5:25
      9 min
   3. 03Bands, Modes, and Band EdgesSay where a Technician may transmit, in what mode, at what power — and why operating exactly at a band edge is a bad idea.
      9:35
      11 min
   4. 04What May and May Not Be TransmittedApply the FCC's definition of broadcasting, name the four narrow exceptions to the bans on music, codes, and compensation, and know what a test transmission still owes you.
      7:13
      10 min
   5. 05The Control OperatorSay who the control operator is, what their licence class determines, where the control point is, and how local, remote, and automatic control differ.
      5:41
      8 min
   6. 06Identification, Repeaters, and Third PartiesIdentify correctly in every case the rules cover, and know who answers when a repeater carries something it should not.
      5:52
      9 min

2. 02 Operating Procedures

   DraftT2A · T2B · T2C

   Choosing a frequency, calling a station, working a repeater, and the public-service operating that VHF and UHF are actually used for.

   1. 01Making ContactCall a station on a repeater or simplex, answer a CQ, and use the offsets and band plans that decide where anyone is listening.
      4:50
      9 min
   2. 02Working Repeaters, Tones, and Digital VoiceDiagnose why a repeater will not hear you, use reverse and squelch deliberately, and understand what a DMR talkgroup and colour code actually are.
      7:26
      11 min
   3. 03Nets, Traffic, and Emergency OperatingCheck into a net without disrupting it, tell RACES from ARES, and state the one narrow circumstance in which the frequency rules give way.
      7:12
      10 min

3. 03 Radio Wave Propagation

   DraftT3A · T3B · T3C

   How a VHF or UHF signal actually gets from your antenna to someone else's, and the handful of modes that occasionally send it much further.

   1. 01What a Radio Wave IsName the two fields that make up a radio wave, state the one speed they all travel at, and place any frequency in the HF, VHF, or UHF range.
      4:57
      8 min
   2. 02How VHF and UHF Signals Actually TravelExplain multipath, picket fencing, and cross-polarisation loss, and know what vegetation, rain, and terrain do to a signal at each band.
      7:25
      10 min
   3. 03Beyond the HorizonName the propagation modes that occasionally carry VHF hundreds or thousands of miles, and say which band and which conditions each needs.
      8:22
      10 min

4. 04 Setting Up and Operating a Station

   DraftT4A · T4B

   Connecting the parts of a station without damaging any of them, and using the controls that decide what you hear.

   1. 01Connecting a StationSize a power supply, wire DC correctly in a vehicle, place an SWR or power meter where it reads truthfully, and connect a computer for digital modes.
      8:12
      10 min
   2. 02Using the ControlsSet squelch, microphone gain, and filter bandwidth deliberately, and recognise what each control's misadjustment sounds like on the air.
      7:10
      9 min

5. 05 Components and Circuits

   DraftT6A · T6B · T6C · T6D

   Resistors, capacitors, inductors, semiconductors, and how to read the schematic that shows how they are wired together.

   1. 01Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, and SwitchesMatch each passive component to what it does and how it is built, read a switch designation, and know which battery chemistries recharge.
      5:28
      9 min
   2. 02Diodes, Transistors, and GainName the electrodes of a diode and of both transistor families, say what forward voltage drop and gain mean, and find the cathode on a real part.
      5:21
      9 min
   3. 03Reading Schematics and Naming Circuit BlocksIdentify the symbols in the three official pool diagrams, and name the circuit block that performs each common function.
      7:25
      11 min

6. 06 Practical Circuits and Test Equipment

   DraftT7A · T7B · T7C · T7D

   What each box in a station does, how to recognise the common failure symptoms, and how to measure without destroying the meter.

   1. 01What Each Box in the Station DoesName the circuit blocks inside a transceiver, distinguish sensitivity from selectivity, and say what a transverter and an amplifier each add.
      4:57
      8 min
   2. 02Interference: Diagnosing It and Being Neighbourly About ItTell overload from a genuine spurious emission, apply the right filter at the right end, and handle a neighbour's complaint without making it worse.
      7:44
      10 min
   3. 03Test Equipment and SolderingConnect a meter without destroying it, read what a dummy load and an antenna analyser each tell you, and recognise a cold solder joint.
      8:45
      10 min

7. 07 Signals, Modes, and Emissions

   DraftT8A · T8B · T8C · T8D

   FM, SSB, CW, and the digital modes — what each costs in bandwidth and what it buys in return, plus satellites and the modes built on them.

   1. 01Modes and What They Cost in BandwidthCompare FM, SSB, and CW by the spectrum each occupies and the situation each suits, and recall the four bandwidth figures the pool asks for.
      6:50
      10 min
   2. 02Digital ModesTell FT8, PSK31, packet, APRS, DMR, and mesh apart by what each is for, and say what ARQ adds to a link.
      8:34
      11 min
   3. 03Amateur SatellitesRead a satellite's mode designation, predict Doppler shift and spin fading, and set uplink power without denying the satellite to everyone else.
      8:17
      10 min
   4. 04Operating Activities: Hunting, Contesting, and LinkingFind a hidden or interfering transmitter, exchange a contest contact efficiently, and use the internet-linked systems that extend a handheld worldwide.
      4:50
      8 min

8. 08 Antennas and Feed Lines

   DraftT9A · T9B

   Polarisation, gain, and the practical business of getting power from a radio into the air without wasting most of it in the cable.

   1. 01Antennas: Polarisation, Length, and GainPredict which way a dipole radiates, work out why a 2 metre whip is 19 inches long, and say what antenna gain is actually made of.
      7:50
      11 min
   2. 02Feed Lines, Connectors, and SWRChoose a coax for a job, pick the right connector for the frequency, and read an SWR meter without drawing the wrong conclusion from it.
      9:03
      11 min

Where the exam questions come from

Each subelement contributes a fixed number of questions to every exam, drawn from a pool of very different size. The right-hand column is the one that matters: how many pool questions you must learn per exam question earned.

35 of 35 syllabus groups reach at least one lesson.