Study Guide Companion

The Gary Wise (W4EEY) video training series for those seeking their technician license follows the ARRL Technician licensing study guide. For those watching the videos but wanting to use Dan Romanchick’s Non Nonsense Technicians study guide, what to read to prepare for each video lesson can be confusing. The following table provides my view of what reading from the No Nonsense study guide goes with each chapter of the ARRL Technician study guide.

ARRL ChapterNo Nonsense Technicians Study Guide – Sections to Study
1Welcome to Amateur Radio– What is amateur (ham) radio? | How do you get into amateur radio? Page 1
– What is amateur (ham) radio? | How much does it cost? Page 1
– What is amateur (ham) radio? | Where do I take the test? Page 2
– What is amateur (ham) radio? | Can I really learn how to be an amateur radio operator from a study guide like this? Page 2
– What is amateur (ham) radio? | How do I use this study guide? Page 2
– What is amateur (ham) radio? | Good luck and have fun, Page 3
2 – Radio Signals and Fundamentals– Electrical Principles | Math for electronics and conversion of electrical units, Page 12
– Radio wave characteristics | Frequency, wavelength, and the electromagnetic spectrum, Page 24
– Station Equipment | Receivers, transmitters, transceivers, transporters, low power and weak signal operation, transmit and receive amplifiers, Page 58
– Operating Procedures | FM Operation, Page 6
3 – Electricity, Components, and Circuits– Electrical principles | Units and terms: current, voltage, and resistance; alternating and direct current; conductors and insulators, Page 4
– Electrical principles | Ohm’s Law: formulas and usage, Page 7
– Electrical principles | Series and parallel circuits, Page 9
– Electrical principles | DC power, Page 11
– Electronic components and circuit diagrams | Resistors, capacitors and capacitance, inductors and inductance, batteries, Page 15
– Electronic components and circuit diagrams | Semiconductors: basic principles and applications of solid state devices, diodes and transistors, Page 17
– Electronic components and circuit diagrams | Circuit diagrams, schematic symbols, component functions, Page 19
– Electronic components and circuit diagrams | Other components, Page 23
– Station Equipment | Receivers, transmitters, transceivers, transporters, low power and weak signal operation, transmit and receive amplifiers, Page 58
4 – Propagation, Antennas, and Feed Lines– Radio wave characteristics | Properties of radio waves and propagation modes, Page 27
– Radio wave characteristics | HF Propagation, Page 31
– Antennas and feed lines | Antenna types and antenna polarization, Page 33
– Antennas and feed lines | Feed lines and connectors, Page 36
– Antennas and feed lines | Standing wave ratio and antenna measurements, Page 39
5 – Amateur Radio EquipmentAmateur radio signals | Modulation modes and signal bandwidth, Page 42
Amateur radio signals | Digital modes: packet, PSK31, Page 44
Amateur radio practices and station setup | Station setup: connecting microphones, reducing unwanted emissions, power sources, connecting a computer, RF grounding, connecting digital equipment, Page 53
Amateur radio practices and station setup | Operating controls: tuning, use of filters, squelch function, AGC, repeater offset, memory channels, Page 56
– Station Equipment | Receivers, transmitters, transceivers, transporters, low power and weak signal operation, transmit and receive amplifiers, Page 58
6 – Communicating with Other Hams
7 – Licensing Regulations
8 – Operating Regulations
9 – Safety