Help With Online Technician-to-General Class
Would you consider helping?
a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
Licensing, education, and training
Would you consider helping?
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.
The TECHNICIAN level course is offered ONLINE certain weekends and week days.
Current offerings:
Four day course: Tu-W-Th-F Mar 31-Apr 3, 2:00-5:00 pm each day
Four day course: Tu-W-Th-F Apr 7-10, 2:00-5:00 pm each day
The FCC Technician test will be scheduled for an upcoming weekday evening or weekend, probably as an online test (TBA). Course is run by New England Sci-Tech, in cooperation of New England Amateur Radio Inc.
System Requirements: Computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a browser, a built-in camera/mic, and a color printer.
Included with course fee: downloadable handouts and study guide, and a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 3 months (once our facility opens again). Advance registration and payment required.
Note that the standard $15 license test fee is NOT included and must be paid separately to whatever exam session you attend to take the test. (Price is $15 across the country.)
One additional member of the same family may take this course for the price of one, if sharing one computer, video screen, and materials.
A few hours before the session you will receive an email with a Zoom link and ID. If you don’t see the email, check your spam filter. If you still don’t see it, call 508-720-4179 for help.
For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
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.
Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Some preliminary preparation and regular practice between classes is necessary to get the best results from this course. NOTE: You must have a thorough understanding of the Technician and General material before taking this course. If you are already a licensed Tech or General but have been away from radio for a while, you may request to audit (at half price) one of our Tech and/or General courses to catch up.
The AMATEUR EXTRA level course is offered ONLINE certain weekends and week days.
Current offerings:
WEEKDAY CRASH COURSE – complete in 8 days.
Mon-Wed-Fri, Mar 30, Apr 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15.
Take the exam after you review and practice for a few days.
The FCC Amateur Extra test will be scheduled for an upcoming weekday evening or weekend, probably as an online test (TBA). Course is run by New England Sci-Tech, in cooperation of New England Amateur Radio Inc.
System Requirements: Computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a browser, a built-in camera/mic, and a color printer.
Included with course fee: downloadable handouts and study guide, and a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 3 months (once our facility opens again). Advance registration and payment required.
Note that the standard $15 license test fee is NOT included and must be paid separately to whatever exam session you attend to take the test. (Price is $15 across the country.)
One additional member of the same family may take this course for the price of one, if sharing one computer, video screen, and materials.
For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
From ARRL Web:
The Long Island CW Club in New York is offering free, online Morse code instruction for the “many youngsters at loose ends as a result of school closings due to COVID-19 concerns.” The club’s co-founder, Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE, pointed out that learning Morse code is “a fun and educational activity for children of all ages that can fill part of the gap left by the current unfortunate situation that has closed so many schools across the country.”
Ongoing classes will take place Monday through Friday, specifically for school-agers anywhere across the country or overseas, via Zoom online video conferencing. A computer equipped with a microphone and camera is required. Classes for elementary schoolers run 30 minutes starting at 1600 UTC, followed by 45-minute classes for middle- and high school-aged students starting at 1645 UTC. Parental permission is required through advance registration. Contact class instructor Rob Zarges, K2MZ, by e-mail or call 508-831-8248. — Thanks to Mel Granick, KS2G, ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Public Information Coordinator
For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio GENERAL license exam. 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.
The GENERAL level course is offered ONLINE certain weekends and week days.
Current offerings:
Two day course: SAT-SUN April 4-5, 1-5pm each day
The FCC General test will be scheduled for an upcoming weekday evening or weekend, probably as an online test (TBA). Course is run by New England Sci-Tech, in cooperation of New England Amateur Radio Inc.
System Requirements: Computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a browser, a built-in camera/mic, and a color printer.
Included with course fee: downloadable handouts and study guide, and a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 3 months (once our facility opens again). Advance registration and payment required.
Note that the standard $15 license test fee is NOT included and must be paid separately to whatever exam session you attend to take the test. (Price is $15 across the country.)
One additional member of the same family may take this course for the price of one, if sharing one computer, video screen, and materials.
For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
For anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio TECHNICIAN license exam. 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.
The TECHNICIAN level course is offered ONLINE certain weekends and week days.
Current offerings:
Four day course: Tu-W-Th-F March 24-27, 2:30-5pm each day
Two day course: SAT-SUN March 28-29, 1-5pm each day
Four day course: Tu-W-Th-F Mar 31-Apr 3, 2:30-5pm each day
The FCC Technician test will be scheduled for an upcoming weekday evening or weekend, probably as an online test (TBA). Course is run by New England Sci-Tech, in cooperation of New England Amateur Radio Inc.
