Ham Radio Boot Camp

Updated 22 November 2023

We usually hold an Amateur Radio Boot Camp once per semester; upcoming dates are TBD (most likely Spring '24). In this class, we teach you everything you need to know in order to earn your Technician Class license. The class is free; the test fee is (currently) $15.

Teaching Resources

Ham Radio Prep (hamradioprep.com) has given members of our club access to self-study resources before their licensing exam. This is a flexible way to learn and prepare before an exam.

For those interested in learning from one of our one-day bootcamps, we use the "No-Nonsense Technician-Class License Study Guide" by Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, as the textbook for the boot camp, and it works just as well for self-study. It is available on his Web site in various formats, including a free PDF.

Alternatively, similar textbooks are also available for purchase from other publishers. For example, before "No-Nonsense," we used the ARRL's book, which covers the same material but may include longer explanations.

Dave Casler, KE0OG, also has an excellent series of free instructional videos for the Technician Class license exam available on his YouTube channel. These videos cover the same material as the textbooks and make a good substitute for in-person lectures.

Study Aides

Once you've seen the exam material, we recommend resources such as hamradioprep.com or hamstudy.org as a good resource for studying it. These resources include a full set of the question pool used to make the exams, virtual flash cards based on those questions, and practice exams prepared the same way as the real ones. These make it an effective tool to help make sure you know the material before signing up for one of our exam sessions. As a club member, you will have free access to Ham Radio Prep resources.

General and Extra Class Content

If you already have a license and want to upgrade it, or if you'd like to sit for multiple license class exams at once, similar resources are also available for the General and Extra licenses. Books are available for purchase from KB6NU and the ARRL, Dave Casler has General and Extra video courses, and hamstudy.org contains material for all three exams.

Taking the Exam

Once you're confident that you know the exam material, it's time to make the arrangements to take it!

Beginning January 2021, we are once again offering monthly in-person test sessions on campus. Information is available on our test session page.

Another option that has been made available is remote online exams. For these, the exam is administered via video conference to allow individuals to take it from home. We are not offering these remote sessions, but hamstudy.org has more information about them as well as a list of upcoming sessions.

If you are outside of the Atlanta area, there may be a local amateur radio organization near you that is also offering test services. Check with them for more information.

What's Next?

If you're a Georgia Tech student or otherwise affiliated with the school, our club has a lot to offer in terms of resources and support, especially once you're a licensed ham. We encourage you to join our Discord and let us know how you got interested in ham radio and what you'd like to do with it. We can also answer any questions you might have about the exams, their content, or other help or advice you may need. We also welcome you to participate in our club events, and we hope you'll consider joining us.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please send us .