HOW DO I BECOME A LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR
| Clubs and Classes_ | Raleigh area clubs offering Amateur Radio license classes or exams. |
| Study Aids _______ | Where to find study materials and help. |
| Exam Practice ____ | Links to online practice exam sessions. |
| VE Exams ________ | Where to go to take the real license exam. |
INTRODUCTION:
Today it is easier than ever to become a licensed operator in the Amateur Radio Service. The requirement for learning Morse Code has been removed leaving only a simple "multiple choice" exam. All of the questions and answers on the FCC license exams are readily available for you to study. You can even take practice exams online or download them to your personal computer. The entry level license is the Technician license. The Technician license exam includes some common sense FCC rules and operating procedures, and only a very basic understanding of radio and electronics. The license exams are conducted by a huge number of Volunteer Examiners (VEs) all over the country.
The easiest way to become a Ham is to take license classes. There are also many resources available for self study. This page includes references to clubs in the Raleigh, NC area that are known to offer classes and administer license exams. There are also some references provided to online classes and practice tests, as well as study materials both online and offline.
If you don't see what you need here you may want to check out some of the information online at the ARRL-Become a_Ham web pages, or try using one of the internet search engines. There is a huge amount of information to be found online.
FIND A CLUB - FIND A CLASS:
Many Amateur Radio Clubs conduct licensing classes or administer license exams. If you don't know of a local club you can check for ARRL affiliated clubs or Test Sessions in your area by using the ARRL Club Search or the ARRL: Amateur Licensing Class Search
Here are some clubs in the Raleigh, NC area that offer classes or exams.
CARC - Cary Amateur Radio Club - http://www.qsl.net/n4nc/
Meets the 4th Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm
White Plains United Methodist Church
313 Southeast Maynard Road, Cary, NC
SCARS - Smith Chart Amateur Radio Society - http://smithchart.org/
Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month.
For information see web site or email to k4oo@smithchart.org
DFMA - the Durham FM Association - http://www.dfma.org
Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month - eat at 6:00 pm followed by meeting.
Mayflower Restaurant - 3742 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd (Hwy 15/501)
RARS - Raleigh Amateur Radio Society - http://www.rars.org
Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month - greet at 7:00, meet at 7:30 pm
Ridge Road Baptist Church
2011 Ridge Road, Raleigh NC
TEARA - Triangle East Amateur Radio Assn. - http://teara.orgReturn to top
Meets 4th Tuesday of each month - brown bag at 6:30, meet at 7:00 pm
Wendell United Methodist Church in downtown Wendell
STUDY AIDS:
Free stuff:
ARRL Web: Amateur Exam Question Pools
On the ARRL site you can download a PDF file containing the entire question pool - all the questions that could possibly be on an exam, complete with correct answers and references to the FCC rule that covers the question. The first few pages of the document provide some errata about the question pool including any changes that have been made since the original was published by the Question Pool Committee, and a description of the sub-elements (subject categories) that comprise a test, and number of questions a test must have from each sub-element.
TEARA VE Technician Study Guide
The VE Team at the Triangle East Amateur Radio Association (TEARA) developed this study guide in a "Power Point" format that you can download and run on your desktop. Reports are that the method has been quite successful.
The Arlington Radio Public Service Club - W4AVA This RACES group has put together a series of 5 classes using a combination of PDF pages and some audio files (WAV and WMA files) that are available on their website. The audio files were recorded during live classes that I understand were also conducted online.
Current FCC Part 97 Reference
The US Government Printing Office maintains online, an "e-CFR" (electronic Code of Federal Regulations). "Title 47 Telecommunication" is part of the e-CFR, and the Federal Communications Commission is covered in "Parts 0-199" of Title 47. Part 97 is where you will find rules and regulations governing the "Amateur Radio Service". This online version is always up to date, so it's a good place to look for answers to questions about Amateur Radio Rules and Regulations.
Commercial Products:
ARRL Web: ARRL's License Manual Series
The ARRL publishes some of the most popular study guides for each license class.
The ARRL Ham Radio License Course
The ARRL also provides ONLINE courses in many subjects, including this course to prepare you to pass an amateur license exam. You can work any time, from any place that has access to the internet. While the classes are NOT instructor led, there are "mentors" who work with you via email, and even on the phone if necessary. After reading their course description, scroll to the top of their page for general information about their online courses.
W5YI / QRZ Bookstore offers study guides for all Amateur license classes as well as Morse Code, Radio and Electronics Theory, and the commercial GROL license.Return to top
EXAM PRACTICE:
QRZ Ham Radio Practice Tests
The QRZ tests provide feedback, once downloaded they will run without a network connection, and a special large print version is available.
eHam.net Ham Radio Practice Exams
eHam provides practice tests using both current and older question pools.
AA9PW FCC Amateur Radio Practice Pages
Simon Twigger, AA9PW, has practice tests for both Amateur and commercial licenses as well as such supporting resources as Morse Code instruction and practice, and the ability to send a practice exam via email for later use without internet connection, or to be printed for use when no computer is available.
RadioExam.org Amateur Radio Exam Menu
Radio Exam.org provides practice exams for all Amateur Radio exams and provides additional information regarding where to find study materials and information about the Volunteer Exam program and locations where tests are conducted.
Return to topTaking the License Exam
The actual license exams are administered by a team of at least three Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who are certified by one of the Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) authorized by the FCC. The VEC offices interface directly with the FCC and provide oversight and support services to the VEs.
VE teams usually accept "Walk-In" applicants but it is best to contact them ahead of time to verify what their requirements are for taking the test. At the very least you must have some form of identification and in most cases will be required to pay a fee for taking the test. As their title implies, the VEs are all volunteers, they do not receive any pay for administering the tests. They are giving their time to help you and are anxious for you to succeed in getting your license - but they are strictly regulated and must follow very specific procedures.
Many clubs sponsor VE teams and the best way to find out where the exams are given locally is to go to a meeting at your local ham radio club.
If you can't find information at your local club try the ARRL VE Test schedule online at
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml
Most "Hamfests" also have VE test sessions. You can find a hamfest schedule online at the
ARRL: Hamfest and Convention Database.
South ease regional hamfest calendars can also be found online at the following websites:
K4HM Hamfest Calendar and SE Division Hamfest Calendar.