Contributing Authors: Marcel Stieber AI6MS, Sterling Mann N0SSC, Nick Booth N1CCK, Lucky225 WA6VPS, Richard Bateman KD7BBC
Note 4/23/2020: Thanks for the overwhelming response! A few points before we move onto the press release:
Can my VE team get involved doing remote exams ?
Absolutely! The primary ExamTools developer, Richard (KD7BBC), is working on software updates and does not have time to walk everyone through, so for now please join the Discord Chat Server and get help getting started there. Please don’t contact ExamTools support until you’re actually ready to get started. Note that you need approval from your VEC to administer remote exams as well.
The process we recommend is: (last updated Dec 21, 2020)
- READ THIS: This process is for Volunteer Examiners, not for people wanting to take a test!
- Join the discord server, introduce yourself and get approved
- Get your accounts set up with this handy guide
- Watch the training videos and read other documentation
- Play with the sandbox system, learn how it works
- Once you’re ready to actually run a session, get permission from your VEC and then submit a request to be marked as a Team Lead on the live system.
I want to take an exam! How do I get started?
The good news is there are exam sessions going on most days! The bad news is they are still a little slow and there aren’t enough groups running them yet. You can look for sessions at https://hamstudy.org/sessions — make sure you read the instructions! — and contact the VE team linked on the page not HamStudy.org with any questions as HamStudy.org does not run the exam sessions!
As of yet there aren’t a lot of sessions open, but we are doing our best.
Press Release
Amateur radio license exams typically involve local, in-person sessions run by Volunteer Examiners (VEs) to provide supervision and coordination of the FCC exam with respect to the Part 97 regulations. A limited number of remote exam sessions have been done in areas like Alaska, Hawaii, and Antarctica, but all of these still relied on an in-person proctor to be on-site with the examinee. While the COVID-19 shelter in place guidelines have certainly brought this issue to the forefront, the need for testing applicants with limited mobility or access to physical exams has been a longstanding problem for making amateur radio accessible to everyone. There are many anecdotal examples of VE teams and applicants going to great lengths, visiting applicants to provide exams in places such as nursing homes, or applicants traveling hundreds of miles to attend the nearest exam session. The need for fully-remote sessions is now stronger than ever.
Remote and fully-remote exam administration has been permitted by the FCC since the rule change in 2014 explicitly authorized remote exams per FCC Report & Order 14-74. Since that time, both Anchorage ARC VEC (Volunteer-Examiner Coordinator) and ARRL VEC have been offering remote sessions with on-site proctors for extenuating circumstances. Under this rule change, the W5YI VEC recently allowed for limited trials of fully-remote exam administration methods that do not require an on-site proctor. The fully-remote exam administration leverages popular video-communications technologies such as Skype or Zoom to allow for exam sessions to be held in full compliance with both FCC and VEC requirements while maintaining the highest exam integrity and applicant experience.
On March 26th, 2020, the first-ever fully-remote amateur radio exam was held to demonstrate the capabilities of these technologies and align with the needs of the W5YI VEC that authorized the trial. This session resulted in a former ham radio operator, Joseph Talbot, passing his technician exam. The FCC issued him his new call sign KJ7NNU within 24 hours of the exam thanks to digital paperwork and speedy processing by W5YI. This exam was performed using Zoom video conferencing and ExamTools.org, a computer-based testing platform developed in 2014 by Richard Bateman KD7BBC with sponsorship and support from Icom America. ExamTools was originally designed for testing, grading, and exam administration of traditional in-person exam sessions on computers, but lent itself very well to fully-remote testing. Richard led this fully-remote session under the supervision of the National Conference of Volunteer-Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) Chairman and W5YI-VEC President Larry Pollock, NB5X.
Since this time, several other VE Teams have begun administering fully-remote exams using ExamTools.org along with video conferencing systems. The Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group (GLAARG) VEC started administering fully remote exams the following week, led by GLAARG VEC Team Lead Norm Goodkin K6YXH with the approval of Adrienne Sherwood WA6YEO. GLAARG VEC has administered over 100 individual exams in the first half of April. ARRL VEC also has a limited number of VE Teams running fully remote sessions per Maria Somma AB1FM (ARRL VEC Manager and NCVEC Vice-Chairman).
