Licensing Classes

In the past, Adrian Amateur Radio Club taught a Technician licensing class once a year.   We did not have the success rate that we wanted, partially because it was hard to stay on top of our teaching skills for a class that only occurred once a year.  Nevertheless, we wanted prospective Amateur Radio Operators in the Lenawee area to get licensed, and join our club for further help getting on the air.  We decided to go with the best local resources.

Ann Arbor

The ARROW club in Ann Arbor has a one day Technician licensing class that they report has a 90 percent success rate!  KB6NU has developed materials to teach the Technician Class License and give the licensing exam all in one day!  They give the class very frequently and have been able to develop their teaching skills to concentrate on areas that give students problems.  Since they already have a very successful program, why try to invent the wheel?  Check out the Ann Arbor class here, and take the exam.  The Adrian Amateur Radio Club gives exams for all classes of amateur radio licenses once a month on demand (see "Adrian Exams" below).  We welcome new members and are ready to help you advance in this hobby!  Check out our Meetings page and come join us.

Monroe

The Monroe County Radio Communications Association (MCRCA) is offering a one-day Amateur Radio course for the entry level Technician class license. The class will run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM on the second Saturday of every even numbered month. The cost is $10 and includes lunch, snacks and beverages. The test will be conducted immediately following the class and has a separate fee of $14.

There is a maximum class size of 10 people on a first come first served basis and you should sign up no later than 1 week before the class. All study material and testing paperwork will be provided at the time you sign up and you should plan on doing some pre-class studying to make things easier in the class.

Check it out here.

The Adrian Amateur Radio Club schedules amateur radio Exams the second Monday of every month at 7:00 P.M., upon demand.  To schedule an exam, contact the Volunteer Examiner Team not later than the first Monday of the month.  Walk-ins will be welcome, but be sure to check the "Breaking News" link on this website to see if a testing session has been scheduled.  If it is not posted, then the team will not be available. 

The exams are given at  the Lenawee County Airport, Civil Air Patrol Building on Cadmus Road in Adrian.  The CAP building is to your immediate right, as you enter the parking lot.  The address for your GPS is 2667 West Cadmus Road, Adrian, MI 49221. Click here for map.  (Disregard the map picture, the parking lot entrance is where the Adrian Amateur Radio Club sign is located)

Remember:

Breaking news!!! First-Time Exam Applicants Must Obtain FCC Registration Number (FRN) before Taking Exam.

Effective Thursday May 20, 2021, all amateur examination applicants will be required to provide an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the Volunteer Examiners (VEs) BEFORE taking an amateur exam. This is necessary due to changes the FCC has made to its licensing system.

Social security numbers are no longer accepted at exam sessions.

Amateur candidates who already have an FCC license, whether for amateur radio or in another service, already have an FRN and can use the same number. All prospective new FCC licensees, however, will be required to obtain an FRN before the examination and provide that number to the volunteer examiners on the Form 605 license application. An FCC instructional video provides step-by-step instructions on how to obtain an FRN through the FCC’s COmmission REgistration System (CORES).

The FRN is required for all new applicants to take an amateur exam and is used afterward by the applicant to download the license document from the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS), upgrade the license, apply for a vanity call sign, and to submit administrative updates (such as address and email changes) and renewal applications.

In addition, after June 29, all applications will be required to contain an email address for FCC correspondence. Applicants will receive an email direct from the FCC with a link to the official electronic copy of their license whenever a license is issued or changed. ARRL VEC suggests that those without access to email to use the email address of a family member or friend. Licensees will be able to log in to the ULS using their FRN and password to download the latest version of their license at any time. The FCC no longer provides paper license documents.

Hint:  AA9PW has an excellent website which will provide you with practice exams for Technician, General, and Extra class licenses.  Ham Exam is another great site to take practice exams. It would be a good idea to test your knowledge before you arrange to take the VE test.  When you can consistently pass the exams on the AA9PW site, and/or the Ham Exam site, you can be pretty sure that you a ready to take a shot at a VE exam.  The  AA9PW site also has some good programs for learning the Morse Code.  While Morse Code proficiency is no longer an FCC requirement to get an amateur radio license, it is used for many amateur radio activities, and can get the signal through when almost nothing else works.

If you want to learn the material for the Technician Class License on your own, download the free pdf file "The No-Nonsense Technician-Class License Study Guide (for tests given between June 2018 and July 2022)". This is the study guide used for the license class used by the Ann Arbor radio club by KB6NU.  The Adrian Amateur Radio Club gives exams for all classes of amateur radio licenses.  We welcome new members and are ready to help you advance in this hobby!  Check out our Meetings page and come join us.