HAM Radio 101: A Collection of Resources for HAM Radio Beginners

Down the Rabbit Hole Volume Eight, Part One

Below, you’ll find a collection of HAM radio resources for lessons, apps, and study guides, as well as quick reference charts, provided as a part of our Down the Rabbit Hole research series, providing starting points in research on various relevant topics catering to autodidacts striving to challenge themselves with new or extended knowledge and/or skill sets.

Having backup communications is great for emergencies. You’ll want to know how to be able to communicate with people in the event that we do get into that level of emergency, at which point retaining the ability to contact others could become critical.

If you’re a HAM radio beginner, where this can get challenging is if you are transmitting out of band or without a license, which in an emergency you would need to do. However, you will need to learn how to listen and transmit before an emergency occurs.

This is, frankly, a needless Catch-22 to have to face during an emergency scenario. Let’s avoid it by making a point of being prepared regardless, not out of fear but because it’s the responsible thing to do. It’s best to just get licensed ahead of time.

There are links below for licensing exam scheduling. Schedule your test as soon as possible leaving enough time to study between the study start date and the exam date.

If you can find a HAM radio club nearby, ask for help loading channels while you wait to get your license. They would welcome you there as a newcomer and would be happy to help get you started.

Remember that "HAM radio" is a broad category. There are cheap handheld radios (like walkie talkies) that cover a short range. There are mobile radios (vehicle mounted) that can use these same frequencies, but with more power, bigger antennas, and a greater range. There are lower bands that can go around the world.

You can just as easily spend $30 as $3000 for a "HAM radio," depending upon the options you require suitable to the ways in which you intend to use your rig. Just like you do when you are looking to buy a car, it is important to establish critieria for your purchase ahead of time so that you know your choice will address your specific needs within your budget; large SUVs and tiny sports cars serve very different purposes.

Buying a cheaper set for learning purposes is smart. You can upgrade once you know what your needs are and where your interests lie. Whether you want to to learn about classic HAM radio, listen to HAM chatter, and/or listen to or even transmit worldwide broadcasts, you can always upgrade your set up later once you have a stronger grasp on the tech necessary to accomplish your goals and have had more time to research and ask users about their experiences with various equipment and specific brands.

Good luck!

Additional Resources:

American Radio Club. (2021). A Ham Radio License Course Designed for Beginners. Ham Radio Prep. [online] Available here: https://hamradioprep.com

Anchorage Amateur Radio Club. (2021). Remote Testing. Anchorage Amateur Radio Club. [online] Available here: https://kl7aa.org/vec/remote-testing/

[Note: AARC was one of the first official HAM licensing groups to offer remote examinations which were estabilshed post-Covid.]

ARRL. (2021). Ham Radio License Manual. The National Association for Amateur Radio. [online] Available here: https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual

ARRLHQ. (2014). ARRL at 100: A Century of Ham Radio. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Brushbeater. (2016). Signals Intelligence Resources. Brushbeater. [online] Available here: https://brushbeater.org/signals-intelligence-resources/

Chris the Hulk. (2012). PMR Radio: 4 Element 446 Yagi. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Design2survive. (2018). Ham Radio Basics. YouTube. [online] Available here:

ElectronicsNotes. (2018). How to Use an SWR Meter: standing wave ratio meter - guidelines & tips. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Gigaparts. (2021). ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 4th Edition (Spiral Bound). Gigaparts. [online] Available here: https://www.gigaparts.com/arrl-ham-radio-license-manual-4th-edition-spiral-bound.html

Fezufo. (2014). Ranger rci 2970 Amateur radio. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Fred in the Shed. (2018). T2LT DX Vertical Bazooka - The Cheapest CB Antenna. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Fred in the Shed. (2019). CB RADIO homemade Dipole antenna in a loft. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Ham Radio School. (2014). Ham Radio 101: Learning the Lingo. Ham Radio School. [online] Available here: https://hamradioschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/learning_the_lingo.pdf

Ham Study. (2021). Ham Study. Signal Stuff. [online] Available here: https://hamstudy.org/

[Note: You can use this website to schedule your exam. Remote examinations are available. They also offer a fantastic study app for your phone that was valuable for cramming test questions and strengthening any knowledge gaps.]

Living Survival. (2015). Baofeng for Dummies UV5R+ HAM Radio Tutorial. YouTube. [online] Available here:

M0WBK. (2015). President Lincoln.10/11m. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Military Time Chart. (2021). The Military Alphabet (Phonetic from Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta to Zulu). Military Time Chart. [online] Available here: http://militarytimechart.com/military-phonetic-alphabet/

The Modern Rogue. (2019). Why 2.6 Million People Can Push This Button But We Can't. YouTube. [online] Available here:

OH8STN Ham Radio. (2019). Grid Down Emergency Communications | Disaster Preparedness. YouTube. [online] Available here:

OH8STN Ham Radio. (2020). Ham Radio & Emergency Communications | JS8Call. YouTube. [online] Available here:

OH8STN Ham Radio. (2021). YouTube Channel. [online] Available here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SurvivalTechEU

Radio Prepper. (2018). A PMR/FRS Yagi-Uda Antenna For Extended Group Communications. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Radio Reference. (2021). The Radio Reference Database (United States). Radio Reference Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference Database. [online] Available here: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/

Ringway Manchester. (2019). Field Test Of The Retevis RT97 UHF Portable Repeater! YouTube. [online] Available here:

Ringway Manchester. (2019). What's Inside The Retevis RT97 Portable Repeater?! YouTube. [online] Available here:

RustySkull Productions. (2020). CB Radio Amplifiers Burners Boots How To Use Them. YouTube. [online] Available here:

Scanner School. (2021). Scanner Radio Tutorials, Podcasts, Reviews. Scanner School. [online] Available here: https://www.scannerschool.com/

Shortwave Schedule. (2021). Shortwave Schedule. [online] Available here: https://shortwaveschedule.com

Simonthewizard. (2021). You Tube Channel. [online] Available here: https://www.youtube.com/user/simonthewizard/videos

Survival Dispatch. (2019). Basics of Getting Into HAM Radio. YouTube. [online] Available here:

SylRoyCorsica. (2021). You Tube Channel. [online] Available here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SylRoyCorsica/videos

US Department of Transportation. (2017). What is Radio Spectrum? US Department of Transportation. [online] Available here: https://www.transportation.gov/pnt/what-radio-spectrum

Wikipedia. (2021). APCO radiotelephony spelling alphabet. Wikipedia. [online] Available here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/APCO_radiotelephony_spelling_alphabet

Zello. (2021). Zello - The Most Reliable Push-to-Talk Walkie Talkie App. Zello. [online] Available here: https://zello.com/