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    • Electric Current in the Human Body
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    • Conductor Properties
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    • Peak Envelope Power
    • Periodic Table
    • Schematic Symbols
    • Skin-Effect
MDARC
  • Home
  • Membership
  • Meetings
    • General Meetings
    • Speakers
      • Speakers 2023
      • Speakers 2021-2022
      • Speakers 2019-2020
      • Speakers 2017-2018
      • Speakers 2015-2016
    • Board Meetings
    • Technical Meetings
    • Pacificon Meetings
    • Digital Media Meetings
  • Education and Testing
    • Class Details
    • License Testing
    • Auxiliary Classes
    • On-Line Resources
    • Exam.Tools
  • Public Service
  • Repeater Systems
    • ATV
    • Digital Voice
      • Comparison of DV Modes
      • D-Star
        • D-Star Linking
        • D-Star Registration
      • DMR
      • C4FM (Fusion)
      • M17
    • EchoLink & IRLP
    • Repeater Rules
    • Repeater Weather
    • Meshtastic
  • About Us
    • COVID Statement
    • Club Announcements
    • Committees
    • Communicating with You
    • Contact Us
    • History of the Club
      • Award Recipients
      • Charter Members
      • History Summary
      • Photos, Videos
      • Members-Special
      • News of the Club
      • Past Officers
      • QSL Cards
      • Rocky Ridge Group
      • Silent Keys
      • W6CX
      • W6LGW
    • Join/Renew/Update
    • Officers & Chairs
    • Official Documents
      • Articles of Incorporation
      • Bylaws
      • Equipment Selling
      • Groups.io Guidelines
      • Policies
      • Privacy Policy
      • Record Retention Policy
      • Terms of Use
      • Zoom Guidelines
    • Store
    • Managing Gmail
    • Managing Groups.io
  • Carrier Newsletter
  • Activities
    • Auction
    • Campout Party
    • Digital Systems
      • DMR
      • NBEMS
      • Winlink
    • DX & Contests
    • Emergency Communications
      • Wilderness Protocol
    • Field Day
    • Holiday Banquet
    • Leap Day Net
    • Nets on MDARC Systems
    • Nets on Other Systems
    • Pacificon Table
    • Vehicles
      • Trailer
      • Van
  • Operating Aids
    • Azimuthal Map
    • Calling Frequencies
    • CTCSS (PL)
    • Greek Alphabet
    • Latitude, Longitude, UTM
    • LSB or USB?
    • Metric System
      • Metric Units
      • Metric Prefixes
      • Metric Conversions
    • Morse Code
    • Operating Procedures
    • Phonetic Alphabet
    • Q-Signals & Prosigns
    • Roman Numerals
    • RST System
    • UTC Time
    • Weather Channels
  • Resources
    • Basics
    • Clubs in NorCal, NV
    • Donate to MDARC
    • Equipment
      • Dipole Length Calcs
      • Dipole Tuning
      • HF Equipment
      • IP Codes
    • Getting Started in Ham Radio
      • 1. License Class Description
      • 2. Getting Your First License
      • 3. Upgrading Your License
      • 4A. Getting On the Air
      • 4B. Getting On the Air-HF
      • 5. Choosing Your First Radio
      • 6. What Do Hams Do
      • 7. Where did “Ham” Come From?
    • Glossary
    • Links of Interest
    • Other Ham Groups
  • Regulations
    • Amateur Radio Bands
    • Amateur Radio Regulations
    • Emission Designators
    • FCC Monitoring Stations
    • License Copy Acquisition
    • Line A, Line C
    • Obtain an FRN
    • Secondary Status
    • Spectrum
  • Safety
    • Electric Current in the Human Body
  • Technical
    • Coax & Ladder
    • Conductor Properties
    • Constants and Formulas
    • Decibels
    • Peak Envelope Power
    • Periodic Table
    • Schematic Symbols
    • Skin-Effect
  • More
    • Home
    • Membership
    • Meetings
      • General Meetings
      • Speakers
        • Speakers 2023
        • Speakers 2021-2022
        • Speakers 2019-2020
        • Speakers 2017-2018
        • Speakers 2015-2016
      • Board Meetings
      • Technical Meetings
      • Pacificon Meetings
      • Digital Media Meetings
    • Education and Testing
      • Class Details
      • License Testing
      • Auxiliary Classes
      • On-Line Resources
      • Exam.Tools
    • Public Service
    • Repeater Systems
      • ATV
      • Digital Voice
        • Comparison of DV Modes
        • D-Star
          • D-Star Linking
          • D-Star Registration
        • DMR
        • C4FM (Fusion)
        • M17
      • EchoLink & IRLP
      • Repeater Rules
      • Repeater Weather
      • Meshtastic
    • About Us
      • COVID Statement
      • Club Announcements
      • Committees
      • Communicating with You
      • Contact Us
      • History of the Club
        • Award Recipients
        • Charter Members
        • History Summary
        • Photos, Videos
        • Members-Special
        • News of the Club
        • Past Officers
        • QSL Cards
        • Rocky Ridge Group
        • Silent Keys
        • W6CX
        • W6LGW
      • Join/Renew/Update
      • Officers & Chairs
      • Official Documents
        • Articles of Incorporation
        • Bylaws
        • Equipment Selling
        • Groups.io Guidelines
        • Policies
        • Privacy Policy
        • Record Retention Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Zoom Guidelines
      • Store
      • Managing Gmail
      • Managing Groups.io
    • Carrier Newsletter
    • Activities
      • Auction
      • Campout Party
      • Digital Systems
        • DMR
        • NBEMS
        • Winlink
      • DX & Contests
      • Emergency Communications
        • Wilderness Protocol
      • Field Day
      • Holiday Banquet
      • Leap Day Net
      • Nets on MDARC Systems
      • Nets on Other Systems
      • Pacificon Table
      • Vehicles
        • Trailer
        • Van
    • Operating Aids
      • Azimuthal Map
      • Calling Frequencies
      • CTCSS (PL)
      • Greek Alphabet
      • Latitude, Longitude, UTM
      • LSB or USB?
      • Metric System
        • Metric Units
        • Metric Prefixes
        • Metric Conversions
      • Morse Code
      • Operating Procedures
      • Phonetic Alphabet
      • Q-Signals & Prosigns
      • Roman Numerals
      • RST System
      • UTC Time
      • Weather Channels
    • Resources
      • Basics
      • Clubs in NorCal, NV
      • Donate to MDARC
      • Equipment
        • Dipole Length Calcs
        • Dipole Tuning
        • HF Equipment
        • IP Codes
      • Getting Started in Ham Radio
        • 1. License Class Description
        • 2. Getting Your First License
        • 3. Upgrading Your License
        • 4A. Getting On the Air
        • 4B. Getting On the Air-HF
        • 5. Choosing Your First Radio
        • 6. What Do Hams Do
        • 7. Where did “Ham” Come From?
      • Glossary
      • Links of Interest
      • Other Ham Groups
    • Regulations
      • Amateur Radio Bands
      • Amateur Radio Regulations
      • Emission Designators
      • FCC Monitoring Stations
      • License Copy Acquisition
      • Line A, Line C
      • Obtain an FRN
      • Secondary Status
      • Spectrum
    • Safety
      • Electric Current in the Human Body
    • Technical
      • Coax & Ladder
      • Conductor Properties
      • Constants and Formulas
      • Decibels
      • Peak Envelope Power
      • Periodic Table
      • Schematic Symbols
      • Skin-Effect

