Licensing Education & Training

Licensing, education, and training

Licensing Education & Training

Social Distancing Exam Sessions Demonstrate Pent-Up Demand for Testing

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From ARRL Web: A recent in-person “social-distancing” amateur radio exam session in Indiana and a “drive-in” session in California are representative of those that are relieving some of the pent-up demand for testing. As the COVID-19 pandemic lumbers on, in-person exam sessions have begun to resume across the US and elsewhere in the world. “With in-person sessions starting up again around the country, we are hearing the same story from volunteer examiner (VE) teams everywhere,” said ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Maria Somma, AB1FM. “Large numbers of candidates who have been waiting to test are contacting teams and are thankful …

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Licensing Education & Training

Signing Up for Remote Volunteer Exams–One Ham’s Experiences

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Ray Cord, K2TGX, writes on the Study Memorial Hospital ARC mailing list: Fo those who are interested in remote license exams, Kevin, KM1KEV, has put this together. -Ray —–Original Message—– From: Kevin Murray <kevin.murray21@verizon.net> To: raycord@aol.com <raycord@aol.com> Sent: Tue, May 26, 2020 11:28 am Subject: Remote Exam Ray,  How to Sign Up for a Remote Exam       – Register at https://hamstudy.org/    – Take a practice test and pass.    – Click Find a Session    – Look for an open Remote or Online Exam Session              – There are a number of Groups doing Online Exams. …

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Affiliated Clubs / Licensing Education & Training

Yankee Clipper Contest Club Special Interest Zoom Meetings

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YCCC President Dennis Egan, W1UE, writes on the YCCC mailing list: Since we can’t meet in person for the foreseeable future, and using Zoom allows us to make some presentations that are hard to do in person, I’ve decided to offer four sessions on operating specific contest modes, as outlined below: Thur May 28   CW Wed June 10   FT4 Tue June 23    SSB Thur July 9      RTTY ??                    VHF/UHF The Zoom Sessions will start at 7 PM and plan to end at 8:30 PM, although if there is …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech General Course Online, June 13-14, 2020

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For junior high and high school students, homeschool students, and adults who already have a Technician level license, this fast-paced, two-day course will get you ready to take the GENERAL license exam. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum.  Some preliminary reading may be helpful to get the best results from this course. Material will be sent approximately a week before the course. The GENERAL level course runs Saturday, 8:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday, 8:30 am to noon, followed by the FCC General exam at noon, at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick. …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Amateur Extra Course Begins June 1, 2020

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For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the AMATEUR EXTRA Radio license exam. Geared toward adults, as well as high school and homeschool students. 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. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Recommended text: ARRL Extra Class License Manual, 12th edition, for exams through June 30, 2024, (purchase on ARRL website). Regular practice and study …

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Licensing Education & Training

Final Reminder: Contest University Online, May 14, 2020

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John Dorr, K1AR, writes on the Yankee Clipper Contest Club mailing list: Good morning everyone! Just a final reminder that CTU On-Line will be held this Thursday, May 14. Be especially sure to stay connected at the end of the day as there will be a very special presentation of great interest to YCCC members. Check out https://www.contestuniversity.com/course-outline/ to pre-register and be ready to go! [See also: https://ema.arrl.org/2020/04/15/contest-university-usa-2020-on-line-may-14-2020/]

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Licensing Education & Training

FCC Providing Flexibility to Volunteer Examiners in Developing Remote Testing Methods

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From ARRL Web: 05/03/2020–The FCC has clarified that nothing in its rules prohibits remote amateur radio testing, and no prior approval is needed to conduct remote exam sessions. “The Commission provides flexibility to volunteer examiners and coordinators who wish to develop remote testing methods or to increase remote testing programs already in place,” the FCC said in an April 30 news release. “We recognize that some volunteer examiner coordinators may not have the immediate capacity for widespread remote testing. We expect those volunteer examiner coordinators with limited remote testing capacity to work closely with those requesting such testing to prioritize any …

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Licensing Education & Training / Operating / Youth

ARISS to Experiment with School Contacts Using “Multipoint Telebridge” Approach

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From ARRL Web: 04/29/2020 – Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is hoping to adopt a concept it’s calling the “multipoint telebridge contact via amateur radio” that will allow stay-at-home students to take part in amateur radio contacts with members of the space station crew. ARISS has used telebridge stations in the past to enable contacts at times when the ISS orbit does not pass overhead to permit a direct radio contact with the school or other location. In a conventional ARISS telebridge contact, an amateur station ground station in a favorable location for an ISS pass on …

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Emergency Communications / Licensing Education & Training / Public Service

SKYWARN “Virtual” Spotter Training Sessions Offered Beginning May 7, 2020

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From: US National Weather Service Boston MA Facebook page: [PLEASE SHARE] Are you interested in learning about severe thunderstorms & other types of weather? Next Thursday May 7th, is our first of 3 VIRTUAL Skywarn Spotter trainings! It will be provided via GoToWebinar. Register & get a link to the free training @ https://bit.ly/2We5OsK

