Is it “Amateur Extra” or just “Extra?” Well, technically it’s “Amateur Extra,” but everyone just calls it “Extra.”
Studying for your Extra Class Ham Radio License
The Amateur Extra Class License is the top level of amateur radio licenses and conveys all amateur radio privileges. Watch the video below to learn how these videos work hand-in-hand with the manual. It tells you what self-study manual to buy and where to get it.
Guided Self Study
The manual is designed to support both self-study and classroom training, but sometimes neither works—self-study might be a little overwhelming, and sometimes an elmer (a mentor) is not available. That’s where this series of videos comes in—each provides an introduction to the material in the manual. Out here where I live in Southwestern Colorado, there aren’t very many people, let alone hams! That’s why I’ve created these videos. This divides the material into convenient chunks—short videos followed by short sections of self study. Enough – let’s watch this eight minute video!
The links I talked about
The 12th Edition of the ARRL Extra Class License Manual For Ham Radio is a mandatory adjunct to this course. In fact, just as with the Technician set of videos and the General set of videos, it is the course! Just to reiterate: you need the manual! These videos give you an overview of the sections you’ll be studying, along with a few videos of how things actually work. So here’s the paradigm: each video introduces a section of the text, which you then study. Try out the test questions, then come back for the next section’s video.
You can get the 12th Edition ARRL Extra Class License Manual by via Amazon by clicking on this link. It’s actually somewhat less expensive on Amazon than at the ARRL website, and Amazon’s shipping charges are less too, which will save you a few dollars. NOTE: You want the 12th Edition. Any earlier editions are great books, but will not fully prepare you for the current question set, valid July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2024.
There’s an Extra Class License Manual Support Page on the ARRL website that provides additional material to supplement the manual.
All the videos
- Chapter 1, Introduction and Overview #1
- Section 2.1, General Operating. #2
- Section 2.2, Amateur Satellites, consists of two videos.
- Section 3.4, Amateur-Satellite Service #8
- Section 3.5, Volunteer Examiner Program #9
- Section 3.6, Miscellaneous Rules #10
- Section 4.1, Radio Mathematics #11
- Section 4.2, Electric and Magnetic Fields #12
- Section 4.3, Principles of Circuits, consists of two videos:
- Section 5.1, Semiconductor Devices #15
- Section 5.2, Display Devices #16
- Section 5.3, Digital Logic, #17
- Section 6.2, Signal Processing #19
- Section 6.3, Digital Signal Processing and Software-Defined Radio #20
- Section 6.4, Filters and Impedance Matching #21
- Section 6.5, Power Supplies #22
- Section 7.1, Test Equipment #23
- Section 7.2, Receiver Performance #24
- Section 7.3, Interference and Noise #25
- Section 8.1, Modulation Systems #26
- Section 8.2, Digital Protocols and Modes #27
- Section 8.3, Amateur Television #28
- Section 9.1, Basics of Antennas #29
- Section 9.2, Practical Antennas #30
- Section 9.3, Antenna Systems #31
- Section 9.4, Transmission Lines #32
- Section 9.5, Antenna Design #33
- Section 10.1, Electromagnetic Waves #34
- Section 10.2, Solar Effects #35
- Section 10.3, HF Propagation #36
- Section 10.4, VHF/UHF/Microwave Propagation #37
- Section 11.1, Hazardous Materials #38
- Section 11.2, RF Exposure #39
- Final Logistics to Take Your Examination: this video explains exam prep. #41
What do you do when you’re ready to take the test?
Go to www.arrl.org/exam_sessions/search, enter your zip code, and search for an examination session in your area. Good luck!