Licensing Education & Training

A VE team in Vermont is offering online exam appointments each week:

“Remote exams are NOT for everyone! Make absolutely sure you meet all requirements regarding computers, equipment and Internet connection. Please go to hamclass.net/examreq.html for full details.

Only sign up with ONE Exam Team! We offer specific appointments. Other teams may offer a large session where you wait in line for a long time to be tested. Choose the team you want, but please only choose one. Making and then cancelling appointments results in more work for us (we are all volunteers) and it denies others hard-to-get exam slots. Please be considerate of others.

Make sure you are ready to NAIL THE EXAM. You need to score over 90% on at least 8 different exams to be sure. Testing often results in anxiety where students do not do as well as in practice, so you need to aim higher. We can only test ONE applicant at a time. Failing an exam results in wasted time of the examiners, and a wasted exam slot when someone else could be earning a license.

Sign up for an exam session when you are ready to take the exam. We do not maintain a waiting list for future dates.

To reserve an exam slot, go to hamclass.net/remote.html and fill out the application.”

Please plan to attend Wednesday’s January 6 Zoom presentation. 

10:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM CST / 7:00 PM MST / 6:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM AKST / 4:00 PM HST

 Topic: Technician HF Privileges

 Speaker/Presenter: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT  Click on Anthony’s name/call sign to see his QRZ.com page.  
 

This meeting will be OPEN for all to attend. Please feel free to invite others.

• This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
• Please change your display name to Your First Name, Call Sign and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho. 
• Please stay muted until ready to speak. Your space bar works like a PTT for unmuting

• You may ask questions in chat; please stay on topic while using chat.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2128884758?pwd=dFZMVmZsc2RIMWdMYVQyTnhnSlNIdz09

Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: HFTECH
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,2128884758#,,,,*536623# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,2128884758#,,,,*536623# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: 536623

ratpac.plan@gmail.com

“This class is geared towards explaining why DMR is set up the way it is and why it seems so complicated. By the end of the class it is my hope that you will understand how the DMR repeater system works and also understand the terms to be able program your radio to access the system. This class is focused on the DMR system specific to Maine, which is a C-Bridge / DMR-MARC system, but the content can be applied to almost any MotoTRBO system. This class was developed by kb1zpp and sponsored by the SJVARA.

Note: This is not intended to be a class on how to set up your codeplug but rather how to understand the terms to be able to write a codeplug yourself from scratch. That being said I will have codeplug examples from a few models and may have time at the end of the class to address any brand specific questions. There will be a follow up class “Advanced DMR Programming” to follow this class in the near future which will dive deeper into the programming software side of DMR.

Intro to the Maine DMR System
January 16, 2021
Lobby opens at 16:30 est
Class starts at 17:00 est
Held via www.freeconferencecall.com, you will need an account which is free
You will need a computer, PC or Mac. You won’t see anything on a smartphone.
You will need to download the app from www.freeconferencecall.com
For a walkthrough to set up an account check out the April or November issues of the SJVARA newsletter at www.sjvara.com/feedpoint”

Register at <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeK37_oBBQskFtztsLhYRjOelBuxCUjgFITreusaAVXITW6Gg/viewform>.

The Hampden County Radio Association will hold a five-week Technician licensing class where “you can learn everything you need to earn your (entry-level) FCC Amateur Radio license.” 

The class will run from February 3 to March 3, 2021 from 7-9 PM via Zoom.

Pre-registration is required at <http://www.hcra.org/licensing-classes>.

For more information, contact Mike DeChristopher, N1TA, at <mfdechristopher@gmail.com>.

Steve, Schwarm, W3EVE, Wrentham, Massachusetts, will present “Amateur Radio’s Role at the Boston Marathon Bombing,” one of series of presentations sponsored by the ARRL Learning Network on December 8, 2020 at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET. 

“Amateur radio has played a significant role in public service communications for the Boston Marathon for several decades. That role was put to the test in 2013 when two bombs were exploded near the finish line. This presentation will describe the role that ham radio played at the Marathon and how that role changed due to the bombing.”

[Register]

Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee (RATPAC) provides weekly national presentations on general amateur radio topics and specialized Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) topics.  

To receive notifications and Zoom conference details, contact Dan Marler, K7REX at ratpac.plan -at- gmail -dot- com.

Here is the tentative 2020 RATPAC presentation schedule:

Notes:
• November 17 we will finalize 2020 schedule and begin 2021
• Still in discussion is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
• Covid-19 has delayed our plans for our Youth Hams in Space program, now planned for 2021
• We have reached out to AMSAT for presentations and youth involvement

Best of 73s everyone and please stay safe,

Dan

Ham Bootcamp Fall 2020 was a great success, according to Nashua Area Radio Society President Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC. Ham Bootcamp is held twice a year by the Nashua Area Radio Society in conjunction with their  Ham Radio Licensing Program.

Kemmerer reports that 269 people registered for the daylong event with over 200 logged into the Zoom session for most of the day. Some highlights included live contacts on the HF bands, lots of videos, and “some great questions and answers during the session.” 

“We conducted an online survey of all of the folks who participated, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive,” he adds.

Ham Bootcamp was truly a national event. A breakdown by geographic region shows the percentage of attendees per region:

• MA/NH:  29%
• Northeast: 18%
• Southeast: 15%
• West: 15%
• Midwest: 13%
• Southwest: 8%
• Hawaii/Alaska/Canada: 2%

AB1OC reports that over half of the “Bootcampers” had General Class or higher licenses. “It was also great to see the approximately ten percent of registrants who did not yet have a license.”

Most of those who attended Ham Bootcamp learned about it from the recent article in QST, reports Kemmerer. “The article plus the great work that the ARRL did in follow-up through their website accounted for some 60 percent of our participants. Ham Nation was next (10 percent) followed by various web properties and social media sites. Word of mouth referrals were also strong in total, accounting for 19% of registrants.”

The Nashua Area Radio Society is experiencing a flood of license class registrations and memberships in their organization in the aftermath of the Bootcamp event.

“A big THANK YOU to the HamXposition team for helping us to promote Ham Bootcamp,” says Kemmerer. “We are planning another online Bootcamp in the spring after our license classes are completed.”

K7REX writes:

Please plan to attend tomorrow’s, Wednesday, November 04 Zoom session.

10:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM CST / 7:00 PM MST / 6:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM AKST / 4:00 PM HST

Topic:  Amateur Radio Emergency Services Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT)

Speaker: Don Coltrane, KJ4UC   http://www.qrz.com/db/KJ4UC

Today’s meeting will be OPEN for all to attend. Please feel free to invite others.

• This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
• Please change your display name to Your FirstName, CallSign (or organization) and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho. 
• Please stay muted until ready to speak. Your space bar works like a PTT for unmuting
• To be fair to everyone, there will be a three minute limit for each person during Q & A

• You may ask questions in chat; please stay on topic while using chat.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2128884758?pwd=YUdPMmJOT3plM2J5SDYxdkprdVB0QT09

Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: ARESMAT
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,4867531# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,4867531# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: 4867531

Why do hams participate in on-air contests? How would I benefit from contesting? What do I need to get started in contesting? What are good contests for beginners? Where can I learn more? This session will answer all of these questions and more.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)

Visit the ARRL Learning Network website (a members-only benefit) to register for upcoming sessions and to view previously recorded session. The schedule is subject to change.