Licensing Education & Training

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

Please share this with friends and family members who are interested in getting an Amateur Radio License.

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) is offering a free amateur radio licensing course beginning on May 16th. The eight night course will prepare students for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician licensing exam that will be offered at the completion of the course. The Technician level radio operator’s license is the first of three amateur licenses offered by the FCC. Each license has increased levels of operator privileges.

The course consists of twice weekly sessions beginning on Monday, May 16th, and meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks (May 16^th through June 8th ). The course will be held at the Pepperell Community Center, 4 Hollis Street, Pepperell, MA 01463. Sessions will start at 7 PM and last for 2 hours. An FCC license exam will be scheduled for the end of the sessions. The course is free, but there will be an FCC required $15 testing fee if you take the exam. The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1, Technician, 4^th ed, will be the study guide used for the class. A limited number of study guides may be purchased from the instructor for $20 or online from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) or Amazon.

This course is open to all, there are no age limits. Pre-registration is required, no walk-ins will be allowed. To register you must contact the instructor, Bruce Blain at (508) 341-5124 or via email at bruce.blain@charter.net.  

From K1USN Happenings, Feb. 24, 2022:

The next license class [the Whitman Amateur Radio Club] will be offering will be for the Technician (beginner) amateur radio license. Ross, W1EKG, will be starting the class on March 15th, with classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 to 9 PM at the Whitman Police station. If you are interested, please email WARC.Training@gmail.com. A VE exam session will be offered at the end of the class.

For questions or to sign up for the class, please Email Ross, W1EKG, at bavarianradio@comcast.net or warc.training@gmail.com or call Ross at 781- 447-9104

 

ARRL will present a webinar on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 8 pm ET (0100Z Feb 18) on Amateur Radio and AUXCOM support to the Department of Defense.

Use this zoom link to attend:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83781154615?pwd=L0NOY0hEV0tBdmNDWVNNeWRaVXJ5dz09

Check out the ARRL link below for more detail:

http://arrl.org/news/webinar-set-to-discuss-amateur-radio-and-auxcom-support-to-department-of-defense

This webinar will coincide with the start of MARS Exercise 22-1, which should provide opportunity to practice these skills.

Tom Kinahan
US Army Military Auxiliary Radio System
Region One Director
aaa1rd@usamars.us

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) is offering a free amateur radio licensing course beginning on January 31st. The eight night course will prepare students for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician licensing exam that will be offered at the completion of the course. The Technician level radio operator’s license is the first of three amateur licenses offered by the FCC. Each license has increased levels of operator privileges.

The course consists of twice weekly sessions beginning on Monday, January 31^st, and meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks (January 31, February 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21 and 23). The course will be held at the Pepperell Community Center, 59 Main St, Pepperell, MA 01463. Sessions will start at 7PM and last for 2 hours. An FCC license exam will be scheduled for the end of the sessions. The course is free, but there will be an FCC required $15 testing fee if you take the exam. It is suggested students purchase the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1, Technician, 4^th ed. The study guide may be purchased from the instructor for $30 or online from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) or Amazon.

This course is open to all, there are no age limits. Pre-registration is required, no walk-ins will be allowed. To register, contact Bruce Blain, K1BG, at (508) 341-5124 or via email at bruce.blain@charter.net.

 

From <https://nescitech.org/shop/on-line-license-course-technician/>:

This ONLINE or IN-Person ham radio class will get you ready to take the Ham Radio TECHNICIAN license exam, the FIRST of three certification levels. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and home-school students. Yes, we give online and in-person ham radio exams, too! (See below)

Get your ham radio license in 4 days or a 2-day weekend!

This is a FULL course taught live via Zoom (or in person) by a 40-yr veteran teacher, not a video or discussion group. You will learn much more than with other methods.

Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Optional text: ARRL Technician Class License Manual, 4th edition, for exams through June 30, 2022, (purchase on ARRL website). Regular practice and study is necessary to get the best results from this course.

Amateur radio (or “ham radio”) is used by people all over the world to communicate over radio waves. Some people use ham radio for emergency preparedness, to provide communications support for community events, to report on severe weather and natural disasters, as a social activity, and even occasionally to contact crew members on the International Space Station!

2022 IN-PERSON HAM RADIO CLASS FOR TECHNICIAN LICENSE

• 4 day IN-PERSON course: Thu DEC 23, Mon DEC 27, Wed DEC 29, Thu DEC 30, 5:00-8:00 pm, EASTERN at 16 Tech Circle, Natick, MA.
• 4 day IN-PERSON course: Mon Feb 21, Tue Feb 22, Wed Feb 23, Thu Feb 24, 3:00-6:00 pm, EASTERN at 16 Tech Circle, Natick, MA.
• 4 day IN-PERSON course: Mon Apr 18, Tue Apr 19, Wed Apr 20, Thu Apr 21, 3:00-6:00 pm, EASTERN at 16 Tech Circle, Natick, MA.

Note: These in-person sessions are offered FREE for anyone who is a full-time student.

 

2022 ONLINE HAM RADIO CLASS FOR TECHNICIAN LICENSE

• 4 day course: M-T-W-T Jan 10-13, 8:30-11:30pm, EASTERN
• 2 day weekend cram: SAT-SUN Jan 15-16, 12:00-6:00pm, EASTERN
• 4 day course: M-T-W-T Feb 7-10, 8:30-11:30pm, EASTERN
• 2 day weekend cram: SAT-SUN March 5-6, 12:00-6:00pm, EASTERN
• 4 day course: M-T-W-T March 7-10, 8:30-11:30pm, EASTERN
• 4 day course: M-T-W-T April 4-7, 8:30-11:30pm, EASTERN

Included with course: You will get downloadable lecture study guides and charts, FREE access to our weekly Online Radio Shop Talk sessions, FREE enrollment in any of our Morse Code classes, and a guest pass to the Sci-Tech Radio Rooms and online radio club meetings for 3 months.

