Northwestern Vermont now has two great options available for taking amateur radio exams:
Amateur Radio Licensing Overview:
| Northwestern VT ARRL VE Team | Franklin County W5YI VE Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Information | The Northwestern VT ARRL VE Team holds monthly exam sessions. | The Franklin County W5YI VE Team specializes in providing amateur radio exam sessions with comfort in mind. | ||||||
| Exam Location |
St. Albans VFW 353 Lake Street St Albans City, VT 05478 |
Custom sessions can be held anywhere in the Franklin County region of Vermont. | ||||||
| Upcoming Exam Sessions | Please contact Arn Benjamin to schedule a custom test session. | |||||||
| Exams Offered | Technician, General, Amateur Extra | Technician, General, Amateur Extra | ||||||
| Exam Fee | $15.00 (Set by ARRL) | $14.00 (Set by W5YI) | ||||||
| Contact Info |
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In the United States, there are currently three levels of Amateur Radio licensing, all of which no longer require knowing morse code:
Technician License
The Technician license is the current entry-level license into the world of Amateur Radio. Upon successfully passing the Technician exam (Element 2), you are given operating rights on the VHF and UHF bands. This means you are able to use hand-held radios (HT’s) in both simplex (direct) and through Amateur Radio repeaters. Additionally, DXing can also be possible under good tropo conditions. Additionally, limited privileges are also available on the 10m HF band to Technicians. (Source: How does two way radio work?)
General License
The General license is considered the gateway license to the HF bands. Upon successfully passing the General exam (Element 3), you are given operating rights which span all amateur radio bands. This drastically opens up opportunities for long distance, world-wide communications via voice (ssb), data, or cw modes.
Amateur Extra License
The Amateur Extra (Extra) license is the highest level license in Amateur Radio. Upon successfully passing the Extra exam (Element 4), you are given operating rights that span all frequencies on all amateur radio bands. This can help you to find lesser-used frequencies on crowded days.
What to bring to an Exam Session:
- Identification:
- Legal photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport is preferred
- If no photo ID is available, please bring two forms of the following pieces of identification:
- Non-photo ID or driver’s license
- Birth Certificate with raised seal
- Social Security card
- Library card
- Utility bill, bank statement or other business-related correspondence that specifically names yourself and current mailing address
- Students and minors may also use a School ID, report card, or a legal guardian may present their photo ID
- Your Social Security number is required, unless you already have an FRN with the FCC
- If you’re upgrading your license, bring a photocopy of your current Amateur Radio license. The Testing team will need to keep this copy, so please do not bring your original copy.
- If you are waiting on a license upgrade, you may bring a copy of your CSCEs from previous exam sessions
- Miscellaneous Items:
- Two – #2 Pencils with erasers to perform the test
- 1 – Pen to fill out paperwork
- A calculator with its’ memory erased may be used. Cell phones and other electronic devices may not be used.
- Payment: A check, cash, or money order for $15 to cover exam session fee
Additional Amateur Radio Licensing Resources:
Technician Testing
Exam Preparation books:
- ARRL Ham Radio License Manual – Technician Exam
- Gordon West – Technician Class 2014-2018 FCC Element 2 Radio License Preparation
Exam Preparation websites:
Mobile apps are also available in the Google Play and iTunes stores.
