Technician license study guide
Everything you need for the Element 2 Technician exam, organized by the 10 official topics. Each section gives the key facts that appear in the 2026-2030 question pool, with links to practice that topic.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for anyone preparing for their first U.S. amateur radio license. You do not need any electronics background. The Technician exam tests rules, operating practices, basic electronics, antennas and safety at a beginner level.
A simple study plan
- Take one practice exam first to get a baseline. Start the practice test.
- Read this guide topic by topic, starting with your lowest-scoring topics.
- Drill each topic in study mode until you get most questions right, reading every explanation.
- Take full practice exams until you pass several in a row with room to spare, then book your exam.
Many people are ready after one to three weeks of regular short sessions, but go at your own pace.
What a Technician license lets you do
| Band | Technician frequencies | Modes | Max power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 meters | 3.525 to 3.600 MHz | CW only | 200 W PEP |
| 40 meters | 7.025 to 7.125 MHz | CW only | 200 W PEP |
| 15 meters | 21.025 to 21.200 MHz | CW only | 200 W PEP |
| 10 meters | 28.000 to 28.300 MHz | CW, RTTY, data | 200 W PEP |
| 10 meters | 28.300 to 28.500 MHz | CW, SSB phone | 200 W PEP |
| 6 meters and up | All amateur frequencies above 50 MHz | All modes allowed in each segment | Up to 1500 W PEP (some segments lower) |
Source: 47 CFR §97.301(e), §97.305 and §97.313. The bottom 100 kHz of 6 meters and 2 meters is CW only.
The exam blueprint
Your exam has one question from each of the 35 groups. The number of exam questions per topic is fixed:
| Subelement | Topic | Exam questions | Pool questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Commission’s Rules | 6 | 68 |
| T2 | Operating Procedures | 3 | 37 |
| T3 | Radio Wave Propagation | 3 | 35 |
| T4 | Amateur Radio Practices | 2 | 23 |
| T5 | Electrical Principles | 4 | 50 |
| T6 | Electronic and Electrical Components | 4 | 46 |
| T7 | Practical Circuits | 4 | 44 |
| T8 | Signals and Emissions | 4 | 47 |
| T9 | Antennas and Feed Lines | 2 | 23 |
| T0 | Safety | 3 | 36 |
| Total | 35 | 409 |
T1: Commission’s Rules 6 exam questions · 68 in pool
Key facts to know
- The FCC writes and enforces the Part 97 rules. The service exists to advance radio skills, provide emergency communications, and promote international goodwill (97.1).
- New licenses are issued in three classes only: Technician, General and Amateur Extra. A license lasts 10 years. You can renew up to 90 days before it expires, and there is a 2-year grace period to renew, but you cannot transmit while expired.
- You may transmit as soon as your license grant appears in the FCC ULS database. The FCC emails a link to your license; keep your email address current.
- Identify with your call sign at least every 10 minutes during a contact and at the end. Use English when identifying by voice; CW identification is also allowed.
- Technician privileges: 200 W PEP on HF; 10-meter phone from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz; full privileges above 50 MHz, generally up to 1500 W PEP.
- Prohibited: broadcasting, music (except authorized retransmission of manned spacecraft), obscene language, business communications, and codes that obscure meaning (except control commands to space stations or model craft).
- Every transmitting station needs a control operator. The licensee designates the control operator, whose license class sets the privileges. Repeaters are an example of automatic control; operating over the internet is remote control.
Official question groups in T1
- T1A: Purpose and permissible use of the Amateur Radio Service; Operator/primary station license grant; Meanings of basic terms used in FCC rules; Interference; RACES rules; Phonetics; Frequency Coordinator; Beacon
- T1B: Frequency allocations; Emission modes; Spectrum sharing; Transmissions near band edges; Contacting the International Space Station; Power output
- T1C: Licensing: classes, sequential and vanity call sign systems, places where the Amateur Radio Service is regulated by the FCC, name and address on FCC license database, term, renewal, grace period, maintaining mailing address; International communications
- T1D: Authorized and prohibited transmissions; Sale of equipment
- T1E: Control operator: eligibility, designating, privileges, duties, location, required; Control point; Control types: automatic, remote
- T1F: Station identification; Repeaters; Third party communications; Club stations; FCC inspection
T2: Operating Procedures 3 exam questions · 37 in pool
Key facts to know
- Common repeater offsets: 600 kHz on 2 meters and 5 MHz on 70 centimeters. The national 2-meter FM simplex calling frequency is 146.520 MHz.
- To call a specific station: their call sign, then yours. To answer a CQ: their call, then yours. On a repeater, say your call sign plus "listening."
