Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...
on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand" basis.

The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team, but
for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least 24
to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or most likely on weekends...usually on a Saturday;
but some teams will test on a Sunday afternoon.

Note that with COVID-19, many teams have switched to remote testing,
or are doing "low contact, in person testing". All attendees (both the examinees and examiners) MUST wear masks, and are asked questions related
to COVID-19 prior to the session. If they have a fever (99.0 degrees or higher), have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days,
or have a lack of smell or taste, they are requested to NOT come to the
exam session.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

2) The valid time on a CSCE REMAINS at 365 calender days. The FCC
DECLINED a proposal for "lifetime CSCE credit". If one receives a CSCE
on July 1 in a non-leap year, that CSCE expires at 12 midnight local
time on June 30 of the following year. If the CSCE is issued on July 1
of a leap year, the CSCE expires at 12 midnight on June 29 of the
following year. One does NOT need a CSCE to prove they took and passed
a Morse Code Test...as the Morse Code requirement was ELIMINATED from
the U.S. Amateur Radio License Requirements as of Feb. 23, 2007.

3) The number of VE's required to proctor a session REMAINS at 3. The FCC
noted that the ARRL, the W5YI-VEC, and a large number of commenters were AGAINST reducing the number from 3 to 2...because with 3 examiners, it "increases the rate of accuracy and integrity, and reduces the chances
of fraud".

4) Created the capability for "remote exam sessions", with at least
one certified VE present, with the capability of monitoring, grading,
and certifying the exams through the internet. This is especially true
in remote locations, such as Alaska, Anarctica, etc. In these areas,
examinees are lucky to have an exam session either twice a year, or
even quarterly. The actual mechanics of the session "will vary from
session to session, and from location to location"...noting that setting
such could limit the flexibility of VE's and VEC's. However, the rule for "administering exams responsibility" is in force, whether for remote tests
or not. With COVID-19, many groups are now doing "remote testing".

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MESSAGE)

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee...and effective April 19, 2022...a $35 fee to
the FCC.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

2) The valid time on a CSCE REMAINS at 365 calender days. The FCC
DECLINED a proposal for "lifetime CSCE credit". If one receives a CSCE
on July 1 in a non-leap year, that CSCE expires at 12 midnight local
time on June 30 of the following year. If the CSCE is issued on July 1
of a leap year, the CSCE expires at 12 midnight on June 29 of the
following year. One does NOT need a CSCE to prove they took and passed
a Morse Code Test...as the Morse Code requirement was ELIMINATED from
the U.S. Amateur Radio License Requirements as of Feb. 23, 2007.

3) The number of VE's required to proctor a session REMAINS at 3. The FCC
noted that the ARRL, the W5YI-VEC, and a large number of commenters were AGAINST reducing the number from 3 to 2...because with 3 examiners, it "increases the rate of accuracy and integrity, and reduces the chances
of fraud".

4) Created the capability for "remote exam sessions", with at least
one certified VE present, with the capability of monitoring, grading,
and certifying the exams through the internet. This is especially true
in remote locations, such as Alaska, Anarctica, etc. In these areas,
examinees are lucky to have an exam session either twice a year, or
even quarterly. The actual mechanics of the session "will vary from
session to session, and from location to location"...noting that setting
such could limit the flexibility of VE's and VEC's. However, the rule for "administering exams responsibility" is in force, whether for remote tests
or not. With COVID-19, many groups are now doing "remote testing".

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MESSAGE)

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee...and as of April 19, 2022...a $35 fee to the
FCC.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

2) The valid time on a CSCE REMAINS at 365 calender days. The FCC
DECLINED a proposal for "lifetime CSCE credit". If one receives a CSCE
on July 1 in a non-leap year, that CSCE expires at 12 midnight local
time on June 30 of the following year. If the CSCE is issued on July 1
of a leap year, the CSCE expires at 12 midnight on June 29 of the
following year. One does NOT need a CSCE to prove they took and passed
a Morse Code Test...as the Morse Code requirement was ELIMINATED from
the U.S. Amateur Radio License Requirements as of Feb. 23, 2007.

3) The number of VE's required to proctor a session REMAINS at 3. The FCC
noted that the ARRL, the W5YI-VEC, and a large number of commenters were AGAINST reducing the number from 3 to 2...because with 3 examiners, it "increases the rate of accuracy and integrity, and reduces the chances
of fraud".

4) Created the capability for "remote exam sessions", with at least
one certified VE present, with the capability of monitoring, grading,
and certifying the exams through the internet. This is especially true
in remote locations, such as Alaska, Anarctica, etc. In these areas,
examinees are lucky to have an exam session either twice a year, or
even quarterly. The actual mechanics of the session "will vary from
session to session, and from location to location"...noting that setting
such could limit the flexibility of VE's and VEC's. However, the rule for "administering exams responsibility" is in force, whether for remote tests
or not. With COVID-19, many groups are now doing "remote testing".

Preparing For An Exam:
======================

Normally, you can't just "walk in off the street" to take a license exam without some preparation. You will be tested on the FCC Part 97 rules,
as they relate to amateur radio, privileges per the appropriate license
class, RF safety, propagation, "good amateur practice", various operating modes, electronic theory, formulas, and calculations; and this is the case
for EACH license exam...Technician, General, and Amateur Extra.

Each of these is in more detail, as you progress up the amateur radio
license ladder...going from Technician, to General, to Amateur Extra.
Passing the more difficult exams gets you more amateur radio privileges. Whether or not you stay with one license class, or upgrade, is totally
up to you. After all, amateur radio is a HOBBY...although some would
consider it an OBSESSION (grin!).

Like it or not, studying is NOT fun. But, you can study with a local
ham radio club study group, or do it on your own. The American Radio
Relay League (ARRL) website (www.arrl.org) has links to classes. Choose
your state (if it's not listed, then no classes are currently scheduled),
and look for a group in your area. It's wise to check with the contact
person to verify details, and check for any last minute changes.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)