Newport County Radio Club held its first electronic VE exam session today at the All Saints STEAM Academy parking lot in Middletown. Two folks took the exam. Congrats to new hams:
- Bruce Bragga (Passed Technician)
- James Garman (Passed Technician & General)
Because the exam was electronic, there was no paperwork to deal with. The examinees used a tablet computer to select their answers. Once they indicated they were finished, the exam was graded instantly and all the paperwork was filled in via a completely automated process . When all candidates were finished, they received their signed CSCE copies via email, and the required paperwork was uploaded to the ARRL. Had the exam been held on a business day, the entry into the FCC ULS would have happened within an hour or so.
The slowest part of the process was getting the assigned VEs to electronically sign the paperwork (which required them to click a “Sign” button and enter their password). In reality, one or one hundred students would have taken the same amount of time, and things were wrapped up in 30 minutes.
John K1JSM (left) helps student with tablet computer during the exam
The exam was not without its tribulations, however. Originally the plan was to hold the exam indoors. However no one came to let us into the building. We quickly regrouped. Rob KB1ZZU had a 115 Vac outlet in his car which was used to power the GoLocalMe WiFi HotSpot, allowing the exam to be held in the parking lot. So hams, once again, prove adaptable and resilient. The highlight of the morning was when two Middletown Police cruisers showed up to respond to a silent alarm in the building right before the exam began. Imagine their surprise to find the parking lot full of radio nerds.
Police stop by to see what fun things were going on!
Our club is very grateful for John K1JSM, who undertook this project, got two tablet computers setup for the students along with the HotSpot. He held a training session for our initial set of VEs. Our thanks to the following VEs who assisted with the exam session:
- John K1JSM
- Mike AA1XQ
- Rob KB1ZZU
- Jim KA1ZOU
- Nancy KC1NEK
- Paul K1YBE
- Bob WB4SON
