Subj : Classes And Exams (E) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Mon Feb 04 2019 09:43 am (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MESSAGE) License Exam Locations And Requirements: ======================================== The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website (www.arrl.org) has a place to search for license exams in your area. Click on Exams, enter the search criteria, and click on search. Once you find a test session and location that meets your liking, click on Learn More, and then either write, call, or email the contact person for more details. Concerning the license exam sessions, some will require pre-registration (no walk-ins), others will allow walk-ins (there may be a time limit for walk-ins to arrive), while others will permit both. Check with the VE Team contact person for details. These can be at libraries, meeting rooms, restaurants, etc. If an examinee has serious health issues in traveling to an exam, the VE Team may do an "on demand session" at their location...whether at their residence, or even in a hospital room...in short, "VE Teams do make house calls". However, these need to be requested as far in advance as possible...so that a VE Team can be obtained. NOTE: The number of examinees at a test session, or a time limit to enter the exam session, may be LIMITED. Once that number is reached, or the time limit for walk-ins is reached, no further examinees will be allowed to enter the test session. If pre-registration is required, and there is a limit on examinees at a particular session, you need to "get your name in the hat", by contacting the VE Team in charge of the session as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may be "locked out" from the test session. Also, with pre-arrangement, pre-payment may be required. However, if on exam day, if you have a valid reason where you can not make the test session as originally planned...due to a last minute emergency, conflict, etc., you may be able to arrange a refund by contacting the VE Team in charge, and providing an explanation. However, any refunds are at the discretion of the VE Team. But, if you do not contact the VE Team Contact person, and are basically "a no show", your pre-payment is non-refundable. If you miss the test session, it'll be up to you to arrange a future test session, if you're wanting to obtain a ham radio license, or an upgrade... basically, starting the process over again. It's wise to contact the person overseeing the exam session for any special information, or for any last minute changes or cancellations. You can also go to: http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session Enter the desired criteria (in one category), and click on search. Those at hamfests may have a large amount of people wanting to test... so, allow yourself plenty of time at one of these sessions. If you go to a hamfest for the license exam ONLY, you won't be required to pay a fee to enter the hamfest. But, you will be required to pay the license exam fee, applicable parking fees, highway tolls, etc. However, if you plan to explore the hamfest as well, you will also have to pay the hamfest admission fee. If you pass the exam, you're likely to want to look for a new ham radio transceiver...so, taking an exam at a hamfest can be VERY beneficial to you. In the United States, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) conducts a National Exam Day Weekend the last weekend of April and September every year. Check with local area ham radio clubs to see if they plan to do license exam sessions in conjunction with these special weekends. As noted above, a MINIMUM of three (3) VE's are REQUIRED for ANY license exam session. If less than that show up, the exam session can NOT take place. If only a Technician Class exam will be given, the VEs must be at least General Class licensees. If only Technician and General exams will be given, the VEs must be at least Advanced Class licensees. But, if all license exams (Technician, General, and Amateur Extra) are to be given, the VEs MUST be Amateur Extra Class licensees. When going to a test site, bring: 1) The ORIGINAL and a PHOTOCOPY of your license, if you are already licensed, or if the licensed is expired (even if more than 2 years). The photocopy of your license will be sent off with your exam materials. As noted earlier, if you previously held a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license, you're eligible for partial exam credit...but still have to pass the Technician Class exam to get back on the air with a new callsign. 2) A Photo ID, such as a Drivers License, Passport, State ID, etc. Lacking a photo ID will REQUIRE two (2) forms of identification, such as a Birth Certificate, with the appropriate seal affixed, a utility bill, bank statement, or other piece of mail addressed to you, are alternate forms of ID. Students can bring a library card, or a minors work permit, if under 18 years of age. 3) Appropriate information for the NCVEC Form 605, detailed elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread. 4) The ORIGINAL and a PHOTOCOPY of any applicable Certificate Of any Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE), which are valid for 365 days after initial issuance for upgrading. If you take a test on July 1 of a non-leap year, the CSCE expires at midnight on June 30 of the following year. However, if you take a test on July 1, of a leap year, the CSCE expires at midnight on June 29 of the following year. An amateur radio operator who had previously passed the 5 words per minute (wpm) Morse Code test does NOT need to keep the CSCE showing that they passed Element 1, since the FCC removed the Morse Code requirement for any U.S. amateur radio licensee as of Feb. 23, 2007. Further details on CSCE's are later in this bulletin/message thread. Once you have a current license that matches what is on the CSCE, you can either keep the CSCE as a "novelty", or you may discard it. The photocopy of the CSCE will be sent off with the exam materials, but you MUST bring the ORIGINAL of the CSCE to obtain proper exam credit. This applies if you have taken, and passed another amateur radio license exam in the time before the current exam session...yet, the results of that previous session have not yet shown up in the FCC ULS database. It normally takes 1 to 2 weeks for the data to be posted. However, during a U.S. Government Shutdown, it may take quite awhile longer. (CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE) --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32 * Origin: RadioWxNet: The Thunderbolt BBS tbolt.synchro.net (801:1/2)