- Repeater access tones: CTCSS (sub-audible tone), DCS codes, and DTMF (two-tone keypad signaling). DMR radios use a color code and talkgroups set in the code plug.
- Q signals: QRM is interference from other stations, QRN is natural noise, QSY means changing frequency.
- Nets: the Net Control Station directs traffic. Transmit only when called unless you have an emergency. "Traffic" means formal messages.
- RACES requires certification by a civil defense agency; ARES is a volunteer group. Part 97 rules always apply, but in a situation involving immediate safety of life, any means of communication may be used.
Official question groups in T2
- T2A: Station operation: choosing an operating frequency, calling another station, test transmissions; Band plans: calling frequencies, repeater offsets
- T2B: VHF/UHF operating practices: FM repeater, simplex, reverse splits; Access tones: CTCSS, DTMF; DMR operation; Resolving operating problems; Q signals
- T2C: Public service: emergency operations, applicability of FCC rules, RACES and ARES, net and traffic procedures, operating restrictions during emergencies, use of phonetics in message handling
T3: Radio Wave Propagation 3 exam questions · 35 in pool
Key facts to know
- Wavelength in meters = 300 / frequency in MHz. Higher frequency means shorter wavelength.
- HF is 3 to 30 MHz, VHF is 30 to 300 MHz, UHF is 300 to 3000 MHz. All radio waves travel at the speed of light, about 300,000,000 meters per second.
- A radio wave has electric and magnetic fields at right angles. Polarization is the orientation of the electric field. Cross-polarized antennas lose signal on line-of-sight paths.
- Multipath causes VHF signals to change when an antenna moves a few feet, "picket fencing" flutter on mobiles, and higher data error rates.
- Beyond-the-horizon VHF/UHF modes: sporadic E (10, 6, 2 meters), tropospheric ducting from temperature inversions (around 300 miles), meteor scatter (best on 6 meters), and aurora (raspy signals).
- The radio horizon is farther than the visual horizon because the atmosphere bends radio waves slightly. HF long-distance contacts use the ionosphere.
Official question groups in T3
- T3A: Radio wave characteristics: how a radio signal travels, fading, multipath, polarization, wavelength vs absorption; Antenna orientation
- T3B: Electromagnetic wave properties: wavelength vs frequency, nature and velocity of electromagnetic waves, relationship of wavelength and frequency; Electromagnetic spectrum definitions: UHF, VHF, HF
- T3C: Propagation modes: sporadic E, meteor scatter, auroral propagation, tropospheric ducting; F region skip; Line of sight and radio horizon
T4: Amateur Radio Practices 2 exam questions · 23 in pool
Key facts to know
- Mobile radios run on 13.8 volts DC. A 50-watt mobile needs a supply of about 12 amps. Use short, heavy-gauge power wires to avoid voltage drop, and connect the negative lead at the battery's chassis ground.
- For digital modes like FT8, connect the radio's receive audio to the computer and the computer's audio to the radio, plus a keying (PTT) signal.
- Battery run time is about ampere-hour rating divided by average current draw. Flat copper strap is best for RF bonding.
- Too much mic gain distorts SSB. RIT (clarifier) fixes SSB voice pitch. A 2400 Hz filter suits SSB voice.
- Squelch mutes the receiver when no signal is present; open it fully to hear the weakest signals. A DMR code plug holds the radio's channel and talkgroup settings.
Official question groups in T4
- T4A: Station setup: connecting a microphone, RF power meter, a power source, a computer, digital equipment, an SWR meter; bonding; Mobile radio installation
- T4B: Operating controls: frequency tuning, use of filters, squelch function, AGC, memory channels, noise blanker, microphone gain, receiver incremental tuning (RIT), bandwidth selection, scanning function; Digital transceiver configuration; DMR code plugs and talk groups
T5: Electrical Principles 4 exam questions · 50 in pool
Key facts to know
- Units: current in amperes, voltage in volts, resistance and impedance in ohms, power in watts, capacitance in farads, inductance in henrys, frequency in hertz.
- Prefixes: milli = 1/1000, micro = 1/1,000,000, kilo = 1000, mega = 1,000,000, giga = 1,000,000,000. Example: 3.525 MHz = 3525 kHz.
- Ohm's Law: E = I x R, I = E / R, R = E / I. Power: P = E x I.
- Decibels: +3 dB is double the power, +6 dB is four times, +10 dB is ten times. A drop to one quarter of the power is about -6 dB.
- In a series circuit the current is the same everywhere; in a parallel circuit the voltage is the same across every branch.
- Metals conduct because they have many free electrons. Glass is a good insulator. AC current reverses direction; resistance opposes all current.
