Amateur Radio Extra Class Licensing: For 2020 through 2024 License Examinations

The Extra Class license is the final step in the US Amateur Radio licensing process. Extra Class operators have full access to the Amateur bands and modes with these privileges to expand your communications horizons. The Extra Class license builds on the earlier knowledge, emphasizing operating with practical radio electronics, electrical circuits, radio electronics, and antennas and propagation.

This Amateur Radio Extra Class Licensing study guide prepares you for the top-level FCC Amateur license examination in use between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2024. The Extra Class license exam has 50 questions drawn from a candidate question pool of over 600 questions. The guide addresses each of the questions in the license question pool, with each chapter covering one of the ten license question areas. For each question, the guide provides the question and the correct answer with an explanation for that answer. Additionally, the guide explains why many of the distraction answers are incorrect. Each chapter starts with relevant background information, tables, and figures to help understand the chapter's topics. Through the questions and answers, you will learn about the regulations governing amateur radio communications, good amateur practice in the operating modes, and radio math and electronics .

Stephen Horan, NM4SH, has been a licensed amateur for over 25 years. He helped develop and lead weekend licensing classes with the Mesilla Valley Radio Club in Las Cruces, NM. Now Steve mainly operates on digital modes from his home in Virginia. He is member #1501 of the PODXS 070 Club, has the Loyal Order of Narrow-banded Phase-shifters (LONP) certificate #266, and is an ARRL-certified Volunteer Examiner.

Steve's professional experience includes 23 years as a professor of Electrical Engineering at New Mexico State University and 12 years as an engineer for NASA, including four years as an RF spectrum manager.

Also, by the Author of this Amateur Radio Licensing Series:Amateur Radio General Class LicensingAmateur Radio Technician Class LicensingFourth printing with updates: April 2022.