Bellevue Amateur Radio Club

2010 Amateur Radio Licensing Exam

ARRL/VECVE Testing Session

Amateur radio license testing will be available for everyone wishing to test for a new license or upgrade their current license.  The tests will be administered by volunteer examiners accredited by the ARRL/VEC.

When:  Saturday, March 27th at 1:00 PM -- please be on-time
Where:  Ogram Suite, Alegent Midlands Hospital, Papillion, NE.
Who:  For more information, contact Bob McCoy NBØB at ve2010@bellevuearc.org. VEs servicing the exam session are volunteers from BARC and other local clubs. This is a BARC sanctioned/sponsored event
How much:  $15.00 (please bring the exact amount if paying in cash, if writing a check it should be made out to "ARRL/VEC", no credit cards)

Walk-ins are welcome. 

If you are just completing a class from BARC, you do not have to sign up to take the test on this date.  There are recurring test dates in the area.  However, it is being offered on this date as a convenience to those who went through a BARC-sponsored class.

Candidates who successfully complete an element may take the next higher element at no additional charge.  For instance, if you pass the Technician test (element 2), you may take the General test (element 3) for no additional charge.  The same is true from General to Extra.

This is important!!! IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you are planning to upgrade your license, you must bring the original and a copy of your FCC license and any CSCEs that apply.  The copy must be sent in with your application and test materials to the ARRL for processing.

DirectionsWhere is it?

Directions from the West:  If coming into the Omaha area from I-80, exit at exit 439, marked for Bellevue and NE Highway 370.  Turn right (east) on Hwy 370 and proceed six miles to 84th Street (also marked as Washington Street).  You'll be able to see the hospital from a distance.  Turn right (south) on 84th Street.  The hospital will be on the left side of the street.

Directions from the East:  Take I-80 westbound to 84th Street, exit 448.  Turn left (south) on 84th Street.  Proceed straight south for six miles on 84th Street.  It will be marked as Washington Street in Papillion, but you're still in the right place.  By the way, watch your speed in Papillion -- there is one place where it drops down to 25 MPH.  The last major cross street you pass will be NE Highway 370.  The hospital will be on the left side.

GPS:  If you want to plug the address into your handy-dandy GPS, it is 11111 S. 84th Street, Papillion.

Inside:  Go in through the main entrance.  There is a hallway that goes straight back from the main lobby.  The conference center rooms are on that hallway.  Check the announcement above to see which room or suite we're in.  If you're looking for Ogram, it's all the way to the back and turn right.  Regardless, they are all on that hallway.

Additional maps and directions can be found at http://www.alegent.com/body.cfm?id=2679.

BARC Testing Session


Resources

In addition to books, there are many free resources available on the Internet.  Before buying a program or access to a site, make sure that you can't find the material you are looking for on a free site.

Practice Exams

All the sites below will generate correctly weighted practice exams using the current question pools.  In other words, it's the "real deal" in terms of taking a test similar to the one a VEC will issue.

Additional Resources

FCC Resources


Updates and Changes

The new testing fee is $15.00, effective 1 January 2009.

Important stuff!On December 15th, 2006 the FCC announced that it would be dropping the Morse code requirement for all classes of Amateur Radio licenses.  We don’t know the exact timing of the change yet.  The change took effect on February 23, 2007.  More info on the change is available from a variety of places on the web, including the FAQ at http://www.arrl.org/fcc/morse/

From the ARRL

SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX004
ARLX004 NCVEC Releases Second Technician Question Pool

ZCZC AX04
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 4 ARLX004
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT February 2, 2010
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX004
ARLX004 NCVEC Releases Second Technician Question Pool

In January, the Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National
Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) released the
2010 Technician (Element 2) Question Pool. Upon further review of
the pool, members of the QPC found and corrected more than 50 minor
typographical errors and clarified the questions and answers, making
them easier to understand.

These adopted changes are now incorporated in a revised question
pool. The errata list, as well as the revised Technician question
pool, is available on the NCVEC Web site at, http://www.ncvec.org/.

The previously released pool dated January 4, 2010 is invalid for
use. The newly revised Technician question pool will become
effective for all examinations administered on or after July 1,
2010; it will remain valid until June 30, 2014.

The current Technician question pool that became effective July 1,
2006 will expire June 30, 2010. The new Technician pool contains
approximately 400 questions, from which 35 are selected for an
Element 2 examination; it will contain graphics and diagrams,
something new for this element.

The current General class question pool was effective July 1, 2007
and is valid through June 30, 2011. The current Amateur Extra class
pool was effective July 1, 2008 and is valid until June 30, 2012.
NNNN
/EX

New Tech Pool Available for Review

You can download the new pool from http://www.ncvec.org/downloads/Revised%20Element%202.Pdf.

Question Pool Status:

License Class Effective Date Valid Until
Technician (Element 2) July 1, 2006 June 30, 2010
General (Element 3) July 1, 2007 June 30, 2011
Extra class (Element 4) July 1, 2008 June 30, 2012

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