Resources: Basics | Clubs in NorCal, NV | Donate to MDARC | Equipment | Getting Started in Ham Radio | Glossary | Links of Interest | Other Ham Groups

Getting Started in Ham Radio: 1. License Class | 2. First License | 3. Upgrading | 4A. GOTA |

4. GOTA HF | 5. First Radio | 6. What Do Hams Do | 7. "Ham"




3. Upgrading Your License 

Ok, so you’ve had a Technician Class license for awhile and you’re ready to spread your wings, move into the HF bands and talk to the rest of the world. Or maybe you have your General and are moving to the top, Amateur Extra Class. Excellent.

Actually, the process we recommend for upgrading your license is pretty much exactly the same as with Getting Your First License (see that page). The differences should be self-evident. You need a different manual, different question pool and different study course. So read the Getting Your First License page; and in the Manual, Question Pool and Class sections, substitute the following information, as appropriate, for what’s there.

1. Get the Right Manual

The General Class Manual

The ARRL manual is called the “ARRL General Class License Manual 8th Edition”.

The W5YI manual is called the “General Class Study Manual 2015-2019”.

The Amateur Extra Class Manual

The ARRL Extra manual is called the “ARRL Extra Class License Manual 11th Edition”.

The W5YI Extra manual is called the “Extra Class Study Manual 2016-2020”.

Note:
As with the Question Pools, both the ARRL and W5YI manuals expire every four years. Make sure you get the manual edition that applies at the time you will take the test. The valid dates are clearly marked on the web pages and the manual's cover. Also, because of this, the editions shown here and the above links to the manuals' web pages may no longer be valid when you read this. If so, please remind us to fix them (at info@mdarc.org), then just search the main ARRL and/or W5YI web site for the current edition.


2. Download the Right Question Pool

Nothing different to say here. Just to repeat what the Getting Your First License page says: “make sure you download the correct question pool”.


3. Consider Taking a Study Class

There are very few one-day classes available for the General Class upgrade, and those that come up are intermittent and far in-between. As far as we know, none are available for the Amateur Extra Class upgrade. So the multi-session course is your only option here. MDARC offers a General Class course every year and an Amateur Extra Class course every two years. See our Education and Training section for details.

Groups.io Facebook LinkedIn mdarc & pacificonHome Page Contact Us Join/Renew/Update Policies & Guidelines Website Terms of Use Website Privacy PolicySee an error or omission? Let us know with the url.© Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club, 2025.The materials on this website may be copied for noncommercial personal use only.
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