HAM testing by the F¢¢?

[Darth_vader]

(Hey, new keyboard and a ¢ompose k€¥ that actually works!)

Somebody (in meatspace, not on here) recently told me the F¢¢ themselves also conduct the HAM quizzes at their field offices. Is this true or not?

If so, it would save me the hassle, as the W7AIAites seem to favour this one out-of-the-way little LDS/Mormon church somewhere way out in the county to do their shindigs at some god-awful hour of the early morning (1000 PT). The local F¢¢ office is just downtown and not far from The Columbian's office, if I remember correctly; just a quick and straight shot down highway 14. That, and it would spare me the additional hassle of dealling with W7AIA politics, but that's another story.

Yeah, that's another thing. You want to know another way HAM radio can save itself from itself? Hold the quiz sessions in places people actually know how/where to find, like a restaurant or a community/public centre in the city, rather than these obscure places way out in the sticks that you literally need a map to locate!

 

[nd5y]

The FCC does NOT administer amateur or commercial radio operator exams. Whoever told you that is wrong.

 

[Darth_vader]

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of.

*sigh* Oh well.

What about off-times? Are registered volunteer examiners generally allowed to administer quizzes privately to individuals at times other than (read: more convenient than) when the local HAM clubs/cults do? If so, I have a neighbour who's a V.E., hint hint.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

HAM testing by the F¢¢?

It's great around here. I took Tech at the Red Cross office and General at a city library. I can only assume the location is chosen by the VEC. He/she probably won't accommodate one person but might would set up a special session for 5 or more.

Edit: I looked it up. It looks like the LDS location is for classes and they actually test at the American legion building. And really, you don't have to join their club. Just go in and pay your $15, pass the test, and get out.

 

[Darth_vader]

"I looked it up. It looks like the LDS location is for classes and they actually test at the American legion building."

Oh, crap...don't tell me I read the schedule wrong....

EDIT ADD:

October 26, 2013    LDS    Technician License Class

(Source: W7AIA, VE Testing)

So by "class" they mean that it's a training course, not the testing for the "technician class" ticket? That means I'll have to wait until 14 December to take it, at which point I'll be in LA and otherwise kerchunking the 'NUT. Well, there goes the whole purpose of doing this in the first place.

Well, ... on them for using such ...g misleading language!

 

[jeepinjeepin]

HAM testing by the F¢¢?

Maybe... They might test at the end of the class. Send an email and find out.

 

[WB4CS]

If I'm reading this (and another thread) correctly, all you really want your ham license for is to get on the lid-infested 6NUT repeater when you're in CA? Getting your license to be legal to use a repeater that's renowned for doing illegal things?

Just curious is all

 

[Darth_vader]

"If I'm reading this (and another thread) correctly, all you really want your ham license for is to get on the lid-infested 6NUT repeater when you're in CA; a repeater that's renowned for doing illegal things?"

Sure, why not? Considering the less than stellar reception I received from the repeater lidfest around here when I keyed up the first time around, 11 years ago and following procedure to the letter yet, I figure I really don't have anything to lose. I mean, it's not like there's anybody on the air here to talk to 90% of the time anyways, at least not off-repeater.

And it's not "renowned for doing 'illegal' things", it's renowned for promoting free speech (which, last I checked, was not illegal.) "Notorious for doing 'illegal' things", maybe.

 

[estebanperez]

HAM testing by the F¢¢?

With the FCC along with the rest of the government being shut down, you wouldn't receive a license right now anyways.

I passed the Tech exam last Thursday, so I have to wait to get my ticket.

 

[Darth_vader]

Huh. Looks like they approved the furlough (at least according to the Columbian, which I don't put a lot of trust in ~95% of the time anyways) so I guess that and the circumstances revealled above pretty much kills it. Looks like getting my next HAM ticket's not going to happen, at least not this year.

Well, not a bad deal, really: I've just saved about $75 and I haven't even gotten started on the project yet!

 

[jeepinjeepin]

HAM testing by the F¢¢?

I, luckily, timed it well. My general ticket came in yesterday's mail and the soonest I take extra is in 2 months. Surely they will have the budget squared away by then.

Out of curiosity, you said you are headed to LA. Is that Los Angeles or Louisiana? Depending on how long you are at whichever one, there's probably a test session within a reasonable drive on a weeknight or Saturday morning that you could get to.

 

[AK9R]

I assume that you checked the links in the sticky thread at the top of this forum to see what test sessions were available in you area:

http://forums.radioreference.com/ge...9-where-find-amateur-radio-test-sessions.html

Since you refer to The Columbian and the Clark County Amateur Radio Club, I'm going to assume you're in the Vancouver, Washington, area. I just did a search for VE sessions on the ARRL web site using zip code 98666 and a 25 mile radius. That search turned up 9 ARRL-VEC test sessions between now and the end of November. I didn't look to see what the other VECs might have scheduled.

