The ARRL General Class License Manual for Ham Radio, Level 2

by H. Ward Silver

All You Need To Pass Your General Class Exam!

Pass the 35-question General Class test.
All the Exam Questions with Answer Key, for use July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2011.
Detailed explanations for all questions, including FCC rules.
The General Class license is the second of three US Amateur Radio licenses. To upgrade to General Class, you must already hold a Technician Class license (or have recently passed the Technician license exam). Upgrading to a General license--which conveys extensive HF privileges only requires passing a written examination. Once you do, the entire range of operating modes and the majority of the amateur spectrum below 30 MHz become available to you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Science, Technology

Paperback

First published December 20, 2010

Reviews

[Jonathan Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed it, but I would not have passed the test without also putting in a lot of practice on hamstudy.org. Yes, there are questions included in the book, but flipping back and forth breaks your concentration. I decided upgrading my license after a 10-year hiatus from the hobby would be a good way to get back into it, and this book brought it all back and gave me the confidence to try for my extra when I finished.

[Nathan Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good ARRL license edition. Guides the reader through the exam questions to obtain their General class license while providing the solid background in theory, operations, safety, etc. that opens up the field (and the posibilities) to the new initiate to the HF bands. Remains a valuable reference even after having passed the General exam, since it contains plenty of complementary, additional, material.

[Brain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well above average and great to get past the general exam, but you’ll probably need some external explanation and practice. Also, not the best book for the wireless communications field (albeit it wasn’t written for that purpose). As with most of my reviews/ratings, I save a five star rating for the top 10-20% on a Goodreads shelf. Overall, great book and will probably literally add it to my ham shack shelf when they update it next year.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE book to get for passing the FCC General class amateur radio test. The last section of the book is the actual pool of multiple choice questions from which the test is taken from. I studied this book for 2 months and past the test the first time taking it.

[Joe Gadway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fairly in-depth preparation for the General Class ham radio license exam.
Maybe too in-depth if you want to license quickly!
Use this book PLUS "Pass Your Amateur Radio General Class Test" by Craig E. "Buck" K4IA to get your license more quickly and also get a preview of all the material there is to learn later.
.
Both of these books are great.
The book by K4IA will help you get your license quicker.
The ARRL book will keep you learning more and more about your hobby for years to come.

[Fred Fanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ARRL General Class License Manual is a valuable resource for Ham Radio Operators with a Technician Class License to prepare for the General Class License. The book was fascinating and filled with helpful information. I liked the illustrations and photos that made the information clearer. I recommend this book to my fellow Ham Operators. I also plan to keep it as a reference.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, to say the least. Overwhelming if not used in conjucction with others.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to pass your test

[Darren Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good review for general class amateur radio license.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with great detail. Like the one for the Technician test, I feel the way the chapters are laid out is a little odd and makes it more challenging than it needs to be.

[Rodolfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to learn about the General license and study for the exam. It is well organized and covers all exam materials.

[Ricky Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read. References were great. Explanations helped a ton. Now onto the Amateur Extra.

[Marty B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m happy to have concluded the most boring book ever written in the history of mankind. I had better pass this test on the first try. My brain hurts.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, and most importantly: I read this book cover-to-cover, and I expect it's prepared me well for the General Class exam. It covers all of the material on the exam and includes a copy of the question pool in the back. The text includes references to the relevant questions, and the questions in the question pool have references back into the text that covers that material. There's an online version of the question pool where the questions match the order of the text, so that's a little easier to use. Between all this and an iPhone app that generates practice exams, I feel pretty good about the exam material.

There are several editing errors, but most of them are documented in the book's errata on the ARRL web site. (In a few cases, the examples in the text are actually wrong, which can be pretty confusing.) The coverage of some topics feels cursory -- just enough to answer one or two questions on the exam, without really conveying much understanding. In some cases, concepts are used before they're properly introduced (e.g., SWR, though admittedly you're probably supposed to know that from the Technician exam).

