HamStudy.org vs HamBeacon

HamStudy is not your typical study app. Most study apps focus on practice exams, which is like studying for your math test by trying 20% of the questions on repeat. Study smarter with HamStudy. Instead of taking practice tests with random questions over and over, our intelligent Study Mode tracks your progress as you move through the questions—what you’ve seen, what you haven’t, and where you’re struggling—and focuses your study on the questions you need to see most. Full statistics are provided along the way, giving you insight into how many times you’ve gotten a question right or wrong as well as your overall study progress. Don’t worry, you can still take practice exams whenever you want. You won’t find a better tool to use alongside your favorite learning material. Through collaboration with some of the most recognized names in amateur radio, HamStudy allows you to simply choose from a selection of license manuals, then instantly adapts so you can match your study to the chapters, topics, and sections you’re used to†. Want to study just the questions from chapters 4 and 5? No problem. And when a question trips you up, just tap the Explain button to understand what you missed, review formulas, and read helpful study tips. Features: • HamStudy's intelligent study algorithms work with you to ensure you learn the questions, tracking your progress and adjusting the pace to keep you challenged but not frustrated. • Vetted user-submitted explanations help you avoid the pitfall of just memorizing answers. • Infinite practice exams. Fun fact: it takes around 70 practice exams before you’ll see every Technician question just once. Study more, test less! • Study all current US Amateur Radio question pools: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Updates are downloaded automatically, and new pools are always included free when they are revised every four years. • English and Spanish translations included for US Amateur Radio pools. • Includes an ever-growing selection of international question pools, such as Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Argentina. • Supports multiple users on the same device, each with independent study history. • Sync your progress across all devices and study online with a free hamstudy.org account. • Share your progress with friends, instructors, or other HamStudy.org users and help each other keep progressing towards that next license exam! HamStudy is proud to be sponsored by Icom. † Disclaimer: HamStudy does not contain the actual instructional material from linked books, but works great with the book sitting on the table next to you! Images, names, and trademarks used with permission.

Updated for the new 2026–2030 Technician pool. Free to try, then a one-time purchase. No subscription, ever. Getting your amateur radio license should feel like learning, not cramming. HamBeacon helps you walk into the exam confident, because you actually understand the material, not because you memorized a pattern of answer letters. EXPLANATIONS YOU CAN TRUST When a question trips you up, you deserve a real answer. Every question in HamBeacon includes a written explanation, available in three depths so you choose how much you want: a quick reminder, a fuller walkthrough, or a complete explanation when you want to understand the why. Every explanation is checked against primary sources, including FCC Part 97 rules and recognized engineering references. Circuit and waveform questions show the figure right next to the question. When you read why an answer is correct, you can rely on it. A STUDY PATH THAT ADAPTS TO YOU HamBeacon quietly keeps track of what you have learned and what still needs work, then puts the right questions in front of you at the right time. Questions you have mastered fade back. Questions you are still shaky on come around again until they stick. A clear Readiness Meter shows how close you are to passing, counting only what you have truly mastered, so you know when you are ready instead of guessing. FIVE TOOLS, ONE GOAL - Drill: focused study sessions that adapt to your progress - Practice Exam: full-length, randomized exams scored against the real passing threshold, with one-tap re-drill of the questions you missed - Smart Review: targeted sessions on the questions you most need to see again - Progress: your Readiness Meter trend and complete practice history at a glance - Exam Syllabus: the full structure of your exam, useful if you are following along with a study manual STAY ON SCHEDULE Set your exam date and the Dashboard counts down the days. When your readiness first crosses 75%, HamBeacon lets you know it may be time to book your exam and shows you where to find a session. BUILT FOR IPHONE, IPAD, AND MAC HamBeacon is a true native app on all three, not a website in a wrapper. Start a session on your iPhone on the bus, continue on your Mac at home, and your progress is simply there. Every study mode works offline. One purchase covers all your Apple devices. YOUR PROGRESS AT A GLANCE Add HamBeacon widgets to your iPhone or iPad Home Screen, your Lock Screen, or your Mac desktop. Your streak, today's progress, and your Readiness Meter stay in view, so five questions a day never slips your mind. STUDY AS A FAMILY Family Sharing is included, so your purchases cover your whole family group. Each person studies under their own Apple ID with their own private progress, so partners or parents and kids can work toward their licenses together. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS No accounts. No ads. No analytics. No servers. HamBeacon syncs your progress between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own iCloud account, the same way Apple Notes and Reminders do. ALL THREE US LICENSE CLASSES Technician, General, and Amateur Extra, each with the current official NCVEC question pool. New and revised pools are included free in app updates. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Start free with 50 questions in Technician or General, or 75 in Amateur Extra, drawn from every topic area, with every feature unlocked and no time limit. Unlock a single class when you are ready, upgrade later at a credit for what you already own, or save with the All-Access Bundle covering all three. THOUGHTFULLY MADE Choose Light, Dark, or System appearance. Bookmark tricky questions, search the whole pool by keyword or question number, and set gentle study reminders to keep your streak going. HamBeacon is made by Blue Heron Data, an independent developer focused on privacy and craftsmanship on Apple platforms. 73, and good luck on your exam.