The Technician Class Course offered by Microhams is designed to be the introduction to amateur radio and allow the successful completion of the first amateur radio exam. Generally, over 90% of the students pass the first time. Passing the test is driven by the effort put into the class. For those with limited radio, electronics or physics background, studying will be necessary and we recommend looking at the course materials in advance.

A copy of the Study Guide and Band Plan will be provided as part of the course materials. These are also provided on this site to allow advance study. These materials have been developed specifically for this class and represent the most difficult information.

A textbook is NOT required for the class. We cover every question in the FCC question pool in the Powerpoint slides posted online and do not follow a textbook. There is little time between class sessions to review a textbook. The textbook is helpful in providing additional details on difficult subjects, particularly when purchased in advance.

We do have books available for purchase. The book we offer is the W5YI Technician Class Study Manual written by Gordon West. It is a very concise book that covers every question in the FCC question pool with a brief answer. Gordon West has reorganized the question pool by topic so all the related questions can be studied together, regardless where they appear in the question pool. These are available for purchase online directly from W5YI at http://www.w5yi.org.

The ARRL also publishes a book called "The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual" that is more of a textbook style (rather than study guide) with the entire question pool listed in the back. It is a good introduction to the different facets of amateur radio. This book is available directly from the ARRL online at http://www.arrl.org or locally at ABC Communications in Shoreline.

Naturally there is also a book called "Ham Radio for Dummies" written by Ward Silver as part of the Dummies series of books. Ward has even more detail about the different uses of amateur radio from television to using amateur satellites to sending email over the air. This book is available from nearly every bookseller both locally and online.

If a computer solution is preferred, Ham University is available from the author, Michael Crick via download or mail. It is also available from the ARRL. It provides multiple methods of testing but has little tutorial. It is available to cover the individual tests or all three written (Technician, General, Extra) and a morse code tutor. It is a great tool for those that would like to take subsequent exams. The morse code tutor is one of the best available.

Books are available locally through large bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders. Fry's in Renton often stocks Ham texts in either the book or electronic parts departments. ABC Communications in Shoreline has a good selection of ARRL books. In all cases it makes good sense to call ahead to verify availability.

When buying a book with a copy of the question pool, please make sure it covers the current question pool. The pools are updated every few years. Ideally, we would like to see everyone arrive in class with a book if they want one. It would allow advance study/review for those that want it and we wouldn't have to stock textbooks.

We want to see everyone succeed and earn their license. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to contact us via email.