Make this the year you get your Ticket! Norm (K6YXH) and Naomi (WB6OHW) Goodkin’s next one-day Study & Exam Session for the Technician (entry-level) class will be on Sunday, January 19. If you’d like to attend, get in touch with Norm real soon, as those who prepare ahead of class do better in class. Learning Morse code is no longer required for any ham license, and you can miss up to 9 questions on the 35-question multiple choice Technician exam and still pass. Exams for General and Amateur Extra are also offered in the afternoon (concurrent with the Tech. exam) for just the cost of the exam session ($5).

These one-day courses are conducted quarterly and are designed to get you your amateur radio Technician license as quickly as possible. Those passing the FCC exam typically are licensed within one week (your license info will appear in the FCC database–paper licenses are no long routinely issued; however, you may request a copy from the FCC).

The $100 Study & Exam fee includes instruction (no book to buy), lunch, the exam fee, and two follow-up sessions on the next two Sunday mornings. The first covers “What radio do I need?” and the second covers “How do I use and program my radio?” Exams for Tech (and General and Extra) are also offered in the early morning of the two Sundays immediately following each quarterly Study & Exam session. If you are looking to upgrade your ham license, General and Extra Class exams are also offered at the same time (pay only the $5 exam fee). Many ham radio clubs and organizations offer the license exam throughout the Valley and the Greater Los Angeles area as well.

For an additional $35, students may purchase a dual-band hand held transceiver (HT) radio so you can get on the air as soon as your license appears in the FCC database. Having your own radio to use during the two follow-up sessions is especially valuable.

For details and more information, contact Norm at hamclass@goodkin.net, via phone at 818-222-7893, or online at hamclass.goodkin.net.

Location for class and exam:
Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
27040 Malibu Hills Rd.
Agoura, CA 91301

Date/Time:
Sunday, January 19
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

 

What? You Didn’t Know?
To make it easier for emergency responders, and perhaps yourself, you should have an entry in your smartphone’s or cellphone’s contact list labeled “ICE” for In Case of Emergency. That makes it much easier for rescue or law enforcement personnel to quickly get in touch with someone you’ve designated as your emergency contact.

If you have voice recognition on your phone, give it a verbal try. “Call ICE”

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Radio Nets Emphasizing Emergency/Disaster Preparedness
If you have a ham radio license and your call sign doesn’t appear here: ________, please let me know what it is. Licensed amateurs are encouraged to check in on the ham radio nets listed below.

FRS/GMRS nets. (Family Radio Service/General Mobile Radio Service.) Radio operators are encouraged to check into any (or all!) of the following nets:

  • Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council EP net meets every Sunday, 10:00 am (or at the conclusion of the ham radio EP net), on channel 15.
  • Oakridge Estates (Sylmar) net meets first Sunday at 10:30 am on channel 15.
  • Neighborhood Council Valley Village net meets the last Sunday of the month, 10:00 am, on channel 5.
  • Los Feliz Neighborhood Council net meets the first Monday of the month, 7:00 pm, on channel 15.
  • CERT South Bureau (Westside Village) net meets the first Tuesday of the month, about 7:30 pm (follows a ham radio net), on channel 15 via GMRS repeater. Net control may also be able to hear you simplex, so if you are not GMRS licensed, give it a try on simplex.

Amateur Radio (ham) nets. Licensed amateur radio operators are encouraged to check into any (or all!) of the following nets:

  • Lake Balboa Emergency Preparedness net meets every Sunday morning, 9:00 am, on 145.570 mHz simplex
  • Hillside Communities Emergency Communications (HCEC) net meets every Saturday morning, 8:30 am, on 144.505 mHz, +600 kHz, PL tone: 162.2.
  • CERT South Bureau (Westside Village) net meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm on the Hughes repeater, 445.620 mHz, -5 mHz, PL tone: 127.3.
  • Southern California Mutual Aid net meets every Tuesday at 7:00 pm on 447.820 mHz, -5 mHz, PL tone: 67.0.