Official question groups in T5
- T5A: Current and voltage: terminology and units, conductors and insulators, alternating and direct current
- T5B: Math for electronics: conversion of electrical units, decibels
- T5C: Capacitance and inductance terminology and units; Radio frequency definition and units; Impedance definition and units; Calculating power
- T5D: Ohm’s Law; Series and parallel circuits
T6: Electronic and Electrical Components 4 exam questions · 46 in pool
Key facts to know
- Resistors oppose current; a potentiometer is a variable resistor (volume control). Capacitors store energy in an electric field; inductors (coils) store it in a magnetic field.
- Diodes pass current in one direction; the cathode is marked with a stripe. An LED lights with forward current. Rectifiers turn AC into pulsating DC.
- Bipolar transistors have an emitter, base and collector; FETs have a gate, drain and source. Transistors can switch and amplify (provide gain).
- A relay is an electrically controlled switch. A regulator controls supply voltage. A transformer changes AC voltage. An inductor plus a capacitor makes a resonant circuit.
- Schematics show how parts are connected, not their size or wire length. Learn the symbols in figures T-1, T-2 and T-3: resistor, transistor, lamp, battery, capacitor, LED, variable resistor, transformer, variable inductor, antenna.
- Rechargeable batteries: NiMH, lithium-ion, lead-acid. Carbon-zinc cells are not rechargeable.
Official question groups in T6
- T6A: Fixed and variable resistors; Capacitors; Inductors; Fuses; Switches; Batteries
- T6B: Semiconductors: basic principles and applications of solid-state devices, diodes and transistors; Gain
- T6C: Circuit diagrams: use of schematics, basic structure; Schematic symbols of basic components
- T6D: Component functions: rectifiers, relays, voltage regulators, meters, indicators, integrated circuits, transformers; Resonant circuit; Shielding
T7: Practical Circuits 4 exam questions · 44 in pool
Key facts to know
- Sensitivity is detecting weak signals; selectivity is separating close signals. A mixer changes frequency; an oscillator generates a frequency; the VFO sets the operating frequency; a transverter converts a radio to another band.
- Interference: strong signals can overload nearby receivers. Fix it with a filter at the affected receiver, check coax connectors first for cable TV problems, and use a ferrite choke on mic cables for RF feedback.
- SWR 1:1 is a perfect match. High SWR makes solid-state radios cut power to protect themselves. Measure SWR with a directional wattmeter or antenna analyzer.
- A dummy load is a 50-ohm non-inductive resistor for testing without transmitting over the air. Feed line loss turns into heat; moisture and UV damage cause coax failure.
- Voltmeters connect in parallel; ammeters connect in series. Turn power off before measuring resistance. Use rosin-core solder; a cold joint looks rough or lumpy.
Official question groups in T7
- T7A: Station equipment: receivers, transceivers, transmitter amplifiers, RF preamplifiers, transverters; Basic radio circuit concepts and terminology: sensitivity, selectivity, mixers, oscillators, Push-To-Talk (PTT), VFO, modulation
- T7B: Symptoms, causes, and cures of common transmitter and receiver problems: overload and overdrive, distortion, interference and consumer electronics, RF feedback
- T7C: Antenna and transmission line measurements and troubleshooting: measuring SWR, effects of high SWR, causes of feed line failures; Basic coaxial cable characteristics; Use of dummy loads when testing
- T7D: Using basic test instruments: voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter; Soldering
T8: Signals and Emissions 4 exam questions · 47 in pool
Key facts to know
- Bandwidths: CW about 150 Hz, SSB about 3 kHz, FM voice 10 to 15 kHz, analog fast-scan TV about 6 MHz.
- SSB is a form of AM and is used for weak-signal VHF/UHF work, with upper sideband on 10 meters and above. FM and PM are used for repeaters and packet.
- Satellites: LEO orbits take about 100 minutes; Doppler shift changes frequency as the satellite passes; U/V mode means a 70 cm uplink and 2 m downlink; tracking programs use Keplerian elements; keep your downlink about as strong as the beacon.
- Activities: contesting, radio direction finding (fox hunts) with a directional antenna, and grid locators for location.
- Internet linking: IRLP (accessed with DTMF), EchoLink (register your call first), VoIP and gateways.
- Digital: FT8 for weak signals, APRS for position and messages, PSK = phase shift keying, DMR uses two time slots on a 12.5 kHz channel, packet uses checksums and ARQ, mesh networks use modified Wi-Fi gear.
