July 3, 2011 Ham Radio License Review and Exam On Playa

The Black Rock Amateur Radio Association and the Friends of Black Rock are proud to present:

A Ham Radio License Class and Exam at Black Rock Ranger Training

Sunday, July 3, 2011 -- On Playa -- 10 am to 4 pm

Get Your Entry-Level Ham Radio License in Just One Day!

Please read this carefully as it will answer most of your questions

This is a one-day review of all 396 questions in the "Technician Class" license question pool, followed by an official ham radio license exam. The Technician license is the entry-level ham radio license and the technician license exam is made up of 35 of the questions from the pool; you must answer 26 (74%) of them correctly. All answers are multiple choice. In the last few years, a nine-year-old girl and a 94-year-old man passed the test---so you can too!

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED SO WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH CLASS MATERIALS. Sign up by sending email to hamcram (at) cq-blackrock.org. Please include your full name, Ranger handle (if any), and a phone number. If you don't pre-register you cannot receive the class materials.

DROP-DEAD DATE: The drop-dead date for registration is June 25, 2011. Please let us know before then -- preferably well before then! -- if you want to sign up.

COSTS: Cost is $15, cash only. Bring exact change and go to the head of the line! Remember, cash only.

CONTENT: This is not a complete class covering all the knowledge in all the questions -- it is a last-minute review! You must study the material beforehand. If you have studied on your own, there is usually a 90 or 95% pass rate. If you have not, your chances of passing are much lower! You have to do your part! Many people pass the test by themselves with only a little study on their own.

SCHEDULE: Registration will start at 9:30 am. We will begin the Cram (the review class) at 10:00 am, break for a 1 hour lunch (plus morning and afternoon bathroom breaks), and then give the license exam at 3:00 pm. The test usually takes most people about 30 minutes to complete.

This schedule is tight -- it only leaves about 30 seconds for each of the 396 total questions. But all is not lost! Some of the questions are duplicates that are simply re-worded. Others have an easy answer (remember the 9 year old!). Many people say that it's about as difficult as the written driving test -- not too bad for an adult but you do have to study a little! The last Cram we held had a 100% pass rate. Remember, you need to study on your own to pass.

BRING: Please be prompt and ready for class with pencils, highlighters, paper, and any normal class materials you need. Be sure you have water, lunch, a hat, a chair, and a clipboard or lapdesk since we'll be on the Playa! Bring a small calculator but if it's a scientific calculator the Volunteer Examiners will probably make you remove the batteries and wipe the memories. Note: you cannot use a cell phone or smart phone (iPhone, Android) as a calculator. You must bring identification for the test. If you don't have a driver's license, bring a school ID, library card, or something similar. And of course, don't forget the $15, cash.

LOCATION: The review class and the exam will be held in the Black Rock desert at "Rendezvous Point", about 3.7 miles north of the 12-mile entrance on the west side of the playa, where the Black Rock Ranger training will have taken place the day before. If you are a Black Rock Ranger, you'll know where this is. If not, please email us at hamcram (at) cq-blackrock.org and we'll give you coordinates and directions.

UPGRADES: If you already have a ham radio license but want to upgrade to the next higher license, you don't have to attend the Cram. However, you still need to pre-register at the email address given above so we can make sure we have test materials for you. Cost for a ham exam is $15.00, cash.

Study Materials

There are a number of free resources on the web to help you study:

You can also buy books. A good guide is Gordon West's The Technician Study Manual (July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2014) available from www.w5yi.org for $20.95 plus shipping. They ship fast! He's reorganized the questions for logical learning and gives bite-sized explanations of the correct answers with a lot of diagrams and drawings.

The Amateur Radio Relay League is the premier amateur radio organization in the country and has the Ham Radio License Manual (2nd Edition) for $24.95. It has the most knowledge and in-depth learning in it but most people find it rather dry. However, you'll find it a handy reference book once you get licensed! It's sometimes available in book stores or it can be ordered from www.arrl.org. The ARRL also has a Tech Q & A available for Kindle readers that's available from Amazon.com.

The ARRL also has an iPhone app called the ARRL Technician for the Technician License. It's available for $1.99 from Apple's iTunes App Store.

Other Useful Information

KIDS: Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Due to the location and for other reasons this Cram/Test may not be the most kid-friendly event. If you are thinking of bringing a youngster, please email us at hamcram (at) cq-blackrock.org to discuss.

DO-OVERS: If you don't pass the test, you can sometimes re-take the test a second time by paying a second test fee ($15) but your second test will have different questions. Check with the VE examiners to see if they have time and testing materials for re-tests. Otherwise, additional test sessions are held regularly in major cities. Nationwide test schedules are available at www.arrl.org.

WHAT NEXT? After you've passed the test, you can legally get on the air but there's a lot you won't know! Try to attend a "New Ham Class," join ARRL and a local club, or talk to other hams. Start with the person that encouraged you to become a ham! There's a list of local clubs available at the ARRL website. This is a fun hobby that lets people engage in many different activities. Some people get into this for emergency communications, some people want to chat with people in foreign countries, some like to run an amateur TV station or use "private" radio control frequencies. Others like to use radios with their computers. We'll give everybody a little information to get them started but you really need to talk to others and start really learning once you have your license. If we have time and there is interest, we'll do a little show and tell after the exam.

See you on the playa!

Phil Lapsley, N6TCT, on behalf of the Black Rock Amateur Radio Association, the Friends of Black Rock, and the cram/exam co-organizers: Bill Carson, K7BRD; Michael Curry, KI6TYV; Bill Newcomb, K6BN; ... with special thanks to David Book, KD7YIM.

Questions? Please email us at hamcram (at) cq-blackrock.org!