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Amateur Radio Inc. Authorized to Administer Fully Online Video-Supervised Volunteer Exams

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New England Amateur Radio Inc (NE1AR) in collaboration with New England Sci-Tech in Natick, MA, has authorization of the ARRL VEC and the FCC to administer fully online video-supervised exams. These non-profit educational organizations, founded by Bob Phinney, K5TEC, and Ted Reimann, W1OG, and managed by a board of directors, support STEM education for all ages with an emphasis on amateur radio.   Bob and Ted began a series of trials on April 1, 2020, under ARRL VEC review and are now supervising a team that provides ARRL approved video-supervised test sessions almost every day of the week. They are also …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Amateur Extra Online Course, June 1-July 20, 2020

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For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the AMATEUR EXTRA Radio license exam. Geared toward adults, as well as high school and homeschool students. 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. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Recommended text: ARRL Extra Class License Manual, 12th edition, for exams through June 30, 2024, (purchase on ARRL website). Regular practice …

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Licensing Education & Training / Youth

New England Sci-Tech General Course Online, May 16-17, 2020

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For junior high and high school students, homeschool students, and adults who already have a Technician level license, this fast-paced, two-day course will get you ready to take the GENERAL license exam. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum.  Some preliminary reading may be helpful to get the best results from this course. Material will be sent approximately a week before the course. The GENERAL level course runs Saturday, 8:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday, 8:30 am to noon, followed by the FCC General exam at noon, at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick. …

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Licensing Education & Training

Remote Volunteer Exam Update

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From Hamstudy.org press release: April 23, 2020 — Amateur radio license exams typically involve local, in-person sessions run by Volunteer Examiners (VEs) to provide supervision and coordination of the FCC exam with respect to the Part 97 regulations. A limited number of remote exam sessions have been done in areas like Alaska, Hawaii, and Antarctica, but all of these still relied on an in-person proctor to be on-site with the examinee. While the COVID-19 shelter in place guidelines have certainly brought this issue to the forefront, the need for testing applicants with limited mobility or access to physical exams has …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Online Course, April 29-May 20, 2020

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For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio Technician license exam, the FIRST of three certification levels. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and homeschool 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. 4 …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Online Course, April 28-May 1, 2020

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For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio Technician license exam, the FIRST of three certification levels. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and homeschool 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. 4 …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Amateur Extra Course Begins May 4, 2020

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the AMATEUR EXTRA Radio license exam. Geared toward adults, as well as high school and homeschool students. 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. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Recommended text: ARRL Extra Class License Manual, 12th edition, for exams through June 30, 2024, (purchase on ARRL website). Regular practice and study …

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Licensing Education & Training

Remotely Administered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise

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New England Amateur Radio Inc (NE1AR), an affiliate of New England Sci-Tech, (NESciTech) in Natick, is an early adopter in the area of remotely administered volunteer exams. From the ARRL VE Newsletter, April 16, 2020: Facing a growing demand for amateur radio exam sessions in a time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, sponsors of some Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams have risen to the challenge and are developing systems to remotely proctor test sessions. “Many of our VEs and VE Teams have been working on remotely proctored exam session ideas, employing both video and in-person components — following social distancing …

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Licensing Education & Training

ARRL VEC Video-supervised online exam sessions

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From ARRL VE Newsletter, April 12, 2020: A very few ARRL VE Teams have successfully conducted in-person exam sessions (following social distancing guidelines) and video-supervised exam sessions using fillable PDF exams and documents. So far, we have found that both types of sessions take our volunteer teams 2 to 3 times longer to conduct, and accommodate fewer candidates than sessions conducted prior to COVID-19. To this point, the video sessions have included only one examinee per session. We ask the community to be patient with our volunteer teams as they navigate uncharted territory. Please remember, with the introduction of significant …

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Licensing Education & Training

“Drive-in” Volunteer Exams Seen as an Alternative to In-Person Sessions

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Given the risks associated with the COVID-19 virus while conducting  in-person Volunteer Exam sessions, several clubs across the country are beginning to explore an alternative–“Drive-In” VE sessions. The Newport County (RI) Radio Club is holding its next licensing class online starting on Tuesday April 21st at 5:30 PM. It will be held weekly using “Zoom.” At the conclusion of the class, the team will hold an ARRL VEC-sponsored “drive-in” exam session. Students will remain in their cars to keep social distancing. An ARRL VEC-sponsored team associated with the Warren Country Radio Club in Eastern New York conducted a “drive-thru” amateur …

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Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Courses On-Line, April 11-12, 14-17, 18-19, 21-24, 2020

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For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio Technician license exam, the FIRST of three certification levels. Geared toward adults, as well as junior high, high school, and homeschool 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 …

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