Amateur radio club hosting free licensing course next month

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The Clark County Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) will host a free amateur radio licensing course next month, the club announced.

The course consists of Friday night and Saturday morning sessions, from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 8 and 15, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 9 and 16, according to a news release from the club announcing the courses, hosted at the Orchards LDS Meetinghouse at 7101 NE 166th Ave., Vancouver.

During the Nov. 16 session course the The Federal Communications Commission Technician license exam will be offered, which costs $15 to take, though the course itself is free, the release stated. A recommended course manual, the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1, Technician, 4th edition, will be available for $27 from instructors for those not already with access to the material.

The license exam covers basic regulations, operating practices and electronic theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications, the release stated, and consists of 35 multiple choice questions chosen from a published list. The FCC no longer requires Morse code proficiency for amateur radio licensing. 

The course is ideal for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members to quickly get their radio operator’s license, the release stated. Those students who successfully pass the FCC exam will receive a free one-year membership in the CCARC.



The CCARC also has resources available to help new operators with selecting equipment, setup and getting on the air. Handheld radios can cost as little as $30, the release noted, and the club offers several scholarships to help pay for study materials and testing — more information on scholarships is available at w7aia.org

This course is open to all with no age limits. To enroll or for more information, contact Delvin Bunton at (360) 256-9122 or via email at ns7u@arrl.net. More information is also available on the CCARC’s website. 

CCARC boasts more than 300 members and is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, according to the club’s release. The club meets on the first Friday of each month at the Salmon Creek American Legion Hall, 14011 NE 20th Ave., Vancouver, and are open to the public.

— The Reflector