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The Arrl Extra Class License Manual
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1 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 27, 2017
I passed my amateur license exam here in Australia about 40 years ago. For that, I had to write essays about things like neutralizing a valve (tube) power amplifier. A lot has changed since then. New technology like software defined radio. In January I heard that local hams were conducting US license exams here. My first resolution of the year was to pass the US exams for all three levels. I'm happy to say I made it. There was no real need to do it, but it was a personal challenge - a little like voluntarily doing a driving test again, times three.
This book and the others for the Technician and General levels are excellent guides through the knowledge you need to gather to answer whatever the question pools might throw at you. The license manuals essentially re-arrange the hundreds of disparate questions into a more or less flowing narrative about how to be a modern ham radio operator.
I bought the Kindle edition mainly because of lack of time - I had about six weeks to prepare. While I would prefer an old school printed edition the ability to access the book on my kindle, laptop and phone enabled me to progress very quickly in all sorts of places.
The information was very well presented - manageable and digestible. I also loved the way liberal amounts of ham radio wisdom about operating practice was added to the mix. It was really like having your own personal Elmer guiding you through the intricacies of aspects of the hobby that previously were unclear or were new to me.
Best of all this book de-mystified the mathematics of electronics and set me on a path to better understand what after all is the basis of the 'magic' of radio. I love the fact that the Scottish mathematician Maxwell concluded radio waves must exist, just from the maths, many years before they were actually discovered or produced by Hertz and others.
This book and the others for the Technician and General levels are excellent guides through the knowledge you need to gather to answer whatever the question pools might throw at you. The license manuals essentially re-arrange the hundreds of disparate questions into a more or less flowing narrative about how to be a modern ham radio operator.
I bought the Kindle edition mainly because of lack of time - I had about six weeks to prepare. While I would prefer an old school printed edition the ability to access the book on my kindle, laptop and phone enabled me to progress very quickly in all sorts of places.
The information was very well presented - manageable and digestible. I also loved the way liberal amounts of ham radio wisdom about operating practice was added to the mix. It was really like having your own personal Elmer guiding you through the intricacies of aspects of the hobby that previously were unclear or were new to me.
Best of all this book de-mystified the mathematics of electronics and set me on a path to better understand what after all is the basis of the 'magic' of radio. I love the fact that the Scottish mathematician Maxwell concluded radio waves must exist, just from the maths, many years before they were actually discovered or produced by Hertz and others.
February 19, 2008
I finally made it through this book! It's very technical, and there are a lot of typos that are hopefully corrected in the newest edition. Recommended for amateur radio operators who are going to up-grade their license, but not for the casual reader.
December 5, 2015
If you want to spend $25, buy the 2012-2016 edition of this book. The FCC's Extra class question pool was updated in 2012. Not all of the exam questions in this book will be the same as those in the current question pool. If you want to save money, buy this outdated edition for $4 to $7.28, then DOWNLOAD THE MOST CURRENT QUESTION POOL FOR FREE AT http://www.arrl.org/question-pools . The questions might be different, but the theory is exactly the same.
I took a nighttime class, in 2009, in a physical classroom to upgrade my amateur radio license from General to Extra Class. I found out about the class on
http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-r... .
This was the textbook for the class. Although it's VERY dry reading, with the assistance of our instructor, this book, AND A BASIC ELECTRONICS BOOK, I passed the Extra written exam on my first try :) Some of the other hams weren't so lucky and didn't pass on the first try, but I heard that some of them passed on the second try. I highlighted or underlined important material that the instructor said would be on the exam. You'll need a scientific calculator to solve the math problems in this book and take the exam.
I took a nighttime class, in 2009, in a physical classroom to upgrade my amateur radio license from General to Extra Class. I found out about the class on
http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-r... .
This was the textbook for the class. Although it's VERY dry reading, with the assistance of our instructor, this book, AND A BASIC ELECTRONICS BOOK, I passed the Extra written exam on my first try :) Some of the other hams weren't so lucky and didn't pass on the first try, but I heard that some of them passed on the second try. I highlighted or underlined important material that the instructor said would be on the exam. You'll need a scientific calculator to solve the math problems in this book and take the exam.
September 25, 2012
Just like the Technician and the General before it, this book covers everthing you need to know to pass the test. That's the rub. You also need to have a background in electrical engineering to understand about 30% of what's being discussed unless you are simply going to memorize answers.
The book is an incredible reference though. I passed the test on my first try and I didn't just memorize question/answer combinations (though I'll admit that there was some of that...I'm not too proud to admit there was some of that going on). I did have to look elsewhere for some in depth additional explanation or background as to what was being discussed.
Like the General, the theory isn't always explained in a way that makes sense if you don't have the background and you will have to do some research to fill in the blanks but the author is up front about that fact so it isn't a ding against him in any way. The book would have to be three times as long and be as dry as a 50,000 BTU hair dryer.
