This page provides links to materials that we will be using (or may refer to) in the MORE Project to assist with training, licensing, and Get On The Air (GOTA) activities of new Technician amateur radio operators. These links should not be construed as an endorsement of any individual, organization, information or product. Contents of the material at the links are the property of their authors or assignees.
Videos
- How to get an amateur radio license: https://www.bridgecomsystems.com/blogs/bridgecom-tx-rx-blog/how-to-get-an-amateur-radio-license
- Limor Fried (aka Ladyada), Founder, CEO and Chief Engineer of Adafruit Industries, took and passed all 3 amateur radio exams in one VE session at ABC Studios in NYC. This video documents and celebrates this accomplishment and provides tips for those who are studying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjAA8YxBkS0
- The Eastern Pennsylvania Section of the ARRL has a “What Hams Do” series of videos, featuring interviews and information about a broad range of topics in which amateur radio operators are involved: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLxVNZ1HEF9gTaPf-QhvJNA
- Every Single Minute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uBy0GyQOA is a Cold War era (1959) documentary about the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club’s preparedness and emergency operations in Philadelphia and Montgomery County PA. Footage includes response to the devastating August 1955 Delaware River flood. While radio technology has advanced in recent years, many basic communications protocols remain constant, ensuring the ability to quickly deploy Hams, when and where they are needed.
- MORE videos to be added soon!
Radio License Exam Practice
- Randomized tests from the question pool, weighted according to the proportion of items that will appear in the actual exam: https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
- HamStudy by SignalStuf is the Website that Ladyada used to practice for her ham exams. She likes it because it can track the questions that you’ve been missing, and will repeat those at various intervals to help you remember the correct answers. Go here to get started: https://hamstudy.org/
- MORE practice exam sites to be added soon!
Textbooks
The MORE Project would like to express concern about the continued demographically biased use of images of radio operators in many publications. While we are recommending the below study materials because of their technical content, we continue to urge publishers to use a wider representation of people (as we do in our lecture slidesets) that is MORE reflective of the fact that Amateur Radio is OPEN TO ALL.
- A PDF of the No Nonsense Study Guide that the MORE Project uses for the Technician course can be downloaded for FREE here: https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-no-nonsense-tech-study-guide-v2-20230204.pdf
- Other versions of the Technician guide (including a printed paperback) and the No Nonsense Study Guides for the General and Extra Class licenses, by Dan Romanchik KB6NU, can be ordered here: https://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/
- The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has a wide variety of resources for many aspects of amateur radio. Their exam review materials can be ordered via: http://www.arrl.org/shop/Licensing-and-Education/
- The Gordon West W5YI Group provides detailed study guides with companion audio CDs that can help you understand and remember the information needed to pass each of the amateur radio exams. Order these materials via: https://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/main/page_w5yi_training_resources.html
- MORE textbooks to be added soon!
Quick Radio Reference Materials
- Downloadable reference chart from the ARRL, showing the allowable frequencies and band plan recommendations for US Amateur Radio Technicians, effective March 5, 2012: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Tech%20Band%20Chart/US%20Amateur%20Radio%20Technician%20Privileges.pdf
- ARRL’s full band plan chart for all US Amateur Radio licenses, updated as of September 22, 2017: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Band%20Chart%208_5%20X%2011%20Color.pdf
- Chart of common Q-signal abbreviations and the ITU phonetic alphabet words: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Get%20on%20the%20Air/Comm%20w%20Other%20Hams-Q%20Signals.pdf
- MORE quick reference materials to be added soon!
Get On The Air (GOTA)
- MORE Project students receive a VHF/UHF 2 Meter / 70 cm FM handheld transceiver (HT) along with a USB programming cable as part of our Get On The Air (GOTA) activities. Currently this radio is the YAESU FT-65R. The manufacturer’s information can be found here: https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=79E6683CC766565D2CB197C293AB6219&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
- The HAM RADIO DUDE’s video that steps through how to manually program, edit and delete memory channels on the FT-65R is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FWg21-JrzQ
- While saving a simplex channel (like the National Simplex Calling Frequencies, 146.520MHz on the 2 Meter band, and 446.000MHz on the 70 centimeter band) is pretty straightforward, doing this for the repeater channels is rather complicated. Here’s a quick-start guide that can help you get started with learning how to do this manually: http://n2vip.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Programming-Notes-FT-65r-2017-12-16.pdf.