Official question groups in T8
- T8A: Basic characteristics of FM and SSB; Bandwidth of various modulation modes: CW, SSB, FM, fast-scan TV; Choice of emission type: selection of USB vs LSB, use of SSB for weak signal work, use of FM for VHF packet and repeaters
- T8B: Amateur satellite operation: Doppler shift, basic orbits, operating protocols, modulation mode selection, transmitter power considerations, telemetry, satellite tracking programs, beacons, uplink and downlink mode definitions, spin fading, definition of “LEO”, setting uplink power
- T8C: Operating activities: radio direction finding, contests, linking over the internet, exchanging grid locators
- T8D: Non-voice and digital communications: image signals and definition of NTSC, CW, packet radio, PSK, APRS, error detection and correction, amateur radio networking, DMR, WSJT modes, Broadband-Hamnet
T9: Antennas and Feed Lines 2 exam questions · 23 in pool
Key facts to know
- A beam antenna (such as a Yagi) focuses signal in one direction and has the most gain of the common types. Gain is relative to a reference antenna.
- Shortening an antenna raises its resonant frequency. A quarter-wave 2-meter vertical is about 19 inches. A 5/8-wave whip has more gain than a 1/4-wave.
- A half-wave dipole radiates most strongly broadside to the wire. A handheld's rubber duck antenna is inefficient, and a car body blocks signals from a handheld used inside.
- Coax is usually 50 ohms. Loss rises with frequency; RG-213 has less loss than RG-58, and air-insulated hardline has the lowest loss.
- Type N connectors suit frequencies above 400 MHz; PL-259s are common on HF and VHF. Weatherproof outdoor connectors. Erratic SWR points to a loose connection. An antenna tuner matches impedance.
Official question groups in T9
- T9A: Antennas: vertical and horizontal polarization, concept of antenna gain, definition and types of beam antennas, antenna loading, common portable and mobile antennas, relationships between resonant length and frequency, dipole pattern
- T9B: Feed lines: types, attenuation vs frequency, selecting; SWR concepts; Antenna tuners (couplers); RF Connectors: selecting, weather protection
T0: Safety 3 exam questions · 36 in pool
Key facts to know
- In U.S. 120 V wiring, black is hot. Fuses and breakers go in the hot conductor. Never replace a fuse with a higher-rated one, because excess current can cause a fire.
- Shorting a 12-volt battery can cause burns, fire or explosion. Charging or discharging too fast causes overheating or out-gassing. Filter capacitors can stay charged after power is off.
- Lightning: put arresters on a grounded panel where feed lines enter the building, bond all ground rods together, keep ground wires short and direct, and avoid sharp bends. Local electrical codes set grounding requirements.
- Towers: wear a harness, stay tied off, and never climb alone. Keep antennas far enough from power lines that they could not come within 10 feet if they fell. Do not climb a crank-up tower unless it is retracted or locked.
- RF exposure: radio waves are non-ionizing. Exposure limits are lowest from 30 to 300 MHz. Duty cycle, power, frequency, distance and antenna pattern all affect exposure. The station licensee is responsible for compliance.
Official question groups in T0
- T0A: Power circuits and hazards: hazardous voltages, fuses and circuit breakers, grounding, electrical code compliance; Lightning protection; Battery safety
- T0B: Antenna safety: tower safety and grounding, installing antennas, antenna supports
- T0C: RF hazards: radiation exposure, proximity to antennas, recognized safe power levels, radiation types, duty cycle
Formulas worth memorizing
| What | Formula | Example from the pool |
|---|---|---|
| Ohm's Law (voltage) | E = I x R | 2 A through 10 ohms = 20 V |
| Ohm's Law (current) | I = E / R | 120 V across 80 ohms = 1.5 A |
| Ohm's Law (resistance) | R = E / I | 90 V at 3 A = 30 ohms |
| Power | P = E x I | 13.8 V at 10 A = 138 W |
| Wavelength | meters = 300 / MHz | 146 MHz is about 2 meters |
| Decibels | 3 dB = 2x, 10 dB = 10x | 20 W to 200 W = 10 dB |
| Battery run time | Ah / average amps | 20 Ah at 2 A is about 10 hours |
Test what you just learned
Take a full 35-question Technician exam simulation.
Frequently asked questions
Is this guide based on the current question pool?
Yes. It covers the 2026-2030 Technician pool used for exams from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030, including the errata issued February 19, 2026.
Do I need to understand everything, or can I memorize answers?
Many people pass by learning the pool questions, but understanding the reasons makes the material stick and helps once you are on the air. Our explanations are written to help with both.
Which topics are hardest?
For most new hams these are Electrical Principles (T5: Ohm's Law, power and unit conversions), Components and schematics (T6), and Commission's Rules (T1: the largest subelement, with 6 exam questions).