One Day Tech Class

Earn Your Technician Class Ham License in Just One Day - Saturday, July 20

Check-In at 7:30 am, Class Runs 8:00 am – 3:30 pm followed by immediate testing.

Please read this carefully as it will help you pass the test and answer most of your questions.

BONUS THIS YEAR: BRING A CHARGED YAESU FT-60, PASS THE TEST, AND WE’LL PROGRAM SOME NORTHERN NEVADA FREQUENCIES INTO YOUR NEW RADIO!

This is a Review of all 428 Questions in the 2018 – 2022 Technician Class question pool. The test is made up of 35 of these questions and you must answer 26 (74%) of the correctly. The questions are written at a Middle School level so think “7th & 8th Grade!” All answers are multiple choice. In the last few years, a nine year old and a 94 year old passed the test---so you can too! We even include test-taking tips in the class! We'll also include a few hand-outs to get you started with your new license!

Most people say that it’s about as difficult as the written driving test---not too bad for an adult but you do have to study a little! My Fast Classes have a 95%+ pass rate if you’ve read the Gordon West book ahead of time. See below for practice tests---try one! It’s easier than you think and many people wonder why they didn’t do it sooner! Some of my classes have a 100% pass rate!

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED SO WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH CLASS MATERIALS. You must pre-register and pay via NVCON.org by Sunday, July 15. Class limit, 40 people. Your payment is your reservation! Sorry, no refunds.

COSTS: Course materials are $40.00. Registration after 7/15 is $50.00 and you may not get in.

The Tech Exam is an Additional $15.00 Cash or Check Made out to the ARRL. Bring exact change and go to the head of the line!

Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult but the adult doesn’t need to take the class!

This is not a complete class covering all the knowledge in all the questions. It’s a last-minute Review! We expect you to read the Gordon West book beforehand. If you do that, the pass rate is about 95%. Otherwise, it’s much lower! You have to do your part! Many people pass the test by themselves with only a little study on their own so you can pass after taking this Review. The test usually takes about 30 minutes.

We will begin the Class at 8:00 am, take a ½ hour lunch break, finish about 3:30, and then test. We suggest you bring a sandwich or get something from the Boomtown’s Market Fresh Deli! We only have about 1 minute for each of the 428 total questions. But all is not lost! Some of the questions are duplicates that are simply re-worded. And others have an easy, common-sense answer. Remember the 9 year old!

Please be prompt and ready for class with pencils, highlighters, paper, and any normal class materials you need. Bring a small calculator. Smart phones are not permitted during testing as people have been caught using them to Cheat! If it’s a scientific calculator or something with memories the Volunteer Examiners will probably make you remove the batteries and wipe the memories. Latecomers may lose their seat to Drop-In’s!

Be sure to bring identification. Adults should bring a government-issued photo ID and kids should bring a school ID, library card, or something similar.

Study Materials

They just changed the question pool so be sure to study the 2018-2022 Material! There’s a lot of the old material floating around! We will be reviewing the questions in the same order as my favorite study guide: Gordon West’s The Technician Study Manual (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2022) available from http://www.w5yi.org for $24.95 plus shipping. This book will be available about May 15 but they accept pre-orders. They ship fast and it’s an easy read! “Gordo” has reorganized the questions for logical learning and gives bite-sized explanations of the correct answers with a lot of diagrams and drawings. He also has books for the General and Extra Class licenses if you want to upgrade. Tell them you’re taking my class and they’ll probably send you some extra goodies!

There’s a FREE No-Nonsense, Technician Class Study Guide available at http://kb6nu.com/tech-manual that’s really pretty good for the price! He also has a General study guide! I don’t like the study material from the Amateur Radio Relay League as it’s pretty dull and dry. There’s also a wealth of other study material and classes available online.

You can take a Free Practice test at http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/. These practice tests use exactly the same questions and methodology as the REAL tests but be sure they are updated for the 2018 material! Don’t be scared, try one now and see how you do! Adults often score about 50% without any study so it’s easier than you think! They also have practice tests for General & Extra licenses.

There’s also an interactive FREE practice testing website available at http://hamstudy.org. This site will test you, give you feedback on how you did, and allow you to check any weak areas you may have. Be sure they’ve updated for the 2018 material!

Other Useful Information

If you don’t pass the test, you can sometimes re-take the test a second time by paying a second test fee but your second test will have different questions. Otherwise, additional test sessions are held regularly in major cities. Nationwide test schedules are available at www.arrl.org. There are regular tests in Reno and Carson City.

Remember that this session is a review to pass the entry-level license test. After you’ve passed the test, you can legally get on the air but there’s a lot you won’t know! Try to attend a “New Ham Class,” join ARRL and a local club, or talk to other hams. Start with the person that encouraged you to become a ham! There’s a list of local clubs available at the ARRL website. ARRL has an excellent magazine---if it seems too complicated at first, keep reading and in a few months you’ll know a lot!

For Questions please contact David Book, KD7YIM, kd7yim@arrl.net