As for the FCC staff being on furlough, the license processing at the FCC's end is, for the most part, automated. But, I don't know what impact the "government shutdown" will have on amateur radio license processing.

 

[knightrider]

In Central Texas, there is a group that will do an exam session for one or two who are ready. If there are only 2 or less, they request you drive to them, which is reasonable. It's usually 70 miles or less for most who use them. Might contact the VEC, and see if they would be willing to set up an exam that is convenient ofr them and you.

 

[KB0VWG]

They Did at one time

The FCC does NOT administer amateur or commercial radio operator exams. Whoever told you that is wrong.

I believe they did the exams back in the day at the field offices but I would say that was about 50 years ago or sometime close to that.
kb0vwg
wqoi992

 

[nd5y]

The amateur VE program started in 1983. Before that they usually had exams at field offices every week and traveled to certain other cities every 3 to 12 months or so. They cut back the travel sites several years before the VE program started in some areas. I passed my Advanced exam in Dec 1981 in El Paso, TX and supposedly that was the last exam session the Dallas field office ever held in El Paso.

 

[W8RMH]

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of.

*sigh* Oh well.

What about off-times? Are registered volunteer examiners generally allowed to administer quizzes privately to individuals at times other than (read: more convenient than) when the local HAM clubs/cults do? If so, I have a neighbour who's a V.E., hint hint.

VEs can not admin a test alone. There has to be at least 3 VEs present.

 

[estebanperez]

As for the FCC staff being on furlough, the license processing at the FCC's end is, for the most part, automated. But, I don't know what impact the "government shutdown" will have on amateur radio license processing.

ARRL has a post about the shutdown: FCC Closed! Licensing Functions on Hold

Basically according to the FCC's "Plan for Orderly Shutdown", licensing operations will cease ("have ceased" at this point). http://www.fcc.gov/Plan-for-Orderly-Shutdown-September-2013.pdf

Also, the ULS was taken down as part of the shutdown.

 

[Darth_vader]

"I just did a search for VE sessions on the ARRL web site using zip code 98666 and a 25 mile radius"

I did that earlier this afternoon, using 98684. (98666 is on the west side of Vancouver, where the F¢¢'s field office is supposed to be, on the other side of the city about 10 miles away.) Almost all of them are in Oregon, either outside west Portland in Hillsboro or Scappoose (about an hour and a half drive in either case) or south in Milwaukie (about an hour's drive, past Clackamas.) I usually avoid going down there for anything unless it's *absolutely* necessary, since Portland traffic at nearly any time of day is almost, but not entirely, as bad as that of Seattle.

There does appear to be one at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, just directly south of me (nice quick jaunt down 205) but *it* appears to start at 0900, right in the middle of the night. At least I do know how to get there, so I'll give credit for that (I picked up my cousin/former roommate there every day for almost two terms when school got out, since he didn't have a car at the time.)

The tech quiz may be easy but people sure don't seem to go out of their way to make it easy to actually take the damned thing....

"Out of curiosity, you said you are headed to LA. Is that Los Angeles or Louisiana?"

Los Angeles.

I'm going there (for only a week, I just found out) on business, so there likely won't be time to take the quiz *and* get my ticket while I'm there, and still have time left over to make it worthwile. The plan was to be able to kerchunk the 'NUT from my hotel room after all is said and done at the end of the day, but I guess that's just not going to happen this time around.

I suppose if I got desperate enough, I could always junp on there with a phony callsign (why not? There probably have to be at least a dozen guys on that machine doing that already! You know, "when in Rome" and all that rot.)

 

[VE3JSO]

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of.

*sigh* Oh well.

What about off-times? Are registered volunteer examiners generally allowed to administer quizzes privately to individuals at times other than (read: more convenient than) when the local HAM clubs/cults do? If so, I have a neighbour who's a V.E., hint hint.

i would suggest to talk to your neighbour since he lives near you he might just help you out the not sure about the exam procedure in the us but if it is like the canadian exam the cost, time and place is to be negositated with the V.E

 

[N0IU]

As for the FCC staff being on furlough, the license processing at the FCC's end is, for the most part, automated. But, I don't know what impact the "government shutdown" will have on amateur radio license processing.

"We regret the disruption, but during the Federal Government-wide shutdown, the FCC is limited to performing duties that are immediately necessary for the safety of life or the protection of property. FCC online systems will not be available until further notice."

Given the fact that the ULS database is shut down, it is a pretty safe assumption that amateur license processing has come to a halt.