On August 16th and 17th, I staffed a booth on Amateur Radio at the Wings Over Camarillo airshow’s STEM Pavilion. The purpose of being there was to raise public awareness of amateur radio, its social value, and its role as one of the OG STEM pursuits.

As usual, it was a great show. We had a delightful location (in the shade, where we could easily see the airshow performances). And many people dropped by with questions or comments on amateur radio.

At the event, I took names and contact information for people who had questions or wanted information about amateur radio. I’m posting the text of that email here so others can see it and share it around if they meet someone with questions.

Dear PERSON,

Thank you for visiting the CSU Channel Islands Amateur Radio Club booth at the Wings Over Camarillo STEM Pavilion. Radio is everywhere, and amateur radio has such a wide variety of expressions that it has something interesting to offer everyone. I hope this email helps you find a way to explore your interest in radio or answers a question for you. If, after scanning this (long) email, you have questions, feel free to email me and I’ll give you my best answers or refer you to someone else who knows.

The email starts with information about how to get an amateur radio license. Then I list some events that will help hams get hands-on experience with radios (something that earning a license does not require), and I close by sharing some contact information for amateur radio clubs in the Ventura County region.

Earning an Amateur Radio License

Becoming a ham or an amateur radio operator requires passing a Federal Communication Commission (FCC) exam. There are three license levels (from entry level to highest): Technician, General, Amateur Extra. Each gives you increasing access to and responsibility for radio operations.

Everyone has an opinion on how to prepare for taking and passing a licensing exam. Through experience, we at the University have arrived at the following advice: Use http://hamstudy.org or the HamStudy app to study the questions in the exam’s question pool. Then use the site or app to take practice exams. Once you can consistently score 80% or better on practice exams, you are ready to take the licensing exam. (To pass, you need to answer at least 74% of the questions correctly.)

Many amateur radio clubs offer in-person exam sessions (called VE sessions). In the last few years, the ham community has learned how to offer licensing exams online, too. Use the ‘Find a Session’ link on http://hamstudy.org to find a session that works for you. Note that some groups (e.g., groups associated with GLAARG, the Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group) waive the test taking fee for first-time test takers who are students or veterans.

Expect a testing fee of about \$10-15. When you pass the test, the FCC will require a \$35 processing fee (payable online) to assign you an amateur radio call sign and add you to the searchable database of license holders.

Many people enjoy taking a face-to-face course to prepare for the exam. Taking a course allows you to ask instructors questions that the online study tools cannot. In Ventura County, the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club is known for the free classes it regularly offers (see below).

For those who live or work in the North LA area, Norm Godkin regularly offers a one-day class for the Technician’s exam in Van Nuys. The class begins at 4pm, and they give an exam at 9pm. According to the web site (below), the class fee is \$50 on top of the testing fee of \$10 and FCC fee of \$35. This class works best if you spend some effort to study ahead of time.

Norm Godkin’s class: https://www.qualitymatrix.com/hamclass/

CVARC Licensing Courses (free)

Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) is offering free classes for amateur radio licensing in two different session:

Session 1: September 6, 13, 20, 27, and October 4, and
Session 2: November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.

The first session will include a class for the Technician and another for the General exam. The second session will include a class for the Technician and another for the Amateur Extra exam.

All classes are Saturday mornings from 8:00 am to noon, at the East County Sheriff Station’s Community room at 2101 E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. 

Each course will use the associated ARRL licensing textbook. They are available directly from the ARRL and from online and brik-and-mortar booksellers. Because the licensing exams change every few years, it is important that you get the correct edition of the textbook, so beware.

Here are Amazon links for the ARRL licensing textbooks:

  1. Technicians: https://a.co/d/39mYSMZ
  2. General: https://a.co/d/1mk0xGK
  3. Amateur Extra: https://a.co/d/3glisPN

To reserve a free seat in any of these classes, email Keith Elliott (W6KME) at keith@w6kme.org.

