Get Your Ham License in 1 Day: Sat. 4/23/2016

cockpitbob

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Once again, the Gloucester ham club is holding its 1 day study and test class.

Cost: $20
When: Sat 4/23/2016
Arrive: 8:00am
Finish: about 5:00pm
Location: Gloucester, MA

No need to pre-study. Just arrive rested and ready for a bit of a tedious day. You'll study for 45 minutes, then walk around and clear your head for 15, then repeat. You'll do 3 of these hours before lunch (BYOL or eat at local Gloucester eatery), then 3 hrs after lunch, then take the test. I think coffee and snacks are provided free.

Usually all the adults and all the kids older than 13 pass. My son passed when he was 11! After you pass, it will take the FCC 1-3 weeks to issue you a call sign, then you'll be a licensed ham radio operator. Start by getting one of those $35 Baofeng ham radios and get on the air.

Many NESers have gotten their licenses at this class. Three years ago about 15 got their tickets on the same day.

MORE INFO:
Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association (CAARA) Tech-in-a-Day web page
Ask me (and others) questions in this thread. Lots of us have done it.
Ask the guy running it questions. Email: [email protected].
See post #3 in this thread.
Here's the thread from when about 15 of us got our tickets 3 years ago.


One word of caution about after you get your license. It may cost you more time than you expect. Ham radio isn't a hobby, it's 99 hobbies:
Community service. Prepper related. You build it. Just being social chatting with people on other continents or just on the local repeater with a $35 hand held. Contesting. Simple geek stuff like talking to someone 1,000 miles away by bouncing off a ham satellite in orbit with a $35 handheld radio with a $80 antenna. Super geek stuff like bouncing off the moon with a high power station and big antenna. Morse code. Digital modes. Sending emails thousands of miles over the airwaves with no internet on your end.

Something for everyone.
 
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I copied this over to a Facebook group I'm a part of. Hopefully, the class will be nice and full and we get a lot of new hams as a result.
 
Will this run again? I would love to take the class and get my license some day. It's a bucket list item since the days when I used to own a Hummer and a lot of the Hummer owners had ham radios instead of CB's.
 
Will this run again? I would love to take the class and get my license some day. It's a bucket list item since the days when I used to own a Hummer and a lot of the Hummer owners had ham radios instead of CB's.
If you can't make this one the CAARA club does this about twice a year.
 
I want to use a Post Office Box as an address.

Do I need to provide that address on the day of the test?
 
I want to use a Post Office Box as an address.

Do I need to provide that address on the day of the test?
Yes, there's FCC forms to fill out that day.
Reasonable choice going with a PO box. Anyone that knows your call sign can find the address you gave the FCC. Most of us aren't that concerned about OpSec and give our home address, but the FCC only requires they have a way to get hold of you by mail, so a PO box works fine.

In the Techinadaypacket.zip info packet linked in CAARA's flyer is the FCC's Form 605 (application for license). Save time and fill it out ahead of time. It needs either your SSN or an FCC registration number (FRN). As a Ham you'll need an FRN anyway so you might as well go here and register with the FCC, get your FRN, then put the FRN on the form instead of your SSN.
 
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Yes, there's FCC forms to fill out that day.
Reasonable choice going with a PO box. Anyone that knows your call sign can find the address you gave the FCC. Most of us aren't that concerned about OpSec and give our home address, but the FCC only requires they have a way to get hold of you by mail, so a PO box works fine.

In the Techinadaypacket.zip info packet linked in CAARA's flyer is the FCC's Form 605 (application for license). Save time and fill it out ahead of time. It needs either your SSN or an FCC registration number (FRN). As a Ham you'll need an FRN anyway so you might as well go here and register with the FCC, get your FRN, then put the FRN on the form instead of your SSN.

I just called the FCC about that. You put down any mailing address where you can get mail. That address of the FRN (FCC Registration Number) is private. When you are issued a call sign, your name and address (the mailing address for your FRN) will be on public record, however.
 
Bump

2 days to go. They still have a few open seats.

