Volunteer Examiner Coordinators

[bigRoN18]

Now that I am an Amateur Extra, (KF6TYO /AE) the thought of being a VE has become a future option. I hear there are about 14 different Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, with ARRL being by far the largest. This brings up a different question to me and I'm sure it has been discussed many times, but I'm failing to find them, but WHY are there so many different VECs? Are there philosophical difference between VECs? While they all seem to perform the same role, do they have drastically different rules?

I'm curious if it is similar to the issues I see in my profession, I'm a nurse. I am an American Heart Association BLS ( AKA.. CPR or Basic Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) instructor. There are several entities other than AHA that provide CPR courses, most notably American Red Cross, but there are others that are off-shoots due to the bureaucracy of paperwork handling with AHA.

In amateur radio, the VECs and their VEs only facilitate the process for obtaining a license from the FCC and once license is obtained, ham operator follows FCC rules. Does it even matter then WHO the VEC is?

 

[KR4BD]

My best advice if you want to be a VE is to contact the group that gave you your EXTRA class test. You can contact the ARRL directly, but they probably can't hook you up with a VE group which is near you. The local group could give you the information needed to be a Volunteer Examiner.

Where I live, there are 3 Active VE groups affiliated with ARRL, W5YI and WCARS. One of the three gives local test each month in the area.

A good Luck.

 

[LtDoc]

The basic requirements and duties are all the same. From there, each separate VEC may have it's own rules to go along with the basic ones. Those additional 'rules' can't conflict with the basic guide lines set forth by the FCC, though.
Why are there so many? Because it isn't a 'give-away', the VEC does get part of that testing fee. The VE's seldom get any of it, but the VEC's do (but not all of it!). And then you get into the 'politics' of one organization not agreeing with another organization.
So which one is 'best'? None of them. They are just different. They all have 'faults'. If you like one organization better than the other ones, for whatever reasons, that's the one I'd say to join.
- 'Doc

 

[bigRoN18]

Thanks LtDoc, I figured that somewhere in the mix there probably was SOME level of money involved. I know that I paid $15 for taking the test and that that money was to help pay for costs incurred with administering the test, but I know all the examiners were volunteers and I think the property owner just allows the use of the property and "eats" the relatively small amount of electricity needed for lighting. It isn't like there was much expense actually needed and it would likely just be sent up the chain from the volunteers administering test to the VEC, which was ARRL.

 

[AK9R]

I'm an ARRL VE. An ARRL VE team can keep up to $7 of the $15 per test as long as they can justify it with legitimate expenses incurred in conducting the test session. From the ARRL VE Manual:

In setting up and conducting tests sessions, VEs usually have out-of-pocket expenses for such items as phone calls, postage, photocopying, stationery (pens, pencils, erasers, paper, staples/stapler, etc), room/site rental and publicity/advertising. All of these expenses--as long as they were necessary and prudent to the test session--may be directly reimbursed to the VE Team. There can be other expenses that may qualify for reimbursement, such as materials to accommodate handicapped/disabled individuals, travel expenses (e.g. traveling to the residence of a handicapped person) at the actual fuel cost or at a mileage rate determined by ARRL/VEC, and tolls; and basic refreshments for the attendees of the session (not simply refreshments for the VEs only).

The ARRL VE Manual may be downloaded at:

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/VE Manual Web FINAL 2012.pdf

 

[K3NPO]

I took my extra at a W5YI session. Once I passed they had me fill out a one page sheet to become a VE. When my credentials came in the mail a few weeks later, I photocopied them and submitted the ARRL VE paperwork for instant accreditation. All very easy processes. Currently awaiting my ARRL credentials to arrive in the mail, but have already received email confirmation this should be soon.

 

[k3td]

Thanks for considering being a VE; its a great way to give back to the hobby. I've been a W5YI and ARRL VE for some time. You probably want to affiliate with a group that is active in your area.