System Requirements: Computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a browser, a built-in camera/mic, and a color printer.
Included with course fee: downloadable handouts and study guide, and a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 3 months (once our facility opens again). Advance registration and payment required.
Note that the standard $15 license test fee is NOT included and must be paid separately to whatever exam session you attend to take the test. (Price is $15 across the country.)
One additional member of the same family may take this course for the price of one, if sharing one computer, video screen, and materials.
For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
03/17/2020 – Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the March 20 – 21 HamSCI Workhop will go on, moving to an all-digital webinar workshop. Registration and participation will be free and open to all, organizer and University of Scranton professor Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, said over the weekend. A tentative agenda has been posted. Participants may register online. The workshop will be presented using the Zoom webinar platform. Those planning to take part should visit the Zoom website, create a free account, and download the client software. Frissell encouraged participants to set up a Zoom account, so they can get familiar with the system.The theme of the 2020 workshop is “The Auroral Connection — How does the aurora affect amateur radio, and what can we learn about the aurora from radio techniques?” Oral presentations will be as originally scheduled and in the same format, as if they were being delivered at the in-person workshop. Instructions for the electronic poster session are now posted, Frissell said.
“There are some really good things that are coming out of this switch to an e-workshop format,” Frissell continued. “I think the best thing is that it will enable greater participation, especially from people who wanted to come but were unable to before.”
Frissell said Zoom has the necessary tools to run the workshop in a way that will allow large participation while still keeping things manageable. The system will allow up to 100 panelists to share video and audio, and at least 1,000 people to watch and actively participating by asking questions through a text chat system, he explained. Moderators will monitor the text chat system and relay questions to the presenters.
Frissell has had to scramble since the decision was made to call off the in-person event. “It’s taken us a few days to get this lined up, as Scranton’s IT department has just upgraded their contract with Zoom over the past couple days to enable this workshop and other events on campus,” he said.
The HamSCI workshop will include addresses by guest speakers, poster presentations, and demonstrations of instrumentation and software relevant to the theme. The workshop will serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station projectthat’s funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to Frissell. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of radio amateurs to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
Workshop speakers include Elizabeth MacDonald, the NASA researcher who founded and leads the Aurorasaurus citizen science project. James LaBelle, a professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth University and auroral radio physicist, will discuss radio signatures of the aurora. Phil Erickson, W1PJE, of Haystack Observatory in Massachusetts will speak on “Amateur digital mode based remote sensing: FT8 use as a radar signal of opportunity for ionospheric characterization.” David Hallidy, K2DH, a retired microwave engineer and well-known for his work in auroral mode propagation, will discuss his practical experiences of using the aurora for radio communication.
Contester and DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR, who was to be the banquet speaker, will talk on the topic, “Let’s Push the Exploration of the Ionosphere to the Next Level.”
Matthew Trott, KB1MLP, writes:
Listen for them on the air and welcome them to ham radio and FARA.
From the NVARC March, 2020 Signal:
Once again, Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club members volunteered to judge radio-related entries in the Bromfield School’s (Harvard, MA) annual Science Fair. There were fifty-two entries, five of which were in the areas of NVARC expertise. The students were quite knowledgeable in their subjects, some more than others, but all of them were impressive. The projects NVARC judged were:
1. “Warping WiFi: The Attenuation of WiFi Signals by Different Materials”
2. “Free Space Optical Communications using Lasers”
3. “Making GPS Use Safer”
4. “Simple Aurora Monitor”
5. “The Construction and Research of MagLev Trains”
Of these, NVARC judged numbers 1, 2, & 4 as superior works, and awarded the students with a Certificate of Merit, an RTL-SDR HF/VHF radio dongle, and a private tour of Haystack Observatory.
“We cancelled the next meeting on March 18th. Our first venue cancelled, we got a second venue and was all set but it was SKYWARN training and NWS cancelled…We had arranged an online meeting as a backup, but NWS won’t allow spotter IDs to be issued. We are adding an online option for future meetings, but have not tested that yet.” –David, N1DCH
Please join us on Wednesday, March 18th @ 7pm, for SKYWARN weather spotter training. The training is being presented by Robert Macedo, KD1CY. All attendees will be issued a SKYWARN spotter ID and will be eligible to report severe weather to the National Weather Service.
This presentation will train you how to assist local officials and the NWS with early detection of hazardous weather. This is a public event but registration is required. If you plan on attending, please be sure to register before Friday March 13th to reserve your spot. Registration will be open to the public after the 13th.
