Amateur Radio Caravan Club Amateur Radio Albuquerque
Getting Started in Ham Radio
“GETTING STARTED IN HAM RADIO”
As a service to future ham radio operators the Amateur Radio Caravan Club offers lists the three steps to be taken to become a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator.
In order to operate on assigned amateur (ham) radio frequencies, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that the operator be licensed for those frequencies. They, through volunteer examiners, administer tests to determine if each student has enough knowledge to properly operate on those frequencies in the U.S. The beginning level license for a ham operator is the Technician level and the test has 35 questions pulled randomly from a question pool of 423 questions. This level allows you to operate on high frequencies that typically can reach other hams statewide…or worldwide using Internet programs. The General and Amateur Extra levels come next which affords you the authority to talk over the air worldwide.
[Note: In the spirit of amateur radio the Caravan Club wants it known that it receives no financial benefit from the organizations and websites below nor does it make any recommendations. This list, in alphabetic order, is solely a public service.]
STEP 1: HAM RADIO LICENSE CLASSES
In the Albuquerque area there are groups that periodically offer licensing classes. If you are interested, you should contact one of the following instructors to let them know that you would like to attend his next class:
Frank Warren Instructor Group
Free amateur radio licensing classes will be offered at all licensing levels. Technician and General classes will be offered at the Community Room of the APD Westside Command Center and Extra class seminars will be held at a different location (TBD). These are the same classes that were offered at all levels by Frank Warren Sr. (AB5WJ-SK) and his group of associate instructors. These classes will conclude with an FCC examination (Time & location TBD) . Walk-ins will be welcome. There are new FCC requirements and fees for these testing sessions. These will be in-person classes and testing sessions. For more information, or to reserve a seat at one of these classes, please send an email message to Larry Goga at lgoga@swcp.com.
Note: Due to Larry’s involvement in preparing for the Duke City Hamfest, no further class sessions will be offered until at least late fall 2024.
OR
You can self-study using a training manual such as the Amateur Radio Relay League’s “ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 5th Edition” ($32.95). This manual contains all of the radio theory for the Technician license as well as all of the test questions, valid through June 30, 2026. You can also take practice tests (below) to see how your studies are progressing.
STEP 2: HAM RADIO LICENSE PRACTICE TESTS
Amateur radio is blessed with many helpful practice test websites to choose from. Online practice tests are used to assist students in passing their FCC test. Once you are able to consistently answer 85 to 90 percent of the questions correctly, you are ready to take the actual test. Good Luck!
This site helps you practice for the any of the three written examinations required to obtain a US Amateur Radio license. Questions are randomly selected for each test.
Has practice exams for all 3 levels (technician, general & amateur extra)
STEP 3: OFFICIAL FCC LICENSE TESTING
Once you consistently score in the 85 to 90 percentiles on your practice exams you are ready to take the Federal Communication Commission’s actual test. The FCC administers its tests through teams called “Volunteer Examiner Coordinators” (VEC) which are composes of local hams called “Volunteer Examiners” (VE’s) who, after some training, administer tests to others. A minimum of three VE’s are required to witness each testing session. Some VE teams may charge a fee of around $15 for the exam, while others may offer the exam for free. Please double check with the VE team before you show up for testing. The FCC now collects $35 for new amateur radio licenses. The fee was mandated by Congress and went into effect April 19, 2022. After you pass your first exam, the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator will submit your information to the FCC for processing. Once the FCC processes your application, you will receive a bill via email to pay the $35 online. The $35 must be paid within 10 days or your application will be dismissed, so be sure to check your spam folder, too! You also need to bring your photo ID and FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the testing.
Below are several local VE teams that administer the FCC tests:
Albuquerque VE Testing Team - Offers testing on the first Saturday of the month at 12:30 PM. Testing is held at the APD NW Command Center, 10401 Cibola Loop NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114. Enter at the side door on the west end of the building. Contact Mathias Gibbens at AbqRRVET@gmail.com for more information or to pre-register.
High Desert Amateur Radio Club VE Group
The HDARC VE group administers tests on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 12:30 pm. Testing location is the North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel Ave NE, Albuquerque NM 87113. For more information contact Yul Bratcher at yul.bratcher@att.net.
VCARA VE Group
The Valencia County Amateur Radio Association has a VE testing session the second Saturday of each month, generally from 0900 hrs to 1100 hrs. Appointments are required to make sure applicants have all the necessary paperwork. Check their website for details: http://kc5our.com/wordpress/
That’s It! Once you have passed your test and found your assigned call sign on the FCC website about a week later, you are a ham radio operator and can begin making radio contacts.
73,
Amateur Radio Caravan Club
Amateur Radio Caravan Club Amateur Radio Albuquerque
This is an Amateur Radio Club.
Amateur Radio Caravan Club | P.O. Box 36365, Albuquerque, NM 87176, United States
