[Hoot Gibson]

The Technician license test is very easy to pass with just a few hours of study memorizing the questions and answers but it is really worth the extra effort to get the General license. The General test is more difficult because there are more technical questions and some math involved but anybody who is willing to take practice tests until they can consistently score 90 percent or better won't have any problem passing.

The Extra class test contains more questions and much more theory than the General test does.

You can memorize questions and answers for all of the tests but the tests cover a lot of topics that you really need to know to properly operate your equipment, so IMO, it pays to learn the concepts instead of spending more time memorizing everything without actually learning the basic principles.

This is the approach I have taken. I've been trying to learn the material and not so much just memorize it for the sake of passing an exam for equipment I won't know how to use. So that's why I haven't really been in a hurry to get my license.

I think that you will enjoy messing around with an online SDR. I have found that many online SDRs are actually off line but the one that I linked above is the best one that I have found. It covers all of the HF ham bands, AM broadcast band, and shortwave broadcast bands. You will learn a lot about radio signal propagation by listening to the bands at different times of day. It will also make it easier to learn about the bands and frequencies.

There are times when conditions of the ionosphere cause poor signal propagation. On the HF bands, typically there will be some activity on the 40 and 80 meter bands even when conditions are poor. As conditions improve, then the higher frequency bands open up. When conditions are excellent, it is possible to talk around the world with very little power on the 10 meter band. Sunspot activity is the biggest variable in radio propagation on the HF bands. The more sunspot activity, the higher the "Maximum Usable Frequency" is.

Also, on most bands, there are radio contests held almost every weekend. Clubs and individuals compete for points awarded according to the rules for each contest. For example, there might be a contest to make contact with as many counties of the thirteen original colonies as possible over a weekend. I've never been interested in contesting but it is a very popular ham activity.