More info about SKYWARN can be found at www.weather.gov/box/skywarn
Location: Leominster Office of Emergency Management, 37 Carter Street, Leominster, MA 01453 View Map
Register for this SKYWARN training here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-training-class-mmra-meeting-leominster-oem-tickets-98531617721
Also, please join us for the weekly MMRA TIOS Net every Tuesday at 8pm on the linked repeater network.
73,
Jason, W1HFP
MMRA Secretary
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 and study is necessary 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 – 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.
Included with course fee: printed handouts, lecture study guide, license fee if tested at our location, a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 2 months, and free coffee, tea, or hot chocolate during the course. Advance registration and payment required.
For more information and to register, visit <https://www.nescitech.org/product/weekend-general-class/>. For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
FEMA is reporting its Independent Study Exam web materials are currently unavailable. This may impact amateurs who are in the process of taking online training for ARES membership and certification.
Per https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx: “The Independent Study Exams are currently unavailable. EMI is working to determine the cause. Currently, there is not an estimated time of recovery.”
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold a bi-weekly Amateur Extra license classes for eight sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning on February 25, 2020. Some classes will be held at the Whitman Police Station; others will be conducted at the Whitman United Methodist Church. The course will wrap up with a volunteer exam session on March 19. Material will be based on the ARRL Amateur Extra Class License Manual.
The course is offered free of charge; however students are responsible for acquiring their own textbooks. Interested parties are asked to contact the course instructor, Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG via email at bavarianradio@comcast.net or by phone at 781-447-9104 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm for additional information.
Applications packages are now available for the Courage Kenny Handiham Radio Camp to be held July 21 – 28, 2020, at True Friends Camp Courage North in Lake George, Minnesota.
April 15, 2020: Due to COVID-19, Radio Camp 2020 has been cancelled. Refunds are being processed for all applicants.
For junior high and high school students, homeschool students, and adults interested in wireless communications and electronics, this fast-paced, two-day course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio Technician license exam.
Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Some preliminary reading and study is necessary to get the best results from this course. Material will be sent a few days before the course.
The Technician level course runs on Saturday, 8:30 AM-5 PM and Sunday, 8:30 AM-1 PM, followed by the FCC Technician exam at 1:00, at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick. [Full description]
*** If a test session falls on a major holiday it will be delayed by a week. ***
Reminder: Bristol County Repeater Association VE Test Session
When: Monday, 17 24 February 2020, 7:00pm to 9:00pm, (GMT-05:00) America/New York
Where: Stop and Shop Somerset, MA Community Room 2nd Floor
Description: Come in the entrance on the Fall River side, near the Dunkin Donuts in the store, stairs and elevator will be on the right, go left on second floor.
The Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (FARA) will be offering a Technician class amateur radio license course on March 7 and 8 at the Falmouth Fire Station, Main Street, 2nd Floor, EOC Room. An FCC exam will be conducted on the afternoon of March 8. The fee of $50 includes:
1) Nine hours of classroom instruction
2) Course Manual
3) Online test practice and tutoring
4) Refreshments
5) Access to instructors for questions & tutoring
6) License exam
7) 1-year membership with FARA
8) Admission to the next FARAfest
9) Handheld Transceiver (if the student passes) (pending availability)
This is a great value for anyone seeking to get their license, as the total cost of the individual items is well over $100.
Contact Charlie Bresnahan, K1CB at: kilo1cb@aol.com or Ralph Swenson, N1YHS at depsher911@comcast.net, for further information or to sign up.
The North Shore Radio Association will hold its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, in the Peabody Municipal Light Plant auditorium, 201 Warren St Extension, in Peabody (talk-in 145.470 repeater). Bruce Blain, K1BG, will present on “Entry Level Licensing – What’s Worked and What Hasn’t:”
All of us entered the amateur radio hobby in a number of different ways. Whether it was the Class B license of the 30s and 40s, the Novice license of the 50s through the 90s, or the current Technician class license, Bruce looks at the history of entry level license requirements and conditions, what’s worked and what hasn’t, and what it means for attracting youth to the hobby.
New England Sci-Tech is offering ongoing Amateur Extra study sessions for high school students, homeschool students, and adults who already have a General level license. This slower-paced course will get you ready to take the Amateur Extra license exam. You may jump into this course at any time, pay one course fee, and take nine weeks worth of classes. A different topic group is covered each week; all topics covered in nine-week intervals. Take the exam whenever you are ready.
The course runs most Thursday evenings, 6-9 PM from February 20, 2020 until April 30, 2020 as a combination “study group” and keynote presentations by experienced instructors. Study group meets 6:00-6:30, presentations run 6:30-8:15 approximately, and remainder of time is Q and A with instructors or more study group time. Regular homework reading and study is necessary to get the best results from this course. [Full description]