While many VECs and VE Teams are excited and willing to offer fully-remote exams, the tools and methods are extremely cumbersome and difficult to administer consistently. Challenges include signing and managing all exam paperwork, verifying applicant identification, observing the applicant reliably throughout the exam, actual taking of the exam, exam booklet and question management, and confirming exam payments as required by the VEC. In order to streamline these processes for both fully-remote and in-person computer-based testing, Richard Bateman KD7BBC is enhancing the existing functionality of ExamTools.org to integrate many of these features into the tool and greatly improve the exam experience for all those involved. Since March 2020, a small team of amateur radio enthusiasts has been supporting Richard’s efforts to develop, test, and document the improved tool and the best practices around administering such exams. In the FAQ section of this release, several documents are provided as resources to the VECs and VE Teams for them to modify and incorporate into their own fully-remote exam procedures. The improved ExamTools.org system is currently in beta testing with several VE Teams and will be made available for wider release soon. Stay tuned for the updates on this blog.
Special thanks to the following individuals for their contributions to the fully-remote exam administration process, either those contributing directly or otherwise supporting the efforts:
- Richard Bateman, KD7BBC
- Nick Booth, N1CCK
- Marcel Stieber, AI6MS
- Sterling Mann, N0SSC
- Lucky225, WA6VPS
- Norm Goodkin, K6YXH (and his whole family of VEs: Naomi, Miriam, Michael, Daniel, and Mitchell!)
- Rick Norton, WM6M
- Mikel Turnier, WU1B
- Bob Phinney, K5TEC
- Ted Reimann, W1OG
And a special thanks to W5YI-VEC and the Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group VEC for believing in the technology to enable more people to experience ham radio!
FAQ:
Why do we even offer the fully-remote exam?
Many people wishing to get their amateur radio license have expressed challenges with lack of test session availability, especially in remote areas or areas further away from major cities with regular exam sessions from local radio clubs, or the ability to provide an appropriate proctor for the exam. Additionally, there are individuals who may not be able to easily attend in-person sessions either due to disability or other personal reasons.
With the increase in social distancing requirements in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, many VE Teams have found that they are unable to hold their normal exam sessions and are therefore looking for other ways to continue providing exam sessions. Spurred by the pandemic, there has been a massive increase in both desire and demand from the amateur radio community at large for the VECs to modernize their testing capabilities and improve exam access for everyone. Additionally, General class licensees looking to upgrade to Amateur Extra before the question pool refreshes on July 1st, 2020 will greatly benefit from completing their upgrades fully-remotely.
What does ExamTools.org offer?
ExamTools is being upgraded to now support:
- VE Administrative Portal for exam session management
- VE to applicant assignments to facilitate documentation and exam breakout rooms
- Built-in applicant session registration using the FCC FRN registration tool
- Support for Form 605 completion, signatures, and distribution
- Support for CSCE completion, signatures, distribution, and online verification
- Automatic generation of a unique exam for each applicant and each attempt
- VE triggered start of the exam and exam grading
- VE ability to invalidate an exam
- Exam session manifest is generated at the end of the session for submission to the VEC office
- Immediate digital distribution of documents to applicant and VE team
- All session documentation is retained per VEC and FCC retention requirements and made available for VEC downloading for their local records
ExamTools is not currently providing a turn-key video conferencing solution for fully-remote exams, so it is up to each VEC to determine their accepted video conferencing solution based on their specific needs. The fully-remote exam working group has developed standardized documentation for supporting VECs and VE Teams with these tools.
How much does this cost?
ExamTools is still being offered at no cost to the VECs, VE Teams, and Applicants but does welcome voluntary donations from users if desired. ExamTools is a sister project to HamStudy.org and shares its sponsorship from Icom America and support from Signal Stuff.
How do you maintain exam integrity?
Test integrity is one of the most important parts of any exam run by Volunteer Examiners. The fully-remote exam administration was developed in direct correlation with various existing VEC standards, with cooperation and input from many key stakeholders in the VEC community.
During the session, VEs will first examine the working area around the applicant by having the applicant show the room and working area using his or her webcam, checking that all writing materials and calculators meet the exam requirements. During the entirety of the testing process, VEs will monitor the applicant’s microphone, face, and screen (all of which must remain on throughout the session). Several additional checks and requirements are also in place – see the guidebooks linked below for more information.
The video conferencing solution should allow for VEs to be muted and have their videos turned off to prevent the applicant from getting any clues or hints from the VEs. The applicant’s video and audio will need to be on for the duration of the exam. Based on the feedback from the over 100 fully-remote exams offered so far, the VE Teams have provided extremely positive feedback and expressed their strong confidence in the exam integrity of this format. As opposed to an in-person exam, where dozens of applicants can be spread throughout a large room being loosely monitored as a group, in the fully-remote format a single applicant is being actively watched by 3 VEs individually. This means that the VEs are incredibly aware of the applicant’s activities at all times, to the extent that the VEs can observe the applicant’s eyes as they read and answer each question. This level of detailed observation is unprecedented in the existing exam formats and provides high confidence in the integrity of the fully-remote exam process.
