The ARRL will begin including practice examination software with all of its popular license manuals. “The first book to include the new bundled-in software is The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual -- used by tens of thousands of prospective hams as their first introduction to Amateur Radio,” said ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. “The book includes everything to prepare for a ‘first’ ham radio license -- the Technician class license. A CD-ROM tucked into the back of the book contains the new software, which we’ve named ARRL Exam Review. The software includes the complete examination question pool, plus short explanations of every question to help make sure you understand the answer.”

Noting that prospective hams won’t have any surprises on exam day when using the new ARRL materials, ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ -- who teamed up with Inderbitzen in developing the new license instruction resource -- said that after listening to thousands of students and instructors, “we decided that including practice exam software with ARRL license manuals would better prepare Amateur Radio licensing candidates. ARRL Exam Review is an easy and convenient way for students to gauge their individual progress and exam-day readiness. Instructors will find the software useful to check student progress in the classroom environment too.”

ARRL Exam Review has two modes of operation. In the Quick Review mode, students can review questions chapter-by-chapter following the license manual or by question pool topic (also known as “sub-elements”). Progress bars display the student’s status toward completing all of the questions in each topic. In the Practice Exam Mode, students can take randomly generated practice examinations, as many as they want, and test their readiness before exam day. A scorecard provides exam results, and keeps track of the results from previous exams. Students can also print exams and answer keys to take with them on-the-go. ARRL Exam Review is compatible with Microsoft Windows and does not require an Internet connection.

Inderbitzen explained that there is precedence for including additional media with ARRL license manuals: “When I first earned my license back in 1981, I used ARRL’s then-popular study guide, Tune in the World with Ham Radio. The book was bundled with two Morse code instruction cassette tapes. Many of us earned our first license with those effective resources, along with help from a good ham-mentor and a local radio club.” In the coming months, the ARRL will re-introduce its General and Amateur Extra class license manuals with the new software feature.

The re-released second edition of The Ham Radio License Manual with CD-ROM is available from your ARRL dealer or from the ARRL Store; ARRL Order No. 0977, ISBN 978-0-87259-097-7, retail $29.95 plus shipping; telephone 860-594-0355, or toll-free in the US 888-277-5289; www.arrl.org/shop; pubsales@arrl.org.