- The free, open-source CHIRP software that can be used to upload and download files containing stored channel information can be obtained here: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home. Essentially, the CHIRP file is a type of spreadsheet that you can edit, where each line will become a different channel on your radio.
- The MORE Project’s Introduction to CHIRP PDF is downloadable at: http://n2re.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MORE-Intro-to-CHIRP.pdf
- MORE GOTA information to be added soon!
Repeaters
- Information about the David Sarnoff Radio Club’s 2M Repeater is at http://n2re.org/about-us/dsrc-2-meter-repeater For additional facts about its tower location, useful for MORE Project demonstrations, see: http://n2re.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MORE-Project-Lawrenceville-Antenna-Info.pdf.
- To locate repeaters within a few miles of your location, see: https://www.repeaterbook.com, https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/, and the ARRL Repeater DIrectory (purchase via https://www.arrl.org).
- Local radio clubs typically can provide information about popular local repeaters. A comprehensive directory of radio clubs can be found via the CQ magazine site at: https://cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_clubs_a-g.html. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) affiliated clubs are listed at: https://www.arrl.org/find-a-club
- MORE repeater information to be added soon!
Software Defined Radio
The MORE Project encourages experimentation with Software Defined Radio (SDR) to prepare for Get On The Air (GOTA) activities. No license is needed for listening!
- WebSDR.org is a FREE world-wide service that provides access to scores of Software Defined Radio receivers that are connected to the Internet. Scroll through the list, select a receiver’s Web address (URL), pick a band, turn on audio, and scan through the frequencies. You are operating their receiver remotely! Great way to learn how to identify the sounds of different transmission modes, and experiment with tuning in stations.
- If you’d like to create your own SDR listening station, our starter guide is here: http://n2re.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MORE-Project-Guide-to-Software-Defined-Radio.pdf
- We recommend the (receive-only) RTL-SDR v3 USB dongle available from https://www.rtl-sdr.com/product/rtl-sdr-blog-v3-r820t2-rtl2832u-1ppm-tcxo-sma-software-defined-radio-dongle-only/ and the Nooelec RaTLSnake M6 v2 Antenna from https://www.nooelec.com/store/ratlsnake-m6.html
- Another compatible antenna for the RTL-SDR v3 is the RTL-SDR Blog Multipurpose Dipole Antenna Kit available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075445JDF/ref=as_li_ss_tl
- SDR software suggestions and setup instructions for Windows, Mac OS and Linux can be found at: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-quick-start-guide/ Be sure to follow all of the steps carefully, and in sequence!
- Custom longwire antennas for shortwave listening can be ordered from https://wdx2radio.com/ (when ordering, tell Frank that the MORE Project sent you).
- This video by Clayton Smith VE3IRR provides tips for SDR# software settings to receive CW, LSB, USB and other signals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaKEYEyrRgk
- Check out the fascinating collections of Software Defined Radio Academy videos at: https://www.youtube.com/c/SoftwareDefinedRadioAcademy/playlists
- MORE Software Defined Radio information to be added soon!
Scouting & Amateur Radio
- The MORE Project can work with your troop to help scouts (of all genders) earn the Radio Merit Badge. Instructions for the BSA badge are here: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Merit_Badge_ReqandRes/Radio.pdf
- Slidesets by Phil Westover WA7URV that cover the material needed for the BSA badge (which are also a good review of some of the topics, but not all, for the Technician exam) can be downloaded here: http://k2bsa.net/jamboree-radio-merit-badge/
- MORE scouting information to be added soon!
Electronics
- In the Electrical Principles section of the Technician study materials, there’s mention of current flow vs. electron flow in electrical circuits. Here’s an illustrative webpage that explains the confusion over this terminology. Tap the 3 buttons at the top of the page to see the animation. https://www.mi.mun.ca/users/cchaulk/eltk1100/ivse/ivse.htm
- MORE electronics information to be added soon!
Contact
This Webpage is maintained by Rebecca Mercuri K3RPM. To report errors or provide links that you would like considered for addition to this page, please send an email to MOREProject500@gmail.com using the subject line MORE Project Resource Links along with the relevant information in the body of your message.