Finally, all session audio, video, and screen-share contents for any fully-remote exam session should be recorded by the VE Team for both session integrity, training, and auditing purposes. This allows the VE teams to review any test anomalies before certifying a CSCE and also allows the VEC to audit any exam for both applicant and VE integrity.
What are the technical requirements for the applicant?
Applicants in a fully-remote exam must provide a quiet room with a clear desk, computer with webcam and microphone, and reliable internet connection for the duration of the exam. The camera must have a clear view of the applicant and the testing area throughout the exam. The applicant’s full computer screen will be shared during the entire exam. Applicants are not allowed to wear headphones or a headset or use a second monitor during the exam. A detailed Applicant Guidebook with additional recommendations has been developed by the working group and is made available to VECs and VE Teams at: https://bit.ly/3er7ozQ
What are the rules for VEs involved in the session?
All VEs for the session must also have computers with a webcam and microphone. At the start of the exam session, all videos are active to allow the VE Team Lead to verify the VEs and applicants during the exam setup. During the exam itself, the VEs will turn off their cameras and microphones to limit any inadvertent distractions or reactions to the applicant’s exam taking. A detailed VE Guidebook with additional recommendation has been developed by the working group and is made available to VECs and VE Teams at: https://bit.ly/3eB09W3
What are the exam sizes and VE ratios supported?
ExamTools supports sessions of any size. While video conferencing solutions readily available at this time support meetings with dozens of participants, they are only viable to support a single testing applicant per session due to challenges in screen sharing, separating, and observing feeds from each applicant in the video conferencing tools tested to date. It is up to each VEC and VE Team to determine the appropriate size and distribution of their VE teams and applicant ratios, depending on the exam session format and specific tools in use. Generally, this means a team of 3 VEs would be able to observe at least one applicant at a time, but possibly up to three applicants with readily-available video conferencing tools using multiple concurrent meetings. Certain VE Teams have started experimenting with Breakout Rooms and multiple sets of 3 VEs to allow concurrent examinations. In these cases, special care must be taken to ensure applicants are isolated from each other during the exam, while allowing the necessary VEs to observe, manage, and communicate with specific applicants. In the future, custom video solutions may be developed by ExamTools to support larger concurrent exam sessions natively.
How can individuals sign up to take an exam?
Check the public exam listings at https://hamstudy.org/sessions and sign up for any available sessions that work for you. Note that a very limited number of VECs and VE Teams are currently offering fully-remote exams, but any of them that are using ExamTools should be listed as a hamstudy.org session. It is very important to read the special instructions provided within the session information prior to signing up, as additional scheduling steps may be required by the VE Team administering that specific session.
How can I sign up to be a VE for these types of sessions?
Please contact your VEC of choice to become a VE. A list of FCC certified VECs is available on the FCC website. If you are already a VE, please have your VE Team Lead work with your VEC to determine the next steps for your group. If your VEC is not currently set up to administer fully-remote exams but would like to be, please have your VEC contact person email Richard Bateman, KD7BBC at support@examtools.org. If you are a VE and would like to join the Discord channel for information and discussion around fully-remote exams, please visit: https://discord.gg/CsKrBmA or click connect below:
As of when this release was published, the following VECs have offered official support for using ExamTools for administering in-person and remote exams:
- W5YI-VEC – W5YI has a long history of allowing VE teams to use ExamTools
- GLAARG – GLAARG has been utilizing ExamTools to print the paper exams for their VE teams since 2013 and has been the most active thus far in administering remote exams
- ARRL VEC – Though they have not yet publicly expressed specific support for ExamTools.org there are several ARRL VE teams who are using ExamTools for administering remote exams, with the leading club being the New England Amateur Radio group
Additional Reference and Resources:
Previous Remote Exam References:
- http://www.arrl.org/news/kalaupapa-hawaii-is-site-of-second-arrl-remote-ve-testing
- http://heardn.org
- Alaska https://kl7aa.org/vec/remote-testing/
- http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-vec-conducts-remote-exam-session-with-applicants-in-antarctica
- https://dma.wi.gov/DMA/divisions/oec/library/archive/FCC-14-74A1.pdf
Other references for the fully-remote exam process:
- http://n0ssc.com/posts/1033-trying-to-take-a-ham-radio-license-exam-sorry-were-closed
- https://www.kb6nu.com/its-time-for-remote-amateur-radio-license-exams/
- From Richard Bateman, KD7BBC – https://youtu.be/m_6TW2iOfEQ
- http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-vec-issues-statement-on-video-supervised-online-exam-sessions
- http://www.arrl.org/read-a-message-about-video-supervised-online-exams
- http://www.arrl.org/news/remotely-administered-amateur-exam-systems-showing-promise
By Alwin Roe April 19, 2020 - 15:30
Contributing Editor: Alwin Roe, N6ATF
By Norm Goodkin April 19, 2020 - 23:24
Also on my Hamily VE Team: grandson, Jonah KJ0NAH, who sat around the kitchen table with Naomi and me to do the 1st GLAARG remote session on April 6th. He has has administering VEs in over 100 exams to date. Today Jonah even ran his own session in a a separate Zoom breakout room while we ran another session in the main breakout room, doubling our exam rate. Credit also goes to Marcel AI6MS, who orchestrated the breakout rooms, paving the way to have multiple exam sessions within one Zoom session.
