Our VE team was formed in early
Summer of 2013 and operates as a part of the ARRL VEC program
We provide FCC approved testing for all Amateur Radio license exams
Due to COVID restrictions at Northcrest Hospital, until further notice,
the team will hold testing sessions on the first Saturday of
every other month at the First Free Will Baptist Church, 811 16th Ave.
East in Springfield, TN
See the main page of this website for a map of the church location.
For those of you that are not already amateur operators, VE stands for
Volunteer Examiner.
These are amateur operators that vounteer their time and talents to
help non-amateurs get their first license and current amateurs to
upgrade their current license class.
There is a fee for taking the test but none of this money goes in the
pockets of the VE Team members nor does it go to RCARC.
If you are interested in taking an exam with us, please email the VE
Liaison with this
link (if you use Outlook, Thunderbird or another email software)
or you can email ve-team@robertsoncountyarc.org. Please put RCARC VE
Testing in the subject line and then provide your Name, and preferred
phone number.
Somone will respond to you as soon as possible.
| 2021 VE Team Members: |
- Granville
Chapman, WD4LNE - VE Liaison
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Upcoming Testing Sessions for 2021
(all testing sessions will be at 1 pm unless otherwise noted)
February 6,
2021
April
3, 2021
June 5,
2021
August 7, 2021
October 2, 2021
December 4, 2021
Below are
some tips from our team to those wishing to take an exam.
You may download a .pdf copy of the this information here
Right click on the link and choose "Save Link As"
to save it to your computer
Important Note:
The FCC is now
requiring all applicants for an Amateur Radio license to obtain their
FCC Registration Number (FRN) prior to attending a test session.
The following is a link to a tutorial explaining how to register with
the FCC and obtain your FRN:
https://www.fcc.gov/rofrn
What to
do before an Exam Session
If you have
not done business with the FCC before (you don’t have any other FCC
issued
license), it is now required
that you register with the FCC and
obtain
your Federal Registration Number (FRN)
before the exam session. With your FRN,
you do not need to put your Social Security Number on your Amateur
Radio
application documents.
To obtain
your FRN, go to the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (USL) web page at http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home. Click REGISTER. On
the next page click REGISTER again. On the
next page choose “An Individual” and
“Yes” and click CONTINE.
On the next
page you are only required to fill in the information indicated by the
red
asterisk (*).
You need to crate a password (6 to 15 characters, containing at
least
one upper case letter, one lower case letter, and one number or special
character). This password and your FRN
will allow you to access the ULS system in the future.
Also, you are asked to create a Personal
Security Question (PSQ) and a Personal Security Question answer. The Personal Security Question/Answer will
allow you to reset your password in the event you forget your password.
Click the
SUBMIT button at the bottom of the form and you are done.
Record your FRN and bring it to the exam
session.
What to
bring to the Exam Session
The examination
fee (currently $15.00). Cash is
preferred (no 50 or 100 dollar bills).
You may also pay by check. If you
pay by check, make the check payable to “ARRL/VEC”.
Please note the location (city and state) and
date of the exam session in the “memo” field.
You need to
bring a government issued picture ID (driver license, military ID,
state or
local government ID, or passport). If
you do not have one of the above, you must bring TWO other
forms of identification, such as a Social Security card,
birth certificate, school ID, grade report, bank statement, or utility
bill. The name (and address, if
applicable) must match the name (and address, if applicable) you enter
on your
application documents. If you have any
questions as to what is considered a valid ID, please contact the team
liaison BEFORE the exam session.
If you are
upgrading, you need to bring the ORIGINAL
and a COPY of your existing
unexpired license (we do not have the ability to make copies at the
test
site). If you DO NOT have
an original copy of your license, contact the team
liaison BEFORE the exam
session. If you have a CSCE (Certificate
of Successful Completion of Examination) you must bring the ORIGINAL
and a COPY of the CSCE. Your
original documents will be returned to you after the VE team verifies
the
copies.
If you are
claiming Element 3 credit for a Technician license issued prior to
March 21,
1987 please contact the team liaison BEFORE
the exam session.
Cell
Phones
All cell
phones MUST be turned OFF.
Any candidate that receives or makes a cell phone call while
taking the
examination will have the examination TERMINATED
and there will be NO refund of the
examination fee.
Calculators
Calculators
can be used IF the VE team can
verify that all memories and programs have been erased.
Because of their ability to store and
retrieve information, the use of a cell
phone, smart phone, PDA or other similar device will not be allowed. If you need a calculator, the Texas
Instruments TI-30Xa includes all of the functions needed for the
Technician,
General, and Extra Class examinations and is available for less than
$15 at
Walmart. If you prefer a RPN calculator,
the Hewlett Packard HP 35s is a good choice for under $60.
If You
Pass an Examination
If you pass
an examination for an element, you may take the next element (or
elements) without paying another examination
fee.
If You
Fail an Examination
If you fail
an examination and want to try again (with a different version of the
examination) you must pay the examination fee a second time.
If you have any questions,
please
contact the team liaison before the exam session.
Thank
you
and
good luck!
The Robertson
County Amateur Radio Club VE Team