Events

Earning a license is a matter of passing a multi-choice test. It neither requires you to know how to operate a radio nor does it teach you how to operate a radio. This is a bit of a frustration for new hams because it’s hard to learn how to operate a radio by yourself - radios are at their most enjoyable when multiple people are involved (each with their own radio).

This section shares a couple events that might help a new ham get advice on operating a radio and some hands-on experience, even if they don’t own a radio of their own, yet. After this section, I list a bunch of the regional amateur radio clubs because they (and the events they organize) can be a great source of experience for new hams.

Micro Field Days (BORED Net)

http://www.theborednet.net/index.php/field-day/

Organized by the BORED Net, a micro field day (aka 𝜇field day) is a low key pop-up event that happens about once a month where hams come together at a park and set up their radios. For some, it’s an opportunity to dust off their gear and make sure everything works, and for others it’s a chance to let others see their station. There are are always ‘Elmers’ there eager to talk with newcomers to ham radio and give their best advice on gear and operations.

If you’re looking for a place to connect with hams that share your interest or to learn how to use the gear you have, a 𝜇field day is a great way to do either or both.

Micro Expo - Saturday 9/13 at CSU Channel Islands Campus

http://www.theborednet.net/index.php/ham-radio-expo-to-be-held-on-august-31-2024/

A ham Expo or hamvention combines elements of a ‘professional conference’ and a trade show, is highly orchestrated by organizers, and is open to anyone who is willing to pay a sometiomes hefty registration fee. Classic examples of a hamvention are the Dayton Hamvention and the International Amateur Radio Exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany. A 𝜇Expo is an ultra low-key, loosely organized, and free version for local ham radio clubs and operators.

In 2024, the BORED Net and the CSU Channel Islands Amateur Radio Interest Group (KN6ZYB) hosted a first 𝜇Expo on the CSU Channel Islands campus. The second annual 𝜇Expo is planned for Saturday, September 13th. We’re hoping it will be a bit bigger, have a few more activities, and still be free to all who are interested. Check out the BOREN Net’s web page for the 𝜇Expo for details as they become available.

Regional Clubs

The Ventura County region is rich with ham radio operators and ham radio clubs. Most are public clubs with nominal annual memebership dues, but others are specialized and might have limited options for membership.

Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) http://www.cvarc.org Meetings: Third Thursday of the month, 7:30pom at the East County Sheriff’s Station (2101. E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks).

Ventura County Amateur Radio Club (VCARC) http://www.k6mep.org Meetings: Second Friday of the month, 7:00pm at Grace Lutheran Church on Telephone Road, Ventura.

Pleasant Valley Amateur Radio Club http://www.pvarc.org Meetings: None. Devoted to supporting area amateur radio repeaters.

Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club http://www.simisettlers.org Meetings: Second Thursday of the month, 7:00pm at the Simi Senior Center.

Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club http://www.sbarc.org Meetings: Third Thursday of the month, 7:30pm at Goleta Union School Disgtrict Board Room.

CSU Channel Islands Amateur Radio Interest Group http://www.csuci-amateurradio.org Meetings: Varies by semester. Club is for CSUCI employees and alumni, devoted to supporting the student club.

CSU Channel Islands Amateur Radio Club https://tinyurl.com/f2vf3nx9 Meetings: Varies by academic year. Club is an official University student organization for current CSUCI students.

Closing

Again, thank you for speaking with me at my amateur radio booth in the Wings Over Camarillo STEM Pavilion. I’m pleased that you are excited about amateur radio, and I’m especially pleased that I can do something to help you pursue your interest. Hopefully, something above will be useful to you.

If you ever have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m always happy to share what I know and put you in touch with someone else with better knowledge to answer your questions.

Jason

Much of this information what on display through printed material at the booth. Unfortunately, we didn’t have anything announcing the micro Expo. And we could have used more engagement activities. But there’s always next year!