By Scott H Futrell April 20, 2020 - 01:29
Can someone from Greensboro NC sign up?
By kd7bbc April 20, 2020 - 09:30
Unless the exam description specifies a restriction then anyone can sign up — just keep in mind the demand far exceeds the supply right now so it’s hard to get in.
By Scott Futrell April 20, 2020 - 13:40
Thank you!
By USA: Fully-Remote Amateur Radio License Exam Administration – YC4HQ April 20, 2020 - 02:40
[…] Read the Press Release athttp://localhost:8080/2020/04/fully-remote-amateur-radio-license-exam-administration/ […]
By David April 20, 2020 - 04:02
How do I get started
By kd7bbc April 20, 2020 - 09:32
As specified in the post above: read the manuals, get permission from your VEC, and then contact examtools.org for account access. I also highly recommend joining the linked discord.
By Ralph Olds April 20, 2020 - 08:58
I was an examiner in Canada, about 50 miles east of Vancouver BC. I always followed the rules and never passed anyone unless they actually passed the exam. Never. I did not know it, but my reputation quickly spread through the ham community. There were several other examiners who would bend the rules, allow to students to reconsider answers, and try questions more than once until they got it right. I never did this. I found out many years later that many many students drove long distances just to be examined by me. Why? Because they wanted to tell everyone that they actually passed and had now something that they could be proud of, and boast a bit that they were examined by me and passed. In other words, it was proof they really passed and were now proud hams. Please add to your thinking where possible. Ralph Olds VA7NU Ham since 1960.. 60 years of great friends.
By kd7bbc April 20, 2020 - 10:00
Completely agreed! That’s why we’ve gone above and beyond “bare minimum” for exam integrity; one of the main reasons we want recording of the sessions is that it allows the VECs to ensure the testing groups are doing things properly. Also having full records of all exams taken helps; a VE can invalidate an exam with a reason, but they cannot delete it, and that makes it harder to be sneakily dishonest (though not impossible, of course).
By Jim Tonne May 24, 2022 - 11:52
Ralph:
A friend wants a UHF bandpass. Please private-mail me if you still do those. – Jim Tonne W4ENE
By Darrin French April 20, 2020 - 16:06
I am interested in the exam. Please email me directly and I can provide my info. I live in Colorado Springs, CO. Thank you
By kd7bbc April 20, 2020 - 22:10
Hi Darrin,
Everyone doing exams or helping with exams right now is way too swamped to address people individually; if you would like to take an exam keep watching https://hamstudy.org/sessions and try to catch one that is open for signups. They will be few and far between so far because there is a lot of demand and not a lot of teams doing it yet; we hope that will improve in the near future.
73,
Richard
By Judy April 23, 2020 - 17:44
I’m interested
By Remote testing: a contrary opinion - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog April 21, 2020 - 07:57
[…] blogged about it, the ARRL reports that remotely administered testing is promising, and the W5YI VEC in conjunction with HamStudy.Org has also conducted some remote testing. I think that it’s safe to say that before long remote […]
By Ed April 21, 2020 - 15:37
How do you get a PIN number?
By kd7bbc April 21, 2020 - 21:07
a PIN number for taking an exam is issued when you finish registering for an exam session at https://hamstudy.org/sessions
By Hans April 22, 2020 - 00:50
How does one get the exam? Is this remote testing done on line?
