Most of the difficulty for me at least was memorizing the operating rules and that sort of thing - the electronics part I pretty much had down.
Get your hands on those manuals and study them for a while, and with the background you seem to have I bet you can pass the exam(s) without too much difficulty. The extra is going to take some more work, but I hope to take a crack at that some time in the summer.
Yeah, that's the tough part, operating rules and the specifics related to them. The electronics usually goes fine on the practice tests I've done. I'll get there in time.
Good luck on the extra exam.
Jeez you guys have gotta pass that - hell I did - and I 'no' nothing!
The regulations are usually the harder part. I still don't know what an "Urgency Call" is !
It is quite hard getting your first harmonic 60dB down in home-brew gear.
VK5RC making QRM since 1997 (ex VK5FRAC, VK5LRC, VK5CRA - our Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced callsigns have a distinct structure)
NOW Microwave gear REALLY gets the TEA going - even the connectors are cool.
A whole new world opens
Adaptors
Attenuators - fixed variable
Directional Couplers
Power Sensors - both diode and thermistor!
Heliax
Of course the 'basics' of a Spectrum Analyser (Aus spelling), Microwave Freq Counter, Noise Figure Meter
Rob
PS One of the most bizarre bits of equipment I own is a from-new Keysight Noise source - crazy money for such a small gizmo that just makes noise.