CHECKED & PACKED
The Field Kit
Practical picks for getting on the air in Austin — clubs, emergency comms, study tools, and references, each with a note on why it earns shelf space. The full annotated directory lives on the Sources page.
Get On The Air Locally
Austin Amateur Radio Club (W5KA)
Austin's oldest and largest club, and keeper of the 146.940 machine. Monthly VE testing sessions, nets, and the easiest on-ramp into the local community.
Austin-Travis County ARES
Amateur Radio Emergency Service for Austin-Travis County. Where local hams plug into served-agency emergency communications — training, drills, and activation nets.
Texas VHF-FM Society
The statewide body that coordinates Texas repeater frequencies. When you want to know why a pair is where it is — or want to put up a machine — this is the authority.
Licensing & Study
HamStudy.org
Free, adaptive practice for the FCC question pools — the best single tool for the Technician exam. Most people pass with 1–2 weeks of study here.
ARRL — Ham Radio License Manual
The national association's license manual and VE program. ARRL VE sessions run at various Austin-area locations; the $15 exam fee applies.
FCC Universal Licensing System
The official record. Look up any US amateur license by callsign or name, and track your own application after the exam.
References
RepeaterBook
The free worldwide repeater directory. The definitive listing for Austin's full VHF/UHF picture beyond the key machines logged on our front page.
QRZ
The largest callsign database. Look up any operator you hear on the air, plus active forums and practice exams.
eHam.net
Equipment reviews by hams who actually own the gear. Check here before buying any radio, antenna, or accessory.
General Research
Wikipedia: Amateur Radio
Background, history, and regulation of the hobby. Start here for foundational knowledge — the references at the bottom are often more valuable than the article.
Google Scholar
Peer-reviewed research on propagation, antennas, and emergency communications. When you need facts, not opinions; check for free PDFs and arXiv preprints.
Reddit — r/amateurradio
The most honest resource on the internet: real operators sharing what actually works. Search before posting — your question has been answered.
YouTube
For any practical skill, a video tutorial beats a text description. We rank the most-watched repeater videos on our Videos page.
WholeTech Network
110+ websites covering tech, real estate, sustainability, coworking, entertainment, arts, and more. Browse the network for related sites covering complementary topics.
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