The Highland Lakes Amateur Radio Club will be putting on a 3 day Ham Slam class geared to help you get your beginning level or Technician Ham Radio Operator's License. The course will be held March 3, 4 and 5, 2017 at the Marble Falls EMS building on 609 Industrial Blvd in Marble Falls, TX and will begin Friday, March 3 around 6:30 pm. click here for a map It will continue all day Saturday March 4, and half day on Sunday March 5. The test will be that same Sunday around 1:00 pm. Morse code is no longer required to get any amateur radio license.
There is no cost for the course but we will be using the W5YI Group’s Technician Class Ham Radio License Manual, 8th Edition, written by Gordon West, which can be purchased for approximately $22. Gil Jones has manuals at his office in Marble Falls for pickup. The club is asking for a donation if you wish a manual -- contact Gil at ka5gil@arrl.net to arrange to get one. If you purchase a book make sure it is the same one mentioned above and it is the 8th edition covering the question pool effective July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018.
This ham club and others have conducted training like this for years but an additional features has been added for this year’s class. When you register, you’ll be assigned an ELMER, Ham terminology for a mentor, who will help you study, get ready for the test, and answer your questions.
It is recommended that you get the manual in advance and spend some time with it. You should also to go on the FCC site and get your FRN number, see here: https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/ publicHome.do. That is needed for the exam and doing so yourself avoids putting your social security number out there.
The test cost is $15.00 which is the processing fee for testing materials and processing as determined by the FCC. The club does not keep any of the funds from the test. The course is also open to First Responders, Red Cross or anyone with an interest in Amateur Radio.