The book is very focused on the exam material, and other topics that seem useful to know aren't well-covered. (For example, between the various chapters, you can probably put together the things you would need to get started with an HF station, but it's scattered around a lot. It would be useful to cover specific suggestions for getting started, such as a list of all the components you need.) I think some of this is covered in the ARRL Operating Manual instead.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are considering getting your General Amateur Radio license this 9th edition is the book you need to use from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2023. As with the Technician book, this is not just a list of test questions, the chapters include: HF Operating Techniques; Rules and Regulations; Components and Circuits; Radio Signals and Equipment; Digital Modes; Antennas; Propagation; and Electrical and RF Safety. As with the Technician book, these chapters introduce the applicable test bank questions throughout the text in the relevant section followed by a list of all the questions in the last third of the book. Again, if you are working on your General Amateur Radio license this 9th edition is THE book you need to prepare for the test until June 2023. If you are getting your license through a local HAM club they will probably provide classes but with this book and watching some YouTube classes you can definitely self-study to pass the test.

[Tracie Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't exactly keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen, but it did help me pass the level 2 HAM exam on radio electronics and use, so now I can play with the big kids on the high frequencies (no longer limited to VHF AND UHF). This wasn't the only tool I used to pass the test though, and I may owe more (or at least as much) thanks to "HamTestOnline" and a 3 part YouTube series of videos based on this book (Ham Radio 2.0: Episode 66 - General License Training Class). But yeah, probably wouldn't have passed the test without this. (The description of this, based on the ISBN I entered says it's good up until 2011. I read the 8th edition, copyright 2015-2017. Information is good until June 30, 2019.)

[David Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will, as the title and overview says, give you everything you need to pass the General Class license exam. Be prepared, however, to re-read passages and in some cases entire chapters several times until you understand what is being presented. The theory is not necessarily taught in this book though and you may have to look elsewhere (as I did) for some of the more advanced topics covered (and that goes double for the Extra, which is another topic).

Once you are done studying, KEEP THE BOOK! It is an Excellent reference for formulas, basic and semi-advanced theory and a number or basic circuit and antenna designs.

[Vernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after I managed to get my General class license, so it was more of a review of the things I had already learned (and remembered from college) about ham radio. Since the General class license is a little more difficult than the Technician, I would recommend getting this book from your local library and reading it. Like the Technician class book, it has all the VEC pool questions and text to explain each one.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great prep manual from the ARRL. I think it gives enough context to the set of topics that are covered to give a good basic understanding and build upon later (vs. some other resources that essentially only prepare you for the questions that appear on the test). I used this in conjunction with the fantastic HamStudy app on iOS and passed my General exam with no trouble. I also recommend picking up the spiral-bound copy since it's much easier to handle. 73s!

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you need to move up from a Technician license to the General license. With the General license you now have access to nearly all the bands in the Ham radio spectrum. The book goes into more depth than the Technician manual on signal propagation, electronics, antennas, and more.

Using this book, I passed the General class license exam and only missed two (33/35).

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you review a technical manual textbook? This is the consumate book needed to get ready for your General Class Ham Radio License. It comes with a CD for learning tests. It's very good and used in conjunction with online tests provided by some of the Ham Radio sites is perfect for getting ready to test. And on that note, on to practice tests.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the facts...

This manual does an effective job at giving context to the current test pool while doing what the real purpose is which is to give the Ham about to take her test and become a General class operator the basic tools she'll need to be safe, successful and to have fun doing it.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book picks up were ARRL Ham Radio License Manuel leaves off. It extends and deepens concepts learned for the technicians level and introduces new material for the General license test. Everything you need to know to pass the General test.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book picks up were ARRL Ham Radio License Manuel leaves off. It extends and deepens concepts learned for the technicians level and introduces new material for the General license test. Everything you need to know to pass the General test.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Question Pool, supplemented by the text and online quizzes, has hopefully prepared me for the exam. I'll find out in two days. Just enough time to review the questions again and take a few more online quizzes.

[Budd Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

With ubiquitous I'net "memorize the answer" sites available, learning rules and theory has become tedious and unnecessary for 99.5% of those still wanting a license.
I reread to be a Volunteer Examiner for Amateur Radio licensees.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference book when studying for the General test.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

General Exam passed on 10/06/2012

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skim read it before the exam and read in more detail after. It may help put some things in context, but I don't think I would have passed the test simply by reading this book.

[Will (eSkilliam) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great primer for the General level amateur radio test. Actually it is pretty much "the" book for it.