[CQ] Fw: Ham radio license review and exam in SF, 3/17/2013

Thu Jan 10 18:59:06 UTC 2013

The folks at Langton Labs will be hosting a license exam session on St. Patrick's Day in SF.

Begin forwarded message:

    From: Phil Lapsley <phil at lapsley.org>

    Subject: Ham radio license review and exam in SF, 3/17/2013

    Date: January 9, 2013 2:26:53 PM GMT+05:30

    Here's your winter project for 2013: Get your ham radio license in time for Fourth of Juplaya!

    The Black Rock Amateur Radio Association, in conjunction with the good folks at Langton Labs, will be offering a ham radio license review, a license exam, and a hands-on "getting-started" class in San Francisco on Sunday, March 17, 2013, from 10 am to 5 pm.  We hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to get your ham license and have it well in time to go play out in the desert on the 4th!

    There are four separate parts to this little goat rodeo:

    1. If enough people are interested, we will teach a "ham cram" from 10 am to 3 pm.  This consists of us reviewing (really just reading aloud) the questions and answers to all 396 questions in the FCC's entry-level "Technician" exam pool.  This is not a "class" as the term is conventionally understood.  Rather, the goal is to get the answers crammed into your short-term memory so you can pass the license exam.  It is not a substitute for actually studying the material, but it does help -- in the past when we've done this we've had about a 95% pass rate.  The downside is that it takes up a lot of time, both for you and the instructors, and is breathtakingly boring :-).  We'll only do this if we get at least 10 people committed to it.

    2. Regardless of whether we get enough people to sign up for the ham cram, we will ALSO have an informal self-study review session running from 1 pm to 3 pm.  You can study on your own and then show up between 1 and 3 pm and find somebody to partner with and quiz each other.  Flash cards with exam questions will be available.

    3. The actual license exam will start promptly at 3 pm.  The generally takes about 30 minutes to complete.  If you are a self-study-type person, or if you already have a Technician license and just want to upgrade, you can just come and take the exam and skip the review/cram portion earlier in the day.

    4. After the exam, there will be a practical, "hands on", "what-now?" type class over beer, concentrating on how to make the best use of ham radio in the Black Rock, what kind of radio you might want to buy, etc.  This will probably start around 4 or 4:30 pm, depending on when people finish their exams.

    Cost to take the exam is $15, which goes to the ARRL (the national ham radio organization).  If you pass the test, we'd love it if you'd also join the Black Rock Amateur Radio Association by donating $20, but that's up to you and strictly optional.

    Additional details, including self-study resources, are available at http://cq-blackrock.org/hamcram-2013.php.  To sign up, visit http://cq-blackrock.org/signup.php.  IMPORTANT: You must sign up in advance, preferably before the end of January.

    Questions?  Please first check http://cq-blackrock.org/hamcram-2013.php and if that doesn't answer your questions, hit me up off list.  Thanks!

    Safety Phil

    P.S., Although this class will likely be Ranger- and Burner-centric, it is open to all comers.  Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think is interested, or to other mailing lists.

    P.P.S., Many thanks to Ranger Oddboy and the residents of Langton Labs in SF for letting us use their space, and to Ranger Nuke, Fire Arts Safety Team members Hotfoot and Ted Hullar, and BRARA member Jordan Hayes for donating their St. Patrick's Day to this cause.

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