Chapter 3 in the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Ham Radio License Manual is the most challenging to most students. Remember that out of the 35 questions on your written exam, 26 correct answers is a passing score. You can afford to miss nine, or one out of every four and still earn your Technician’s License. You could miss, or even skip over every component and circuit question without failing your exam.
Do not get all balled-up in this one chapter.
On the other hand, it is cool, and even useful to understand a bit of this stuff. So let’s try to GET IT, without stress or strain.
You likely already found my favorite online exam preparation tool HamStudy.org I highly recommend using their Study Mode and clicking on their tab to understand the WHY of each correct answer. Use their Test Mode rarely to get a snapshot of your progress towards passing the upcoming exam.
Below I share links specific towards understanding electricity, components and circuits. I am not a major YouTube watcher, but that is another resource you can explore. I have seen some excellent presentations there on radio, electronics and electricity. These are more text and static graphic images that help me understand.
ARRL.org/ instruction teaching and study aids
AD7FO Amateur Radio
The license syllabus’s found here have everything you need to study for the Technician, General, and Extra amateur licenses. All possible questions and the answers are covered with additional explanation of the answer, if needed, to enhance your understanding of the answer. These syllabus can be used for self study or in an instructor led class. Here is a link to his study guide syllabus .PDF
The FLUKE company manufactures electronic test, measurement and control equipment. They put up a wonderful collection of graphics and explanations of various electronic principles. Super when you are struggling to grok Ohm’s law, capacitance, flow and such. FLUKE Electricity fundamentals
variable resistor
Electronics Tutorials assembled a very nice collection. The link will take you to their OHM’s Law page, but from there you can go 17 different directions that may be enlightening.
Summing up my Chapter Three program: Read the chapter in your ARRL Technician Ham Radio License Manual. Try to understand whatever is comfortably within reach. DO NOT FRET about any parts that are not. If you almost GET IT, someone explaining it in a slightly different way can make a big difference.
Study tip: I am not much for marking in my books, but copy the Schematic Symbols from the chart on page 3-15 to the description of each on the preceding pages. The process of finding the correct symbol, drawing it with your own hand, and seeing the symbol with the description will help you remember some of the easier ones.
Regardless, MOVE ON.
You will pass the exam.
