Licensing Education & Training

Special announcement from Ray Lajoie, KB1LRL, Western MA Section Manager to Eastern MA ARRL members:   Ken Burstall, WB8PKK, has secured for us the Masonic Hall in Gardner for a tech in a day class and VE sessions in January and February. This will be done with Covid and Board of Health Guidelines to ensure safety. We need volunteers to aid in conducting these sessions. I am inviting EMA section and others as well. This is a great opportunity. Let’s not pass this up.   Calling all VEs and Teachers: The Western Mass. section needs your help! As you know …

Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, writes in the Billerica ARS Newsletter, October, 2020: We have decided to change the day, time and location of our Volunteer Exam sessions for the next few months. The next VE session will be on Saturday, October 10, at 10:00 AM in the parking lot of Gary’s Ice Cream store, 131 Gorham St Chelmsford MA 01824. 

Rusty Moore, K1FVK, is offering a new six-week code course on Wednesday evenings, 7:30-8:45 PM ET, beginning September 30. No code key is required but we have suggested oscillator kits you can buy or build.   STARS and NEST members receive a half-price discount.   Details and registration are at  Introductory Morse Code.

Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, writes on the WARC Members mailing list: Hello all fellow ham radio  beginners: I will be starting the Whitman Amateur Radio club’s fall season starting with  the Technician class next Tuesday, September 15th at 7 PM. The class will be on Zoom. Please email me at bavarianradio@comcast.net or call 781-447-9104 to be put on the email list for the Zoom class. If you could cc: warc.training@gmail.com as well we would appreciate it.  You should have the ARRL technician class license manual for home studying and we will be using www.hamstudy.org as well in class.  Please contact me with any questions. Thanks and …

For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the second level Amateur Radio license exam, GENERAL. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and home school students. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Some preliminary preparation is necessary to get the best results from this course. This is a FULL course taught by a 40-yr veteran teacher, not a discussion group or video service. You will learn so much more than just watching a video. Current offerings: 2 …

“Pi” Pugh, K1RV, writes in K1USN Happenings:   In-person K1USN VE exams have begun after a six month hiatus!   Steve, W1OD, has secured a location where safe, socially distanced exams will be given, thanks to generous assistance from the Braintree Emergency Management Agency (BEMA).   The first sessions will take place this upcoming Saturday morning, Sept 12th beginning @ 8:30 AM at the BEMA facility at Sunset Lake in Braintree. Please contact Steve (w1od@arrl.net) for directions and to see if there are still any vacancies available. All exam candidates must be pre-registered. Walk-ins are not allowed.

The [Billerica Amateur Radio Society] VE team has resumed exam sessions on the second Thursday of the month, but on a limited basis with certain changes due to COVID-19. Session space will be limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registration is required. Please contact Bruce Anderson via one of the methods below for exam dates and exam session information. Sessions are held at 7:00 PM at the Chelmsford Bible Church, 128 Gorham St. (Route 3A), East Chelmsford, MA 01824 For more information, contact: Bruce, W1LUS at 978-851-2886 or Gary, W1GFF at 978-453-1100.

The [Eastern MA Amateur Radio Group] will hold its next VE testing session on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7:00 PM at the Mansfield Fish and Game Club, 510 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048. Directions: I-95 to 140 towards Mansfield. Turn left on 106. Just past the Municipal building, turn left at the Mansfield Fish & Game sign and follow driveway to the clubhouse.

For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the second level Amateur Radio license exam, GENERAL. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and home school students. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Some preliminary preparation is necessary to get the best results from this course. This is a FULL course taught by a 40-yr veteran teacher, not a discussion group or video service. You will learn so much more than just watching a video. Current offerings: Two …

From ARRL Web: 07/22/2020 – ARRL is launching a new webinar series to help introduce more members to the variety of activities and opportunities that radio amateurs enjoy. The ARRL Learning Network will offer live presentations by member-volunteers, for members. Like hamfest forums and radio club presentations, the webinars are intended to help participants get more active, involved, and engaged in amateur radio. Presentations are 30 minutes each, making them easy to fit into a lunch break or as a short evening activity. A 15-minute question-and-answer period follows each presentation for those who can participate longer. The webinars will be hosted initially …