ADXA Room

8:00 - 11:00   DX Videos

11:00-12:00   Working DX

12:00-12:30   ADXA Business Meeting

12:30-1:30     Antennas

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VE Testing / ARRL Room

9:00-10:30     VE Testing

(you must be in testing room by 9:30)

10:30-11:00   ARRL Forum

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Ham Radio License Exam Session at the 2016 CAREN Club All Arkansas Hamfest

Ham Radio License Exams will be given at the 2016 All Arkansas Hamfest at Catholic High

School, 6300 Father Tribou Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Talk-in

will be on the W5DI 146.940 Repeater (no PL Tone). While the hamfest opens at 8am, testing does

NOT start until 9am; but if I have at least 3 other ARRL/VEC Amateur Extra Class Volunteer

Examiners (VE's) on hand at 8:30am, I may start testing early. I'll arrive at 7am to set up.

Examinees should study the question pools for Technician (2014), General (2015), or Amateur

Extra (2016). Study guides dated prior to July 1 of the years noted above, should be discarded.

Knowledge of Morse Code is NOT required for an amateur radio license.

Examinees should use the restroom BEFORE entering the exam area; as once testing starts, they

may NOT leave the room for ANY reason, without turning in all exam items. Then, if they want

to test (before 9:30am), they'll have to pay another exam fee (noted below). If they have some sort

of disability (reading, visual impairment, etc.) or medical condition, they need to notify the VE

Team Leader (at end of this document), so special exam accommodations can be prepared, and

enough VE's can be on hand to administer such. Note that medical documentation may be

required if the disability isn't obvious, or if prior arrangements aren't made. A disability or

handicapped designator on the drivers license or state ID, will suffice.

As long as the examinee isn't a representative of a foreign government, they're in the exam room

by 9:30am, and have the items noted below, they may take the exam(s). Otherwise, they will be

asked to leave the exam area. The same will apply if they're disruptive, or are caught cheating;

one is either ready to take the exam, or are they are not. ANY cheating will NOT be tolerated!!

! Photo ID (Drivers License, Military ID, State ID, Passport) or 2 forms of non-photo ID (Utility

Bill, Bank Statement, Piece Of Mail addressed to them, Social Security Card, Library Card,

Minors Work Permit, etc.). These will be RETURNED to the owner AFTER the VE Team has

inspected them. The VE Team does NOT make copies of these items.

! ORIGINAL and a COPY of the Ham Radio License, current or expired (partial exam credit

may be available); plus ORIGINAL and a COPY of CSCE (Certificate Of Successful Completion

Of Examination), if what's on the CSCE is NOT reflected on the current ham radio license. I do

NOT have means to make copies of these documents, so examinees MUST be sure that they have

these on exam day. It's up to the examinee to provide license and CSCE documentation for the

license exam credit...NOT the VE Team. No “credit documentation” may mean “re-testing”.

! Social Security Number (SSN) – protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, and required by the Debt

Collection Act of 1996; OR Federal Registration Number (FRN). If the ham radio license is

expired over 2 years, or if it never had an FRN, the examinee MUST use the SSN. Otherwise,

they should use the FRN instead. One can get an FRN prior to the exam session at the FCC ULS

website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls – they will have to provide their SSN to get an FRN. The VE

Team does NOT keep the FRN or SSN data – it is sent to the ARRL/VEC, who will send the data

to the FCC. The FCC will issue an FRN with the ham radio license. If the examinee has a similar

license (such as a GROL or GMRS), if it has an FRN on it, they may use that instead.

! Cash, check, or money order for $15...payable to ARRL/VEC. Credit/debit/bank cards can NOT

be used for the exam fee. Petty cash will be available, if change is needed.  

! If they have a calculator, it MUST be INSPECTED by the VE Team to be sure it is CLEAR of

memory resident formulas. I have 12 generic calculators available for loan, first come, first serve.

All paperwork, pens, pencils, scratch paper, etc. will be provided. The NCVEC Form 605 will be

filled out in blue or black ink, with the Answer Sheet filled out in pencil (in case you want to

change your answers). Examinees are asked to PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY on the forms. After

these 2 forms are filled out, the examinee will be given an exam booklet...and should NOT write

in, or on the exam booklets. They should instead request scratch paper for use. All of these items

are to be turned in, once they finish the exam. Note that EVERY EXAM IS DIFFERENT, so

trying to copy answers off of your neighbor is pointless.

Also, examinees may NOT use ANY electronic device (computer, smartphone, iPad, iPhone, etc.),

study guide, cheat sheet, etc. during the exam. All these should be turned off, and/or put away

before testing begins. Again, you're ready to take the exam or you're not. Please do NOT put

yourself or the VE Team into an embarrassing situation. If it takes you a dozen tries or more to

pass the exam, even if just barely, you've got as much right to be on the air, as someone who made

a perfect score the first time. Once testing starts, noise (talking, etc.) should be at a MINIMUM;

including the VE Team. If the VE's get carried away, the examinees should ask the VE's to “tone

it down”. Examinees may want to bring earplugs, if they are bothered by noise.

Examinees should answer the questions they know first, and go back to the other ones later. The

first guess is usually correct...but, if you have to guess, do it intelligently. If you leave an answer

blank, or mark more than one answer, that answer is automatically WRONG. On the answer

sheet, make a SOLID CIRCLE through the desired answer (A, B, C, or D). You may wish to go

back and recheck your answers before turning it in. The Technician and General examinees only

have to answer the first 35 questions on the answer sheet; Extra examinees must answer all 50.

When done, examinees should turn in the test book, answer sheet, scratch paper, pens, pencils,

calculators, etc. The exam will be graded immediately, or as soon as possible. One can miss as

many as 9 on the Technician and General, and 13 on the Extra, and it's still a passing score. Note

that THERE'S NO DISGRACE IN FAILING. If the examinee misses passing the exam by 4 or

less, they can re-take the failed exam element, with a different set of questions, and pay another

exam fee...or they can study some more, and take another exam later. If they miss passing the

exam by 5 or more questions, they need more study time (Ham Test Online is recommended).

Examinees passing the Technician exam will be given the chance to take the General exam at no

charge, if desired. Conversely, those passing the General exam will be given the chance to take

the Amateur Extra exam at no charge, if desired. Those passing the General or Amateur Extra

exam can apply to become a VE, if desired (open book accreditation exam for ARRL/VEC).

No matter what exam is passed, examinees should be SURE to get a CSCE from the VE Team

BEFORE they leave the exam room; it's the ONLY proof they have of passing the exam. Several

handouts will be given to examinees after the exam session is completed. One of the vendors may

offer a discount at the hamfest to those with a CSCE, but this is NOT guaranteed.

Those wishing to test, or ARRL/VEC VE's wishing to serve may contact the VE Team Leader,

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, via email to wx1der at gmail dot com - or via voice mail at 501-476-2545.

Let me know which element(s) you want to take; or if a VE, what license class you are. If voice

mail, please let me know the best time to reach you, and please leave a callback number.