The Silverado Amateur Radio Society

Training and Testing Schedule -  2008
 

Training

Technician class will begin on Saturday morning at 8:30 AM and will last until 5:00 PM.  The class will finish on Sunday morning  before noon. Contact Mark Evans, KE6O for specifics.KE6O  Pre-registration is required for the training.  No pre-registration is required for the testing but will be appreciated.

** General Class  training schedule.  To be conducted "On Demand" ^*.  The class will be based on the July 1, 2007 Question Pool.  The pool is available for your review now on the  ARRL Web Site.

^*. On Demand means if we have a sufficient number of seriously interested candidates we will set up the course.  The timing will be as follows:  The class will start on a Saturday morning and run until noon.  It will then resume the following Monday evening at 7PM and run until 9PM throughout the week, concluding on Saturday morning.  The final Saturday session will begin  at 8AM and conclude around 10AM. A Q&A session will follow. 
The course will be "Leader Led" meaning that the student will have course material covering the entire subject. Leader Led training is simply material that was designed to be used as a "self-taught" course.  Businesses learned in recent years that self taught courses often fail due to the daily distractions one finds in his or her home life.  By taking the material to a class room, the distractions can be minimized.  The advantage of a Leader Led course is that occasional class time can be missed without penalty as long as the student realizes the necessity to "catch up" on his or her own time.   The course will always precede a test session since this type of learning does not "keep" well.  If you would like to do this on your own you are quite likely to succeed but I strongly suggest that you locate a test session first, then time your study to conclude shortly before that date.

The prerequisite course material must be obtained by the  student and reviewed, at least for content, prior to the start of class.  This book is the Gordon West General Class Study Guide (Version 2007 through 2011)  available at some stores such as Ham Radio Outlet, 1-800-854-6046 or in-store at 2210 Livingston Ave., Oakland.  The Study Guide can also be ordered  on-line at Amazon.com, or through the W5YI group at www.w5yi.org. W5YI also accepts telephone orders through 1-800-669-9594.  Cost is $21 plus tax and shipping.

The course will use a PowerPoint presentation of the actual test questions.  These same questions appear in the study guide along with the correct answer and a brief explanation of the reason for the answer (where appropriate). 

If you are interested in this course please contact me at  Yes! I'm interested in upgrading.

On Line Training?  Could be.  Check it out here!

The same Powerpoint presentation used in the classroom  for General Class Training is now available on-line. 

Here's where on line training could work.
The powerpoint slides are on-line and can be reviewed in the comfort and privacy of your home.  It will take some organization on your part to make it work.

1. Identify a test session that is convenient to your location. Make sure you can attend because what you will learn in this course won't keep. It's all short term memory.
2. Obtain a Gordon West Study guide before you start, and use it as a reference. The On-Line training is meant to augment Gordon's manual; not replace it.
3. Back up two weeks or more on your calendar and set aside a regular time where you can study. Two hours at a time works well and won't fry your brain. Most will require around twenty hours to complete the course, your mileage may vary.
4. Use Internet Explorer (v4 or newer) only.  Other browsers won't display powerpoint properly.
5. The link below will take you to a menu.  Each of the six modules is displayed on this menu as well as a link which will take you to the "Speakers Notes".  This is a very large page that contains the lecture notes.  You can print it out ahead of time or just review it.  The same notes appear below the powerpoint slides as they are viewed.
6. Each module will open in "Outline view".  In this view the question/answer list is listed on the left side of the screen.  The question and answer is displayed in the upper right portion of the screen and the "Speaker notes" will be displayed directly below this slide.  You may need to drag the bottom window open a bit to read the notes comfortably.
7. As you progress through the course, stop periodically and take a practice test.  These can be found at QRZ.COM and EHAM.net.

Good Luck, please let me know how you do.  73 de N6XN

http://n6xn.org/powerpoint/element3training.htm

Testing

VE testing for all class of Amateur Licenses will be conducted on the dates above at the Senior Center, 1500 Jefferson Street in Napa.

Walk-ins are welcome, testing will begin at 1PM and last until the last candidate is finished.

What to bring

The following items are required:

A legal photo ID.  This is usually a drivers license, but it can be a passport or other legal identification card with the candidate's photo on it.

When no photo ID is available, the candidate must present TWO of the following items:

• Non-photo drivers license
• Social Security Card
• Birth Certificate (must have the official seal)
• Minor's work permit or school report card
• Utility bill, bank statement or other business correspondence that specifically names the person; or
• Postmarked envelope addressed to the person at his or her current mailing address as it appears on the Form 605.

Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)  The FCC requires a TIN from each person doing business with them.  This is usually an individual's Social Security Number. Once the License application is accepted the candidate will be issued a ULS number which will then be used for any future correspondence with the FCC.

Test Fee.  This is presently $14.00.  This fee can be paid in cash or check. When using a personal check please make it out to ARRL/VEC.  One fee will cover a single application regardless of the number of elements taken.  If a candidate fails an element and wishes to try again, a second fee will be required.

Element Credit.  If an applicant is upgrading, proof of license will be required.  Bring your original license and a copy to be included with your application. If the applicant holds a valid CSCE from a previous test session, bring that as well.

The following items are optional, but recommended

Pens pencils and scratch paper.  Although we usually have pencils and scratch paper available, it is appreciated if the candidates bring their own. Any scratch paper marked on during a test must be included with the application.

Calculators may be used but not personal computers. Programmable calculators may be used but must have the memory cleared prior to the test.

Preparation

If you have attended the training listed above you will be prepared and no further work is required.  You may review your course material prior to the test if you feel it is necessary.

If you have not attended training, you may want to take some practice tests for the element(s) you wish to take prior to the test session.   Copies of the question pools are available on line at several Ham Radio oriented web sites including the ARRL Amateur Radio Relay League .

Other sites where sample tests may be found are:  QRZ   or  EHAM