By kd7bbc April 22, 2020 - 11:58
Reading the linked handbooks should provide clarification on any questions you may have — they are pretty detailed — but yes, the remote testing is done using video conferencing a a web-based examination. Monitoring is done using cameras, a carefully controlled testing environment, and full desktop screen sharing. For more details, read the docs =]
By Alan kups April 22, 2020 - 13:59
I need to take my extra test be for June.We are in no lockdown how do you get started!
By John Greene, W3MIT April 30, 2020 - 12:22
FCC DA 20-467
Released: April 30, 2020
WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU CONFIRMS THAT
AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE OPERATOR LICENSE EXAMINATIONS
MAY BE HELD REMOTELY
The Amateur Radio Service provides opportunities for self-training, intercommunication, and technical investigations for qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. To operate an Amateur Radio Service station, an operator must have an FCC license. The Commission issues three classes of operator licenses, each authorizing a different level of privilege. The class for which each licensee is qualified is determined during an examination by the level of skill and knowledge in operating a station that the licensee demonstrates to volunteer examiners, who conduct this testing on behalf of FCC-certified volunteer examiner coordinators.
Many potential amateur radio test takers and volunteer examiners have contacted the Chairman and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau to request that the Commission allow remote testing in light of current public health guidelines regarding social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We make clear here that nothing in the FCC’s rules prohibits remote testing, and prior FCC approval is not required to conduct remote tests. The Commission provides flexibility to volunteer examiners and coordinators who wish to develop remote testing methods or to increase remote testing programs already in place.
We recognize that some volunteer examiner coordinators may not have the immediate capacity for widespread remote testing. We expect those volunteer examiner coordinators with limited remote testing capacity to work closely with those requesting such testing to prioritize any available remote testing slots.
By Bill martin May 1, 2020 - 15:42
Thanks for the PDF file. It will take me a little time to read and comprehend all that’s there. I can see the usefulness of this procedure during this time. But wouldn’t or shouldn’t replace the eye to eye personal contact hands on session.
It’s hard to make a sudden change after almost 36 years as a VE.
By kd7bbc May 1, 2020 - 22:08
Hey Bill,
Personally I see this as a new tool, not a replacement for the old ones! The system we’re using for managing everything digitally can be used with an in-person exam session as well as a remote one — in fact it has been used that way for 6 years!
I don’t expect face to face exams to go away, I think we’ll just have a few more options =]
Richard
By David Lynch May 11, 2020 - 09:48
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PROVIDING THIS SERVICE!!! I have been studying for months, used the HamStudy app and website, know all the concepts behind the questions and have taken so many practice tests I virtually memorized the answers! I have an 8 watt two band HT and a 50 watt four band mobile, dying to press the PTT button on both 🙂 This is really appreciated.
By KD4NSJ Edgardo Reyes May 11, 2020 - 14:55
Hello am in Kissimmee, Florida its possible for me to take the test
online? or I have to be from the west cost. Thank for any info.
Edgardo
By kd7bbc May 14, 2020 - 16:09
For online exams anywhere in the US you should be fine; overseas can be a problem depending on where, as there are requirements around the mailing address and may be issues with GPDR, etc.
Look at https://hamstudy.org/sessions to find a session, but note there aren’t enough to go around yet!
By Edgardo Reyes May 19, 2020 - 14:03
Thank you Richard for the info, I will do so, 73
Edgardo
KD4NSJ
By james May 17, 2020 - 13:36
you may as well just sell tickets. what about the rules: 4. Amateur license operator examinations are administered by a team of at least three VEs who are responsible for the proper conduct and necessary supervision of each examination.8 “The VEs must be present and observing the examinee throughout the entire examination.” 9 The administering VEs grade the examinee’s answers immediately upon completion of each examination element, and issue a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) to an examinee who scores a passing grade on an examination element.10 It is clear that testing remotely is being done by single people as noted above in the chat. This is a clear violation of the rules.
By kd7bbc May 18, 2020 - 11:31
Hi James,
I can definitely see where you would be concerned about that; many hams have found it concerning when they first learned of what we are doing, but if you’ll take some time to read over the specifics of how we are doing it you will find that all of those rules are being very carefully followed. In 2014 the rules were modified so that they do not require the VEs to be physically present.
