How To Get On The Air With Amateur Radio, Part II

First let me say Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. In Part I, I mentioned that a good way to help you retain what you are learning is to take sample question and answer exams. You can also use these interactive online exams to judge how much you know and when you are ready to take the real exam. Here are some links where you can do that: QRZ.COM, AA9PW.COM, eHAM.COM, ARRL. The last one is only a .pdf file download and is not interactive. It is a good idea to take more than one of these to test yourself, as they may have used slightly different question pools.

Now, once you've taken your class, studied your license manual, or were tutored by an 'elmer' (an 'elmer' is a friendly ham who helps a newbie get started), the next step is to find out where to take the exam. Amateur radio exams are given by volunteer examiners called VEs. VEs are required to be adults with General class licensees or higher and to pass certain other tests to be certified. VEs are tested and approved by a VE Coordinator staff(VEC). I believe there is one VEC at ARRL and one at W5YI. Exam sessions are organized by a VE team who administer and score the exams. A $14 fee is collected at the time of the exam and passed on to the VEC to cover the cost of checking all documentation and entering the data into the FCC database. You will know before you leave if you passed.

These exams are offered in easy to find places like schools, churches, and other public and private buildings. They are often also given at hamfests. I'll talk more about hamfests in another post. If you know a ham with a copy of QST, the ARRL monthly magazine for hams, there is usually a listing of upcoming exam locations, dates, and times. You can also go online to the ARRL website for a list of Exam Locations which you can search by Zip code or state. These exam location listings will usually have a telephone number and an email address. Be sure to make contact to make sure information is still current and the exam will take place as scheduled.

The FCC requires an application to be filled out, but they collect no fee for processing it. The only fee, as noted above, is the $14 paid for the VECs to process your test documentation. This FCC application is best done online at the FCC's Universal Licensing Site (ULS). You should do this prior to taking your exam at the testing center.

Until next time...

'73 OM
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