W7BU/SEAARC - Amateur Radio License Classes

Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club Classes

Why become a Ham (Amateur Radio Operator)?

Ham Radio provides a nearly limitless opportunity to:

Explore new and exciting technologies - many current technological devices and systems were originally pioneered by Ham Radio Operators first.
Study - further areas of current interest and find new areas of interest within the wide realm of Amateur Radio
Tinker - imagine conversing with the International Space Station on a radio which you created or modified to be able to do so, or contacting someone on the opposite side of the earth, bouncing your signal off of the moon (it's called EME, Earth-Moon-Earth communication, or "Moonbounce") using an antenna you designed and built yourself!
Serve the public - in times of emergency or disaster, and "When All Else Fails..." Ham Radio Works - time and time again, it's the Hams that can communicate when no one else can - imagine the feeling of being one of that team who can really and truly make a difference in an emergency or disaster
Learn - there's so much out there in the field of Amateur Radio, there's always something new to learn, find, and innovate.
No age limit! - Hams have been licensed as young as 5 years old, and as old as 98 years old.

As your knowledge increases, you can pursue higher class licenses that provide you with access to additional radio frequencies. You can pursue new technologies like digital communications, fast scan television, satellite communications, wireless Internet access, low power communications, and even search the sky for extra-terrestrial intelligence (why not?). You can participate in public service or disaster communications. Join the Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club, join the Clatsop County ARES/RACES public service communications team, sign up to participate in training opportunities and volunteer to help out at events using amateur radio communications. There is a world of exploration and opportunities in amateur radio. Most of all, Have fun!

Amateur Radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act of 1934. It is also subject to numerous international agreements. All Amateur Radio operators must be licensed. In the U.S. there are three license classes. Each successive level of license comes with an expansion of privileges. Your entry into Amateur Radio begins with a Technician Class License.

Here are the license classes and a brief explanation of each:

Technician Class License. You can get an entry level Amateur Radio Technician license by passing a 35-question multiple-choice examination. No Morse code test is required. The exam covers basic regulations, operating practices, and electronics theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications.

Technician Class operators are authorized to use all amateur VHF and UHF frequencies (all frequencies above 50 MHz). Technicians also may operate on the 80, 40, and 15 meter HF bands using Morse code, and on the 10 meter band using Morse code, voice, and digital modes. No Morse code test is required.

General Class License. The General Class license offers a giant step up in operating privileges. The high-power HF privileges granted to General licensees allow for cross-country and worldwide communication.

Technicians may upgrade to General by passing a 35-question multiple-choice examination. The written exam covers intermediate regulations, operating practices, and electronics theory, with a focus on HF applications. You must successfully pass the Technician exam to be eligible to sit for the General class exam. No Morse code test is required.

In addition to the Technician privileges, General Class operators are authorized to operate on any frequency in the 160, 30, 17, 12, and 10 meter bands. They may also use significant segments of the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands.

Amateur Extra Class License. The HF bands can be awfully crowded, particularly at the top of the solar cycle. Once you earn HF privileges, you may quickly yearn for more room. The Extra Class license is the answer. Extra Class licensees are authorized to operate on all frequencies allocated to the Amateur Service.. No Morse code test is required.

General licensees may upgrade to Extra Class by passing a 50-question multiple-choice examination. In addition to some of the more obscure regulations, the test covers specialized operating practices, advanced electronics theory, and radio equipment design.

Earning each license requires passing an examination. Although regulated by the FCC, license exams are given by volunteer groups of Amateur Radio operators. Operating under organizations called Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, volunteers administer and grade tests and report results to the FCC, which then issues the license. U.S. licenses are good for 10 years before renewal, and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government.

!!!! FCC License Courses !!!!

Our ARRL Sanctioned classes are a little different from many Amateur Radio classes. While many classes teach you just how to pass the FCC Exam and get your license, and they admittedly do so with a very high percentage pass rate, only approximately 10% of the new licensees seem to make it onto the air. There are many reasons for this, and our classes are intended to eliminate as many of those reasons as best we can — that's why our classes take a couple of days longer. And you STILL don't have to know a single dit or dah of CW (Morse Code) – the FCC has eliminated all requirements for Code proficiency to get your Amateur Radio License.