With the process we are using, three VEs are all very carefully monitoring the applicant during the entire exam. We only have one applicant test at a time (perhaps that was the confusion? it may have been worded correctly) but I assure you there are always 3 fully accredited VEs monitoring every single applicant. Our testing process has been reviewed and approved for use by ARRL-VEC, W5YI-VEC, and GLAARG VEC, and I assure you that they would not have done so if we were breaking any of the rules =]
73,
Richard
KD7BBC
By Bob Dubke - K0SIR June 1, 2020 - 11:54
Is the FCC attempting to modify the RULES for License Exam’s Tests-by-Paper to those that work for Remote License Exam Administration? I have administrated over 120 ARRL/VEC exam sessions. But, I have little interest in moving forward with Remote Exam sessions until the FCC has created rules that make sense for Remote testing. The present rules do not fit the present environment. Why not create a CONDITIONAL Class license, similar to the one for General Class many years ago?
By kd7bbc June 1, 2020 - 14:48
Hi Bob,
I can totally understand your concerns =] Many others I’ve spoken with felt the same, but when they really looked at what we’re doing they find that we are following exactly the same rules that all in-person exam sessions follow. There was no rule change required — there are still three VEs who monitor and verify every examination, we still maintain the same or higher level of exam integrity, and we absolutely make sure that we follow every single rule and requirement from both the FCC and the VECs which we work with.
Please feel free to join us on the Discord server (chat server) listed in the article and monitor some of the exam sessions if you have any concerns — even if you don’t want to give remote exams, we have developed a lot of tools which will really help streamline the process for administering in-person exams as well.
By Henry Uiga (KC2WRQ) June 11, 2020 - 15:37
Does the successful applicant receive an email, or have the ability to print out a copy of his CSCE?
By kd7bbc June 11, 2020 - 19:16
Currently the VE teams will email the CSCE. For more information check with a VE team who is providing remote exam sessions.
By R.E. DURHAM July 23, 2020 - 13:45
are you still using the second edition license manual?
By kd7bbc August 4, 2020 - 11:16
The definitive source for the question pools is at http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=338 — I am not familiar with various license manuals to know if they are up to date or not. The pools change on a 4 year rotating schedule, 1 per year with 1 year break. The current (as of writing this) pools are:
* Technician: 2018-2022
* General: 2019-2023
* Extra: 2020-2024
See the link above to find those pools, but those are the ones used by anyone giving current exams.
By Pierre Coovert August 4, 2020 - 13:14
I am preparing to take the Element 2 exam to regain my previous general class license. Can I do this with a remotely administered exam? And, if so, how to I present the documentation? I have also had a name change since I held my previous license. I have the documentation for the name change.
Pierre
By kd7bbc August 4, 2020 - 13:38
Yes you can do that with a remote exam; after you register and receive the confirmation email with the PIN reply to that confirmation email or click the “contact the volunteer examiners” link inside to ask them for details on how to provide the documentation. (we don’t administer the exams; people keep emailing us for support asking questions about them, but we don’t know the answers =])
By Jeremy August 19, 2020 - 12:17
Do I have to take the online exam in my state?
By kd7bbc August 20, 2020 - 11:01
No, there are no geographic requirements for online exams, though of course you need to be qualified to hold a US Amateur Radio license. Some teams will even do exam testing overseas.
By Lynden Williams September 15, 2020 - 17:26
If I pass the extra class exam, do I have to wait to use the added features until I get something from the FCC or can I start to use it right away? I have a general class now.
By kd7bbc September 16, 2020 - 17:35
If you are already licensed at some level and then pass the requirements needed for a higher exam you can operate with those privileges immediately, *however* you need to add a temporary suffix to your call to indicate that you’re operating with privileges which you have earned but are not reflected on the ULS yet. Those are:
By Annie Naismith January 10, 2021 - 17:01
I’m spreading the information in my ham radio broadcast area in Mexico that these remote exams are available. A question has come up: are these remote exams being offered shortterm during the Covid crisis or do you think they will be offered longer term? Also, I am assuming that US Citizens can take the exam here in Mexico so long as they have the software and follow the instructions. What about Canadians? Do they have a separate remote exam program?
By Marcel Stieber April 2, 2021 - 00:33
Remote exams and the ExamTools software that makes it possible will be around well after Covid. In fact, many teams have been using the ExamTools software for years to run their in-person exams using GradeCam paper exams and/or tablet/laptop based exams.
Please reference FCC Part 97 rules for the requirements to get a US amateur radio license. Canada has their own examination system and has also been doing remote exams.
By Discord August 12, 2022 - 18:56
Discord
wow this amazing discord