Good luck to all those going. Rest up so you have a fresh head for a somewhat tedious day.

BTW, the chairs are probably the same folding metal chairs as when I took the test there. I was advised to bring a seat cushion. I left it in the car, but after lunch I used it because my dignity didn't seem as important as not having a sore butt distracting me.
 
I've been running through the flash cards on hamexam.org and so far I'm feeling confident. Starting to take the practice exam over and over since I've gone through the flash cards a few times.

Thanks for the heads up about the seat cushion. [thumbsup]
 
Since you're that far along on the Technician exam, you're more than guaranteed to pass the Tech after a day of studying. Starting now, I suggest you start grinding through the General exam practice tests. Once you pass the Tech you can take the General test, right then, at no charge. Just about everyone gives the General a shot after passing the Tech. Lots of people pass both in the same sitting. For some strange reason, if you fail by just 1 or 2 questions you can give it another try right there, but the FCC does make you pay another $15 (makes no sense to me). But I would suggest doing it. The 2nd set of randomly selected questions may be more in your favor.

3 years ago when a bunch of NESers did this, on guy passed the Tech and General so we bullied him into taking the Extra. You never know, and passing all 3 in one sitting would be something to be seriously proud of. I'll never forget his reaction when he handed in his Extra test. "You know that dream you had in college where you are in final exams and you realize you never studied for them?" [rofl] You gotta give him credit for trying. A full day of studying, then 120 test questions all in one sitting. He was a bit tired.
 
Since you're that far along on the Technician exam, you're more than guaranteed to pass the Tech after a day of studying. Starting now, I suggest you start grinding through the General exam practice tests. Once you pass the Tech you can take the General test, right then, at no charge. Just about everyone gives the General a shot after passing the Tech. Lots of people pass both in the same sitting. For some strange reason, if you fail by just 1 or 2 questions you can give it another try right there, but the FCC does make you pay another $15 (makes no sense to me). But I would suggest doing it. The 2nd set of randomly selected questions may be more in your favor.

3 years ago when a bunch of NESers did this, on guy passed the Tech and General so we bullied him into taking the Extra. You never know, and passing all 3 in one sitting would be something to be seriously proud of. I'll never forget his reaction when he handed in his Extra test. "You know that dream you had in college where you are in final exams and you realize you never studied for them?" [rofl] You gotta give him credit for trying. A full day of studying, then 120 test questions all in one sitting. He was a bit tired.

Def take the General test after you pass tech, I only missed General by 3 questions and I didn't study any of the General material. They are standard .gov multiple choice questions, deductive reasoning goes a long way.
 
It was a long day but I passed the tech. I took the general to get a baseline and scored 17, my goal was 10. I knew I would fail the general since I came into today with zero prep.
 
It was a long day but I passed the tech. I took the general to get a baseline and scored 17, my goal was 10. I knew I would fail the general since I came into today with zero prep.

Congratulations on passing the test and giving a good effort on the General. My son and I attended and were successful as well. We elected not to try the General, having no prep.

And, yes - a long day. He fell asleep on the way home and is upstairs resting...
 
That's 4 more NESers so far. Outstanding! Anyone else go?

CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to the hobby! Keep the momentum rolling and get a radio. There's nothing wrong with a $35 Baofeng UV-5R as a first radio. I own one. Once your call sign appears in the FCC's data base, be sure to check into CAARA's net Sunday nights at 9:00pm (if you can reach it). They LOVE to hear from their graduates. Stumbling and bumbling in your first net check-in is expected and welcomed :)
 
I know Reptile went and passed his Tech. Not sure how he fared on the General.

Oh man, that is great news. I talked to him Thursday or Friday on the phone and he seemed really amped to get into the hobby.

I hope my encouragement helped!!!!

Congrats Reptile!
 
I am new to this forum, been reading for some time though. I also went to this class and passed the Technician. I tried the general but did not fare so well on it. Maybe after studying I will try the general again.

Thank you for the post on this class, I have been wanting to take it for some time and glad I finally did.
 
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