Testing & Training

2008 ARRL VE Testing Schedule:

Walk-ins are welcome! No pre-registration is required.
(An email to n0wzh@stx.rr.com would be helpful to know how many are coming though.)

Corpus Christi, Texas
~~January 21~~, ~~April 21~~, July 21, October 20

Registration (paperwork) begins at 6:45PM.

Testing session will begin at 7:00PM.

Location:        Mount Olive Lutheran Church MAP
                   5101 Saratoga
                     Corpus Christi, TX

Coordinator: Steve Hampton, NØWZH
                          Phone: 361-815-7461

Wild Horse Desert Hams Amateur Radio Club

July 30, 2008

Registration (paperwork) begins at 6:45PM.

Testing session will begin at 7:00PM.

Location:        Kleberg County EOC MAP
                  Kleberg County Court House
                  700 E. Kleberg
                  Kingsville, TX
                  (Enter basement via ramp on north side of Court House)

Coordinator: Steve Hampton, NØWZH
                          Phone: 361-815-7461

ARRL VE Testing Sessions Information
What to bring with you:

A government issued photo ID. If no government photo ID is available, two forms of ID are required. Contact test coordinator for details
Any original amateur licenses or CSCEs for which you wish to receive credit.
A photocopy is also REQUIRED of each of the amateur licenses and/or CSCEs for which you wish to receive credit (please bring the originals too!!!)
Test fee of $14 cash ONLY!!! Exact change is required!!!
Two(2) number two pencils
Optional - Calculator (non-programmable)

Optional:
You can now fill out Section 1 of the NCVEC Quick Form 605 on your computer, print it out and bring it with you to the testing session. You will need Adobe Acrobat for this on your computer.

If you ALREADY have a radio license, you must use your FRN number on the NCVEC 605 instead of your social security number.

Prior arrangements must be made in advance if special needs are to be accommodated. Please contact the coordinator listed above.

Training Material

Training Manuals from the ARRL are available for Technician, General, & Amateur Extra. Training material is also available from the W5YI Group as well as Ham University.

Current Exams and Question Pools

Question Pools

The three current question pools (and any exam designs based on these question pools) are valid as follows:

Technician class (Element 2) Pool is effective July 1, 2006 and is valid until June 30, 2010.

NOTE: The Technician class question pool does not contain any diagrams or symbols.

General class (Element 3) Pool is effective July 1, 2007 and is valid until June 30, 2011.

NOTE: The General class question pool contains one schematic diagram.

The NEW Extra Pool (Element 4) released December 1, 2007 has become effective July 1, 2008.

The Question Pools can be viewed on the ARRL Web at http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/pools.html .

Practice Exams
Since you have internet access (you are looking at this page), you can also take practice exams on the following web sites!!!! They really help!!!!

QRZ's Practice Amateur Radio Exams

eHam.net Ham Exams

Code Help!!!!!!

Bill, WJ5O, has written a valuable article "LEARNING MORSE CODE?". In this article, he shares over 20 years of experience of watching people struggle with the code exam. He gives some basic tips on what to look for on the test and some common mistakes that people make. Bill also give a brief introduction to why code is important. This is a must read for anyone wanting to take their code test and pass.

Learn Morse code on VE2CRD web site !
This on-line training course is divided into nine one-day sections, during which you learn and practice the letters, numbers and punctuation marks that make up the code. You learn the code by listening to the sound of each character repeatedly, rather than memorizing dots and dashes. So, you will need a computer with sound capabilities in order to use this Web site.

Radio Amateur Educational Society (RAES)

A Manual For Learning, Using, Mastering And Enjoying The International Morse Code As A Means Of Communication

William G. Pierpont N0HFF

"What Hath God Wrought!"

"For those who are interested in telegraphy, for those who would like to learn it, for those who love it, and for those who want to improve their skills in it."

http://www.raes.ab.ca/TASRT.pdf

ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
If you want to take a course to learn about computers, crafts, gourmet cooking, baking, gardening, small engine repair, or any other hobby, you usually only have to look as far as the nearest school or community college. Such courses are offered in a variety of settings -- evening school, day school, or on-line.

But where does a ham go to learn more about his or her hobby? Many clubs offer licensing classes, but courses in other areas of ham radio are virtually unheard of. Once in a while seminars or conferences are held for topics of special interest, but structured courses with certification in various topics beyond licensing generally are not offered.

The ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program, approved by the ARRL Board in January 2000, is designed to fill that gap.