Exams

BARC VE Session, Monday, July 10, 7:30 pm

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The Boston Amateur Radio Club will be holding a volunteer exam session on Monday, July 10, 2023, at 7:30 pm at Artisans Asylum, 96 Holton St., Boston, MA 02135. This is in the Allston neighborhood; directions are here.

We give exams for all licensing levels: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. The test fee is $15, and if you pass an exam, you can take the exam for the next higher level without paying an additional fee. More information can be found here.

Testing is by reservation only; we cannot take walk-ins. To reserve a spot or if you have questions, please contact Joe Chapman, NV1W, at joechapman@alum.mit.edu.

Also, please note that the question pool for the General exam will change on July 1, so in the July 10 session we will be using the new General tests.

BARC VE Session, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 7:30 pm

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BARC will be holding its first post-pandemic volunteer exam session on Tuesday, October 18, at 7:30 pm at Artisans Asylum in Allston. You must register for the test in advance with either Joe Chapman, NV1W, at nv1w@arrl.net, or Jim Clogher, N1ICN, at n1icn@arrl.net.

The test fee is $15 and you must have an FCC registration number (FRN). More information on the test can be found on the BARC Exam Sessions page on this website. Directions to the Artisans Asylum are here.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Joe Chapman, NV1W at the above address or at 617-267-6349.

FCC $35 Amateur Application Fee Effective Date will be April 19

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The FCC released a Public Notice on March 23, 2022, stating that the amateur radio application fees, including those associated with Form 605 application filings, would become effective on April 19, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission’s authority to impose and collect fees is mandated by Congress.

The $35 application fee, when it becomes effective on April 19, will apply to new, renewal, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign. The fee will be per application.

Administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, and modification applications to upgrade an amateur radio licensee’s operator class*, will be exempt from fees. (*this new information was just confirmed by FCC staff on Tuesday, March 29.)

Youth Licensing Grant Program

Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of Directors, approved the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program in July 2021. Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18-years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC. ARRL is finalizing details for administering the program.

ARRL VEC Application Fees webpage: arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

ARRL News Story: arrl.org/news/new-amateur-radio-license-applications-fee-to-become-effective-april-19-2022

BARC Exam Session, Tuesday, January 8

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[Note: this session has been cancelled because no reservations have been made.]

The BARC Volunteer Examiner (VE) Team will be conducting an exam session on Tuesday, January 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Brookline Police Headquarters in Brookline. Note the change from the usual Monday date. More information can be found here. Advance registration is required.

To register for an exam or if you have questions, contact Linda Blair, NA1I, or Jim Clogher, N1ICN.