Family Free: Additional members of the same family may join this course at no extra charge, if sharing one computer and zoom screen.

System Requirements: For ONLINE course, computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a web browser, a web camera/mic, and a printer.

Zoom Link: Approximately 2 days before the session begins you will receive an email with instructions to access the course details, documents, Zoom link for ON-LINE viewing, and directions for IN-PERSON participation. If you don’t see the email, check your spam filter. If you still don’t see it, call or email us.

Please be aware of our Cancellation and Refund Policies. For questions, e-mail info@nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.

School and Scout Groups: Ask about scheduling a session just for your youth group at youth-friendly times, perhaps in smaller sessions spread over two weeks. We may be able to give you a reduced rate as well.

YES, our exam team is authorized to give ONLINE exams, so you can schedule your FCC Technician exam within a few days of finishing the course. We also give IN-PERSON exams in Natick, MA. Note that we must collect the standard $15 exam fee for the ARRL VEC separately from the course fee. (Fee is $15 across the country.

We administer ham radio exams both online and in-person, having proctored nearly 2,000 exams over the past decade. We’ve taught amateur radio classes for over 15 years with tremendous success. Hundreds of people have taken our classes with 99% having passed the exam to become licensed operators. We offer classes for all three levels of ham radio licenses:  Technician, General, Amateur Extra, as well as Morse Code.

Eastern MA Affiliated Club Coordinator Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The ARRL website has a page which lists upcoming license classes (http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-class). To my dismay, when I entered the Eastern Massachusetts section, I found no upcoming classes listed. Nothing! Nada! While I know that this is not the case (a number of local clubs do run license classes), it also worries me. Where are future generations of hams going to come from if WE are not bringing them into the hobby?

Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, of the Whitman Amateur Radio Club runs very successful license classes (technician, general, and extra). I used Ross’ template for the technician classes the Nashoba Valley ARC has run. We would like to share this experience with you, with the goal of having all ARRL Affiliated Clubs in Eastern Massachusetts sponsor amateur radio classes.

On the evening of Tuesday, December 28th at 7PM, we will have a zoom session called “How to run a successful Technician Licence Class” where we will introduce Ross’ program to you.

This program is by no means the only way to sponsor a successful class! If you have success stories that you would like to discuss or present, please let me know. Again, I’d like to see us having more classes, and I’d like us to be sharing ideas as to how we can make this happen.

If you can’t make it, please delegate this to someone in your club who can. Thanks in advance.

I look forward to seeing you on the 28th.

Bruce, K1BG
ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator, EMA

[For Zoom conference information, contact Bruce Blain, K1BG, at <k1bg.bruce@gmail.com>.]

Tom Walsh, K1TW, writes on ne-cw-friends list:

Starting Tuesday, December 21, the CW friends zoom meeting will now start one hour later at 8 PM.  The zoom link has not changed.

[Contact Tom, K1TW, at k1tw -at- arrl -dot- net for Zoom conference details.]

Presented by Jason Johnston, KC5HWB, of Ham Radio 2.0 – November 11, 2021 at 3:30 PM ET

Allstar is an internet-based connection network for linking repeaters and nodes. It can be used by home operators or with large-area repeaters. Today you will learn the basics of Allstar, how to get started with it, and how you can start using it yourself.

Register for this webinar at <https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XvqWBSwrTJKhp8_zbAZI2g?fbclid=IwAR0GIVnpdNFrh7NvndaDUwZZ32hTVB1sRxmeJrRlGmIurCqVCxnZSrGFyHQ>

New England Sci-Tech in Natick is holding an innovative course that teaches students how to build and tune a UHF (70cm), 1/4 wave vertical antenna with ground plane using simple, off-the-shelf materials and a nanoVNA.

According to their website, the project will have two goals:

• To teach the practical use of the nanoVNA to make measurements on RF components and systems, with an emphasis on antenna measurements, and
• To have each participant build, tune, and test a (hopefully) weather-proof ground-plane antenna suitable for base-station use at home, or for portable use in outdoor ham activities.

Cost of the activity will be minimal, just enough to cover the hardware.  Participants are asked to purchase their own nanoVNA (cost ~$60 to $90) and bring it to the session. 

[The course is currently sold out, but the group intends to offer it again in the near future.]

The MITRE Bedford Amateur Radio Club is offering an intro Ham Radio licensing course. Fill this form  by September 9^th if interested!!

If you have any questions feel free to email me or any of the presenters Cc’d on this email! Feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested.

Best,

Thinesiya

The Whitman Amateur Radio club will conduct a Technician class via Zoom beginning on September 2, 2021 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for approximately four weeks.

Please email Ross, W1EKG,  at bavarianradio@comcast.net or warc.training@gmail.com or call 781-447-9104 to be put on the email list for the Zoom class.

You should have the ARRL technician class license manual for home studying. The class will also use www.hamstudy.org.

“Pi” Pugh, K1RV, writes in K1USN Happenings, August 5, 2021:

Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register, check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded sessions.

Introduction to DMR and Digital Voice — Tim Deagan, KJ8U / Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)

An introductory overview of digital voice (DV) technologies for ham radio. This presentation will focus on DMR with notes on System Fusion, D-STAR, and more. Included will be a description of DV architecture and components, and the interesting opportunities and challenges that DV presents.

ARRL members may register for upcoming presentations and view previously recorded Learning Network webinars. ARRL-affiliated radio clubs may also use the recordings as presentations for club meetings, mentoring new and current hams, and discussing amateur radio topics.

The ARRL Learning Network schedule is subject to change.