Radio Licensing Exams - Radio Club of America

HomeRadio Licensing Exams

Build your background in radio and work toward passing the radio licensing exams by participating in a radio theory and operations background class!

The following offer is available to members of NSRC/ARCI/RCA/AWA.
This is a rare opportunity to gather online, work together, and to obtain that radio license you always intended to get but never achieved.

You are invited to attend a class in Amateur Radio, taking place on four consecutive Thursday nights beginning September 5, 2024.

The class is free, via Zoom, and will teach the concepts that make reading the text much easier and provide an understanding of radio and electronics. Even if you have a ham license, this class may help you understand the technology that everyone in our hobby should understand.

Linked below you will find the handbill, syllabus, Zoom meeting information, question pools, Tech Study Guides, handouts from the classes and a link to the License Manual from the ARRL. Mr. Davidson has provided these materials for the class.

Ham class documents

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZUudOyprDsiHNUX9f4Q2a_rzMPhOepV9zAe/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGprTgvG9aVuB-GRpwcA4jCZ-vzpmJHgo1opEbjVxEBYzzkLM9yOp16AO6J

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81335120861?pwd=SKOT5yBgMGYUn5cSR06Fu6E8BPYSa6.1
Meeting ID: 813 3512 0861
Passcode: 145340

Assure your success in the class by:

Reading the question pools, linked above, and be able to get 90% of the questions correct before sitting for any test.
Go to http://www.hamstudy.org/ and take their practice test to see how well you will perform before showing up.
Go to https://hamstudy.org/sessions/nsrc/all to find one of our VE sessions, usually the third Sunday of each month.
https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2003373064 is the License Manual recommended as a textbook.

Instructor: Richard Davidson of the North Shore Radio Club (Chicago area, see https://ns9rc.org/) has generously offered to provide a background class for radio licensing.

The Zoom online class is integrated in format and is geared toward teaching concepts rather than simply walking through test preparation books and questions. Therefore, the class is available for all students seeking Technician, General, and Extra Class licensing or for those simply interested in building their background in radio.

Rich has been teaching for over 20 years and won the 2004 ARRL Herb Briar Instructor of the Year award for his teaching methods. A class group is forming and is planning to meet in late June or July. This class is available to members of NSRC/ARCI/RCA/AWA.

Prerequisites: Please read the appropriate license manual for your level of interest. Licenses are awarded after satisfying the requirements for each level and moving up, i.e. Technician first, then General, then Extra Class.

Please read the ARRL License Manual for Extra Class 13th Edition at https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2016746457,

OR the ARRL License Manual General Class 10th Edition at https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2009476073,

OR the ARRL License Manual for Technician Class 5th Edition at https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2003373064.

Q&A Manuals are also available from ARRL that provide the pools of questions for each exam.

Classes: The Zoom class will meet in 3 two-hour sessions plus a review and exam.

Students in Chicago can arrange for licensing tests through the North Shore Radio Club; testing is provided at the Northbrook Public Library, see https://ns9rc.org/activities/ve-testing.

Out-of-town students can arrange testing at locations where they live, see https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session.

The Zoom classes are likely to meet Wednesday or Thursday nights from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central Time or later.

Registration: There is no charge for the course, but we ask for committed student participation.

A group of students is forming. If you are interested in participating, please contact David Bart in Chicago at jbart1964@gmail.com or 847-542-9873. David is compiling the student list and helping to coordinate arrangements for the course with Richard.

Once we compile a student list, we will finalize the schedule, trying to accommodate everyone's timing preferences.

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