We want you on the air, not just licensed, so we will teach you the reasons why the answers are correct, and how and why they affect your operations.
We will work with you on an individual basis during classes if need be to help you understand the concepts involved. Our classes have built-in flexibility to allow instructors to answer questions one-on-one while maintaining an overall forward progression of learning.
Our Flexible Hours Hands-On day is will get you talking on the air (unless you just won't – but then, that's your choice!), even if you have not yet successfully passed your license exam - which you can retake on the spot if you would like. The FCC allows non-hams to Get On The Air (GOTA) as long as a licensed Amateur Radio Operator is present - so we can show you what the world of Ham Radio is like right up front, and to help you over "Mic Fright" - the fear of keying that microphone for the very first time.
Often, loaner equipment is available** for those who would like to get on the air even sooner - and we'll help you understand it and hook it up correctly.
Our unique "Elmering" program will assign an individual to you to help you as you begin your path in Ham Radio. Imagine! - your very own mentor, who can help you in lots of ways any time you need them, and who will take you under their wing to get you up and soaring (the term "Elmer" is an old Ham Radio term for someone who voluntarily helps others learn).
Free Membership in the Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club for the remainder of the Club Membership Year is included for any students passing our course.

Upcoming Class Schedule

FCC General License Class — Pre-registration required (below)
Location: Clatsop ESD Building (Upstairs), 3194 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR

Friday, July 30, 2010 1800—2100 Classroom
Saturday July 31, 2010 0900—1800 Classroom
Sunday, August 1, 2010 0900—1700 Classroom
1700—1800 FCC Licensing Exam - Open VE Session for Walk–ins & Upgrades
* - 0900-1000 is optional (but highly recommended) review of previous materials, one-on-one instructor/student assistance, and hands-on time

FCC Technician License Class — Pre-registeration requested (below)
Location: Clatsop ESD Building (Upstairs), 3194 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR

Friday, September 10, 2010 1800—2100 Classroom
Saturday September 11, 2010 0900—1800 Classroom
Sunday, September 12, 2010 0900—1700 Classroom
1700—1800 FCC Licensing Exam - Open VE Session for Walk–ins & Upgrades
* - 0900-1000 is optional (but highly recommended) review of previous materials, one-on-one instructor/student assistance, and hands-on time

FCC General License Class — Pre-registration required (below)
Location: Clatsop ESD Building (Upstairs), 3194 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR

Friday, October 29, 2010 1800—2100 Classroom
Saturday October 30, 2010 0900—1800 Classroom
Sunday, October 31, 2010 0900—1700 Classroom
1700—1800 FCC Licensing Exam - Open VE Session for Walk–ins & Upgrades
* - 0900-1000 is optional (but highly recommended) review of previous materials, one-on-one instructor/student assistance, and hands-on time

Cost: $15 for FCC Exam Fee.
Books, Study Guides & All Other Materials are optional, available at our cost (must pre-register and order materials in advance)

!!!! Technician Refresher Courses !!!!

Have your license, but need some refreshing before you take the plunge to get on the air?
Want some help deciding what radio might be best for you?
Forgotten what a PL tone is and how it works?
Need a refresher on how Deviation affects your licensed station?
Don't remember what ULS, SSB, VFO, or CW stand for?
Have a radio, but don't know what to do (or what you CAN do) with it?
Wondering "What the heck was that IRLP thing that they told me about?"
Want to know where to get Echolink Software?
Need a little more in-depth information above and beyond just "getting your license"?
Want someone to help mentor you in the basics for a while to get you started?
Just not quite comfortable with the whole thing yet?

We can handle all this, too! Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club will soon be offering a unique "Refresher Technician Course" which will focus not on the FCC testing (you've already Been-There-Done-That-Got-The-Paper), but real life use of your radio, including hands-on experience, and the way you can integrate it into your current lifestyle, all in a single-day class. This extremely flexible all-day class will take you back (or forward) through the most important aspects of the information you need to know to prepare yourself to operate your station legally, and effectively, and most importantly of all, have how to fun doing so! Again, we will often have loaner equipment for check-out** and Elmers to assign to you to help you after the class as well (Elmers are only available for paid Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club Members, but you can join at the class, and we'll even prorate the SEARC membership fee for those taking this class, based upon on what time of the year the class is held).

Scheduled As Needed: Technician Refresher Course
Next Dates:

March 27, 2010 12:00 PM to 6:00 pm
ESD Building, Astoria

Cost: Optional donation to help defray instructor costs
Prerequisite: Proof of Current FCC Amateur Radio License
(simply being in the ULS database is proof enough if pre-registering)
If you have a handheld, bring it (and the manual) with you.

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FCC Technician License Class      FCC General License Course"      Technician "Refresher Course"

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** Loaner equipment is loaned for 1 month, on the basis of need and first-come, first-loaned, with the requirement that at least seven (7) documented contacts be made using the equipment within each calendar week period, and may (depending on the owner of the equipment) require a small deposit. Club membership is required.

Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club

When All Else Fails... Amateur Radio Works!

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