The Moapa Valley Amateur Radio Club is offering a unique opportunity this weekend. The club will be administering the Amateur HAM Radio Exam to anyone prepared to take it. The testing will begin at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 4 and will take place at the Old Logandale School pavilion.
“In order to be able to operate a HAM radio you have to be licensed by the FCC,” explained Amateur Radio Club member Craig Fabbi. “To get licensed you have to pass an exam that is administered by a volunteer coordinator.”
Fabbi explained that there are actually three exams for different levels of radio operations. The first level is that of Technician. The second level is a General license. And the third and highest level is the Amateur Extra exam. There is a $15 charge to take the exams.
“The tests become more technical as you advance through the levels,” Fabbi said. “Each one basically gives you more frequencies that you can operate on.”
Once an exam is passed, the person sends in paperwork to the regulatory agencies. They are then granted a license and given a unique call sign.
“You can’t go on the air without a call sign,” Fabbi said. “That is the identification that other operators know you by.”
Fabbi said that, while mildly technical, the HAM Radio exams are not terribly difficult; provided that a person does a little advance preparation. Information on studying for the tests is available online at hamstudy.org. At that site a person can take practice tests to prepare, Fabbi said.
“You can also take online classes via video on YouTube,” Fabbi said. “That will give more of the background rather than just studying the questions.”
HAM Radio operations is a fairly easy and inexpensive hobby in which to get started, Fabbi said. You don’t need to buy any equipment at all to take the exams. Once you are licensed, the basic equipment can be purchased for as low as around $40 to start, Fabbi said.
“Of course, as you go and learn more about it, you will want to get better radio units and wider ranging antenna equipment,” Fabbi said. “Those can get more expensive.”
There is no minimum or maximum age limits on being a HAM Radio operator. Fabbi said that he has seen young kids taking exams and getting licensed as well as older people. He admits that there are not as many younger people that get involved anymore.
“We definitely want to get young people interested in being HAM operators,” Fabbi said. “It is an important technology to have in the community, especially in emergency management situations, those HAM radio operators can be indispensable.”
For questions about participating in, or preparing for, the Amateur HAM Radio Exam, contact Craig Fabbi at 702-378-8807 or by email at nvfab@mvdsl.com.
