Welcome to the CRES Amateur Radio Club Volunteer Examiner Team's web page for prospective and upgrading hams. The Volunteer Examiner program was created by the Federal Communications Commission to permit specially trained ham radio operators, who donate their time, to administer the amateur radio exams that applicants must pass in order to become a ham themselves or to upgrade their license class. The CRES Amateur Radio Club is one of several ham organizations in the Central Ohio area that sponsor a VE team. We normally give exams three times a year, in April, August, and December, usually on the first or second Saturday of the month. This site attempts to provide answers to those questions frequently asked of us about our exam sessions and the VE program. Be aware that some of the information presented here is specific to our particular program and to the Central Ohio area, and other VE teams may elect to do some things differently.
Before you can legally operate an amateur station, you must be properly licensed by the FCC. To obtain a license, you must pass one or more comprehensive written exams to ensure you are knowledgeable enough about the rules of ham radio to be a safe and competent operator.
There are currently three levels of licensing: TECHNICIAN, GENERAL, and EXTRA. Each license class has a written test associated with it. The written tests are multiple choice exams consisting of 35 or 50 questions each. To obtain a TECHNICIAN license, now the entry level license class, you must pass a single written exam. To obtain the mid-level GENERAL class, you may either upgrade from the Technician class, which requires passing a more difficult written test, or you may pass the Technician and General elements at one or more sittings. The EXTRA license class - the one with the most privileges - is obtained in a similar manner, with the Extra class written exam being the most difficult test offered.
The complete question pools from which the test questions are taken are published and are widely available. The questions cover the rules pertaining to ham radio, theory, and things like safety and good operating practice. None of these tests are trivial, and it is unlikely a person can pass them without committing to a dedicated program of study beforehand. But, don't let the need for study dissuade you: We've had 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds who have passed these tests with flying colors.
Not anymore. While communicating by Morse Code has always been a basic tenet of our hobby, a demonstrated proficiency is no longer required. Morse is still an important facet of ham radio, though, and you may find as you become more involved with the ham fraternity that mastering and using this arcane skill is something you enjoy.
Google is your friend here. There are many web sites where you can find the current question pools and sample test engines. Or you can go the ARRL web site, http://www.arrl.org, and click on the Licensing tab to get started. You can find ham radio study guides at many local bookstores. You may also wish to visit our local ham distributer, Universal Radio, http://www.universal-radio.com, in Reynoldsburg — they generally have a wealth of preparatory materials available for sale in their showroom.
You need to find an exam session. In the Columbus area, you can call Universal Radio at 614-866-4267 — they are usually aware of the upcoming exam sessions which are being offered locally. Alternately, you can check Bob Johnson's list of Ohio exam sites, http://www.wcnet.org/~johnson/exams.txt, or for ARRL-sponsored exams you can visit their web site, http://www.arrl.org/finding-an-exam-session, to obtain a schedule for their teams' exams. Or, you can show up at the time and place mentioned at the top of this web page.
First, you'll need to have some identification. A Picture ID is much preferred — something like a driver's license, passport, or student-id card. If you do not have a picture id, bring two forms of identification, which could include a birth certificate, a social security card, utility bill with your name on it, or a postmarked envelope addressed to you at your current address.
Next, if you already have a ham license, make sure you bring the Original License plus a COPY of that license we can retain. We may have to submit the copy with your paperwork for processing, and we don't have the facilities to make copies at our exam site. (And by the way, if you have any ham license that is less than two years expired, be aware it can be renewed without retesting by filling out the proper paperwork.)
If you've passed an exam element within the preceding year (365 days), either at one of our sessions or at another VE team's test session, bring the paperwork you received at the time (the exact name for this document is "Certificate of Successful Completion" or CSCE), along with a copy of the same, so you will not have to be retested on the elements you've previously passed.
You might also want to ensure you have a pen and several spare pencils and a calculator handy.
When you arrive at one of our sessions, you'll be greeted by several volunteer examiners who will first want to check your identification and any other pertinent paperwork (CSCE's, old licenses) you may have brought with you. They'll collect the exam fee, and will give you an additional form to fill out — the NCVEC form 605 mentioned above. Then they'll direct you to the appropriate place where you can commence taking the exam(s).
Within reason, you can have as much time as you need to take an exam. Each element is designed to take a typical applicant 30-60 minutes to complete. The exams are strictly closed-book. All paperwork will be provided by the exam team, including the scratch paper used for working the problems. You'll receive a multi-page exam with questions semi-randomly chosen from the applicable question pool. (We say semi-randomly because there must be a certain number of questions from each of several categories on every exam.) We ask that you do not mark on the exam itself as it will be reused. You'll also receive an answer sheet for recording your answers. You may provide your own calculator for use during the exam, as long as there are no formulas or constants preprogrammed into its memories. You will not be permitted to leave the room until your exam is turned in, so it would be wise to visit the restroom prior to commencing the exam.
Once you have finished the exam and checked your work, you can turn in all the paperwork and are then free to leave the room. But don't go far. We'll notify you of the results after we have graded your exam. If you pass, we'll offer you the option of going on to take the next exam element. Most people choose not to take the exams beyond those for which they have prepared, but the decision is entirely up to you. Once you've either taken a stab at every exam element you need, or have elected not to go on, we'll proceed to the endgame: If you've passed any element at our session, we'll congratulate you and issue you a CSCE to confirm the fact. Otherwise, we'll encourage you to study a bit more and try again at a later session.
If this is your first foray into the ham radio fraternity, you'll have to sit on your hands while you wait for the paperwork to be processed. We submit our paperwork to our VEC, and they in turn check it and submit it to the FCC. The FCC will then issue you a license. The whole process normally takes about 10 days. (But, hey, that's a lot better than the 6-10 weeks it took when I was first licensed in the mid '80s!) You can't operate your own station until you are assigned a callsign. However, you can check the FCC web page, http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp, and when you find your new call in their database, you can legally get on the air and make your first contact. If you already have a license and have successfully upgraded, you can begin using your new privileges immediately, but you'll have to sign your call with a special suffix until your new class appears in the FCC database. The particulars are explained on the back of the CSCE you'll receive.
Not normally. We accept walk-in candidates at our sessions. Be aware, however, that other VE teams operate differently, and some do require that an applicant pre-register for their exam sessions. Also, please note that if you have special needs — say perhaps you are visually impaired — you should contact us beforehand so that we can ensure we have the materials and personnel on hand to accomodate you.
We'd be happy to address it personally. You can either drop us an email at ve-questions@w8zpf.cboh.org or contact us by phone. Our team's applicant point-of-contact is Rob Stampfli/KD8WK. He may also be reached at 614-864-9377 (afternoons and evenings, please).
Our club used to be affiliated with the AT&T/Western Electric manufacturing facility (more recently, Lucent Technologies), on the far east side of Columbus. In 2002, we realized we had more retirees and friends of the club than corporate members, so we voted to open ourselves to all interested amateurs. We continue to maintain the W8ZPF repeater, on 146.67 Mhz (PL 131.8), for the benefit of club members and local hams, and offer bi-monthly presentations on a variety of ham topics. Feel free to visit our web page at http://w8zpf.org to learn more about us.