A number of folks have gotten their Amateur Radio Operator License since the topic was first posted here on the Forum a number of years ago. A friend is going to offer a one-day Technician Class License course at the Alvin Community College on Saturday, May 25th. His classes have a great passing rate, so he clearly knows what he's doing. He is also offering what he calls Ham Radio 101 on Saturday, May 18th.
Chas.
One-Day Ham Radio Class wrote:
GET YOUR HAM RADIO LICENSE IN 1 DAY!!
If you would like to attend a one day intensive license STUDY course followed by the Technician Class License exam, please sign up using Chrome or Firefox (IE & Edge does not work well) https://forms.gle/dsc5sHqxfvpRNtHr9
Note that Morse code is no longer required for any class Amateur Radio License in the USA.
A one day study session/exam will be offered on Saturday, May 25, 2019. The class will be held at ACC in the Science building in room TBD in Alvin, TX. Session fee is $25.00 (cash) which includes the first exam fee. All materials are provided and there is NO preparation required. If you have troubles signing up using Google form, then please email me.
Ham Radio 101 - The Basics wrote:
HAM RADIO 101 - The Basics
If you would like to attend a one day session on the basics of Ham Radio, please fill out this form below using Google Chrome not IE https://forms.gle/p7PhB1fquZdDJ3SJ9
A one day session will be offered on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Session will start at 9 am and will be over by 4 pm with 1 hour for lunch. The session will be held at the Alvin Community College in Alvin, TX. Room not determined yet. Session fee is $10.00 (cash) which includes materials, with information to be reviewed. We will try to make it very informative. If you have a radio, bring it and manual with you, to learn how to use it.
We will have several other hams on location to assist with everyone’s needs.
Rick Broussard – n5kjn@brsrd.com
Pre-registration required. Don’t delay! When session is full registration will no longer be allowed.
This looks like a great way to get introduced to amature radio.
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I have decided that I would like to get started with Ham radio. Do you know if your friend will be offering this class again? I would like to start with a hand held and work with that for a while to see if I want to go further. If he is not offering the class again, do you have any recommendations for getting started?
I have decided that I would like to get started with Ham radio. Do you know if your friend will be offering this class again? I would like to start with a hand held and work with that for a while to see if I want to go further. If he is not offering the class again, do you have any recommendations for getting started?
Thanks,
John
Rick will be doing more classes, but not until the COVID-19 restrictions are over. You may want to consider HamTestOnline.com. I've read several strong recommendations for that subscription service. Rick's classes have a 95+% passing rate and it's a one-day class, but there's no telling when they will begin again.
There are some good online and self-taught reading materials available, but, I don't know of any place where you can take the actual test online or remotely. The tests themselves are proctored by at least 2 examiners that are trained/certified to do so.
You can search here for local exams, but be sure to check in with them to confirm they will take place and if so, in a manner consistent with good health practices. Also check with your local HAM clubs regarding exam dates and accommodations for the pandemic. Not all clubs list exams with ARRL (link below).
RoyGBiv wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 7:02 am
There are some good online and self-taught reading materials available, but, I don't know of any place where you can take the actual test online or remotely. The tests themselves are proctored by at least 2 examiners that are trained/certified to do so.
You can search here for local exams, but be sure to check in with them to confirm they will take place and if so, in a manner consistent with good health practices. Also check with your local HAM clubs regarding exam dates and accommodations for the pandemic. Not all clubs list exams with ARRL (link below).
Minimum of 3 volunteer examiners. One website I used when I was studying for my technician, general, and extra exams is http://www.hamstudy.org
They give you the questions you'll see on the exam, plus the answers in a flashcard format, as well as usually telling you WHY the right answer is the right answer. I recommend that you be able to consistently get 90% correct on their practice tests before going to take your actual exam.
RoyGBiv wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 7:02 am
There are some good online and self-taught reading materials available, but, I don't know of any place where you can take the actual test online or remotely. The tests themselves are proctored by at least 2 examiners that are trained/certified to do so.
You can search here for local exams, but be sure to check in with them to confirm they will take place and if so, in a manner consistent with good health practices. Also check with your local HAM clubs regarding exam dates and accommodations for the pandemic. Not all clubs list exams with ARRL (link below).
Minimum of 3 volunteer examiners. One website I used when I was studying for my technician, general, and extra exams is http://www.hamstudy.org
They give you the questions you'll see on the exam, plus the answers in a flashcard format, as well as usually telling you WHY the right answer is the right answer. I recommend that you be able to consistently get 90% correct on their practice tests before going to take your actual exam.
Good material that I used for my tech and gen, but I found that extra requires little “extra” quality chair time studying, I’m still not ready to test for extra
I took my official test after getting 77% on the online practice test and passed the first time.
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I have decided that I would like to get started with Ham radio. Do you know if your friend will be offering this class again? I would like to start with a hand held and work with that for a while to see if I want to go further. If he is not offering the class again, do you have any recommendations for getting started?
Thanks,
John
I can’t attest to the quality of instruction, but I have seen several “ham radio for beginners” videos listed on YouTube lately. That might be worth looking into if you’ve somehow found yourself with some extra time on your hands.
I'm an ARRL Volunteer Examiner (VE) and to my knowledge, the ARRL (Volunteer Examiner Coordinator - VEC) is not pursuing approval to offer live web-based exams. However, W5YI, another VEC, is already doing them in Alaska. As a result of the COVID-19 problem, W5YI is trying to expand this throughout the country. The Alaska VEs will accept anyone from anywhere in the U.S., but they are overwhelmed at this time. That's why W5YI is expanding this to other VEs they certify.
I'm not sure how it works, but I do know that there must be at least one proctor present with the person(s) taking the exam. The proctor does not have to be a VE. I believe the exam is online rather than a paper exam that is used everywhere else.
Thank you for all of the information. I hope to start work on this soon. Recently finished 12 weeks of long hours on a job for a client and am trying get caught up on all of the things at home that did not get done during those 12 weeks.
Good material that I used for my tech and gen, but I found that extra requires little “extra” quality chair time studying, I’m still not ready to test for extra 