Like the previous two books, hold on to this when you are done...you will use it for a reference manual in the future, almost guaranteed.
The book is an incredible reference though. I passed the test on my first try and I didn't just memorize question/answer combinations (though I'll admit that there was some of that...I'm not too proud to admit there was some of that going on). I did have to look elsewhere for some in depth additional explanation or background as to what was being discussed.
Like the General, the theory isn't always explained in a way that makes sense if you don't have the background and you will have to do some research to fill in the blanks but the author is up front about that fact so it isn't a ding against him in any way. The book would have to be three times as long and be as dry as a 50,000 BTU hair dryer.
Like the previous two books, hold on to this when you are done...you will use it for a reference manual in the future, almost guaranteed.
December 1, 2015
I haven't touched amateur radio in almost 20 years, and I pretty much had no future interest without doing some serious learning about it. Working towards my Extra license help fulfill that interest.
I give the book 3 stars which for a technical book should not be construed as a low rating. It falls comfortably in the category of "i liked it" just fine. I learned much and with the aid of a sample test app, passed my exam only missing one question.
The book is mostly laid out in a sensible and logical fashion although there may have been minor elements I would have reordered. The presentation is effective and mostly good with some minor exceptions that keep it from being exceptional. There were some concepts where a good image would have better illustrated the point, and there were some images that were poorly captioned or integrated into the text.
In general, thought the book is pretty good and got the job done. I'd easily recommend it as a study tool for the Extra exam.
I give the book 3 stars which for a technical book should not be construed as a low rating. It falls comfortably in the category of "i liked it" just fine. I learned much and with the aid of a sample test app, passed my exam only missing one question.
The book is mostly laid out in a sensible and logical fashion although there may have been minor elements I would have reordered. The presentation is effective and mostly good with some minor exceptions that keep it from being exceptional. There were some concepts where a good image would have better illustrated the point, and there were some images that were poorly captioned or integrated into the text.
In general, thought the book is pretty good and got the job done. I'd easily recommend it as a study tool for the Extra exam.
August 13, 2009
I managed to get this in the mail about two days before I took the Amateur Extra exam. I had been studying with online materials up to that point. It was nice to be able to have a corpus of text that fully explained each question. There was a lot of material in this book that I never learned in college, so it was good to have diagrams and detailed explanations of new topics. I kind of wish that the book went into more detail on some of the subjects; it seemed that many of the subjects only covered enough information to get you to pass the exam, but not enough to really educate you. I guess that is what the ARRL Handbook is for.
I bought this book because our local library did not have it and then donated it to them when I was done with it.
I bought this book because our local library did not have it and then donated it to them when I was done with it.
October 15, 2012
Filled with lots of info to get you through the Amateur Extra test and beyond. Even after you've passed the test, this book will serve as a useful reference for the future. The entire Element 4 exam pool is provided in the back of the book. The software included on the CD lets you review all of the questions and can be set to give brief explanations of the answers. You can also take practice exams to your heart's content.
February 13, 2013
Includes all the ARRL test questions, but provides a grounding in basic electronics, RF theory, operation, safety, etc. that builds on previous ARRL license manuals and that keeps you referring to it well beyond having passed the Extra exam. Contains hours and hours of study material, but presents it in a way that allows you to quickly prepare for the exam while hopefully remembering how those questions fit into the larger scheme of radio communications, in general. Excellent.
August 6, 2014
The last certification in the path to becoming a Ham guru. With the Amateur Extra license, no amateur radio band is off limits to you and you can begin designing your own antennas and even radios. You also get into the nitty-gritty of signal propagation, circuit calculations, and more.
When I take the test (50 questions this time), I'll let you know how I did.
When I take the test (50 questions this time), I'll let you know how I did.
February 5, 2012
Edge-of-your-seat-reading! Espcially the propagation secont. Trans-equatorial, Grey-Line, Meteor-Scatter, Moon Bounce, Auroral. And transmission lines? Who knew....elecrical length is different than physical lenght. Gotta love it!!!
September 15, 2015
This is the textbook with everything you need to know to attain your Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator License. It includes a CD with study resources. If you are a textbook learner, this is the book to help you get your ticket.
December 24, 2014
A very intense book for a very intense test. Needed this though to supplement hamstudy.org 's wonderful study site to help unravel the trick questions and learn about the inner workings of electro magnetic radio communications
June 21, 2016
With ubiquitous I'net "memorize the answer" sites available, effort to read & understand theory and rules has become too demanding for those just wanting a license. I reread for Amateur Radio Volunteer Examiner.
September 16, 2013
An older version helped me get my extra ticket.
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October 19, 2014Passed the Extra exam today. This was is a good textbook, and has enough practical information that I'll keep it on the shelf for reference during future electronics projects.
August 8, 2016
Nice book to prepare for HAM radio exam (Extra class). It covers each topic in detail and has complete question set at the end.
March 15, 2016
Good book. Excellent prep for the Extra Class License.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews