[Amateur Radio] Where to take the test

With the removal of the requirement for Morse Code for the first (and very useful Technician license, amateur radio is easier than ever before to join.

Oregon has many, many Volunteer Examiners who will administer the FCC-required tests to get an amateur radio license, and here's a statewide list, with dates, times and locations(also for Metro Portland only). The federally-mandated fee is $14, a much more reasonable cost than back when I also had to drive two hours to The Big City to take the exam in an FCC Office.

If you'd like to sit in a class to study, here's an October session forming nearby. The Hoodview club for Gresham and East County also has courses; click here for details.

You can study on-line with the Amateur Radio Relay League course which includes on-line support, or order the study guides if you prefer self-study. There's even a free study guide for Palm PDAs, or you can download plain text or PDF files of the question pool for your exam. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE 2006 TECHNICIAN QUESTION POOL IN ANYTHING YOU USE, as the questions changes in June.

Web practice exams are available free here and here, so you can see if you're ready to sit for the test after your studies.


Here's the data on the Milwaukie 1st Sunday testing:

Day: First Sunday of the Month through December.

Time: 7 PM, although Volunteer Examiners usually arrive at 6:30 PM.

Location: Round Table Pizza at 82nd Ave. and King Rd. in Milwaukie

Who: All who wish to take the Ham tests - Walk-ins Welcome. Hams who also just wish to schmooze may drop by, too.

Note: Those with special needs should contact us prior to the Testing date so we can make arrangements to meet those special needs. New VE's, please contact Tom if you wish to participate.


Contact: Tom Popp, KA0TP, who normally monitors 147.040+ or 146.960- during the day. Call 360-573-5001 to leave a message.