Features
A complete study system, not just a question bank.
HamBeacon covers all three FCC license classes with the current official NCVEC question pools, and schedules your study with proven spaced repetition, so you walk into the exam room ready.
Why HamBeacon
What makes HamBeacon different.
Plenty of tools will quiz you on the question pool. HamBeacon is built around the thing that actually gets you licensed, knowing honestly when you are ready.
A readiness number you can trust.
A practice test score reflects one good or bad day. HamBeacon’s readiness number reflects what you have actually retained. A question counts as mastered only after three correct answers in a row, with at least 48 hours since the first, so a lucky run cannot inflate it.
Native on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
One purchase covers all three. Your progress syncs through iCloud with no account to create, and it is a real native app on each device that works fully offline, so you can study on the couch or at your desk without signing in to anything.
Private by default.
No ads, no tracking, no analytics. Your study history stays in your own iCloud, not on a company server, because how you study is nobody’s business but yours.
Built by a ham, paid once.
HamBeacon is made by a licensed operator for the amateur radio community. You pay one time, never a subscription, and when the NCVEC publishes a new pool for a class you own, the update is free.
See it in action
The whole app, one tap away.
Your home base. The Readiness Meter, your streak, and a color coded breakdown of every subelement, all in one view.
The main study loop. Answer, see it marked, and read an explanation at the depth you choose, with Part 97 citations where they apply.
Circuit and waveform questions show the figure inline, so you read the schematic right next to the question.
Four focused sessions: bookmarked, last session misses, almost mastered, and a weak area drill ordered by your softest subelements.
A full length exam scored like the real thing, with a pass or fail result and a subelement breakdown of how you did.
The official NCVEC outline for your class, organized by subelement, ready to browse before you study.
Your progress, bookmarks, and history follow you across every Apple device through iCloud, and everything works offline.
Buy a single class or the All Access Bundle. One purchase covers all your Apple devices under the same Apple ID.
Three classes, one app
Pick your class and go.
Technician
- Question pool
- 2026 to 2030
- Pool size
- 409
- Exam length
- 35
- Pass mark
- 74%
General
- Question pool
- 2023 to 2027
- Pool size
- 423
- Exam length
- 35
- Pass mark
- 74%
Amateur Extra
- Question pool
- 2024 to 2028
- Pool size
- 599
- Exam length
- 50
- Pass mark
- 74%
Every pool is the official NCVEC public domain release, reproduced unmodified.
How you study
Five ways to study, all working together.
Drill
Your main mode, powered by the SM-2 algorithm. Sessions build themselves: overdue reviews first, then new questions up to your daily cap, with diagrams and explanations at three depths.
Smart Review
Four targeted sessions when you want to focus: bookmarked, missed last session, almost mastered, and a weak area drill ordered by your softest subelements.
Practice Exam
A full length simulation built the way the FCC builds real exams, one question per subelement group, with a pass or fail result and a review of every missed and flagged question.
Progress Analytics
Readiness over time, a subelement heatmap that points you at weak areas, and a history of every practice exam you have taken.
Exam Syllabus
The complete official NCVEC outline for your class, organized by subelement, so you can orient before you study or map a weak area to its topics.
Quick Search
Find any question by ID, keyword, or answer text in an instant, handy for looking up a concept from a video or a club presentation.
The number that matters
Always know where you stand.
The Readiness Meter is the share of the pool you have truly mastered. A question counts only after three correct answers in a row and at least 48 hours since the first correct answer, so cramming cannot inflate it.
Why it works
Study less, remember more.
Spaced repetition brings a question back just as you are about to forget it. Get one right and it returns in a day, then three days, then about a month. Miss one and it comes back tomorrow, so your time goes only to what you have not locked in.
Built for Apple
Native on every Apple device.
HamBeacon runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Buy once and use it on all of them under the same Apple ID. iCloud sync keeps your progress, bookmarks, and exam history in step with no setup, and every study mode works fully offline. Widgets for the Home Screen, Lock Screen, desktop, and Notification Center keep your progress one glance away.
The details
Small touches that keep you moving.
Study streak
A daily streak with an optional reminder, plus a streak protection alert before bed so a busy day does not break your run. Consistency is what makes spaced repetition stick, so it is there to protect your habit, not to pressure you.
Exam session finder
At 75% readiness, HamBeacon helps you take the next step by pointing you to real exam sessions, including free options through Laurel VEC. It is a signal that you are likely ready to schedule your exam, not a requirement. The decision of when to sit for the test is always yours.
Explanations, your depth
Switch any explanation between short, medium, and long, with Part 97 citations where they apply. The longer settings teach the concept, not just the answer, so HamBeacon works as a complete study path on its own. Outside reading is welcome, never required.
Widgets at a glance
Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets on iPhone and iPad, plus desktop and Notification Center widgets on Mac, keep your streak, today’s progress, and your Readiness Meter in view. Five questions a day never slips your mind, and widgets work in the free trial with no purchase required.
Pricing
Buy it once. Own it for good.
No subscriptions, ever. The first 50 questions of every class are free, with every feature unlocked and no time limit.
One class, or the All Access Bundle.
Buy a single class or get all three at the bundle price, with upgrade pricing that credits what you already own. Apple Family Sharing is supported.
Question pools rotate on a four year cycle. When the NCVEC releases the next pool for a class you own, HamBeacon adds it as a free update as the current pool nears the end of its term, so you are always studying the questions your exam will actually use.
