The AARC Technician Class wrapped up on November 4, 2020 following 10 weeks of virtual sessions. The class included over 25 participants, including students from New York and Colorado. It was organized by AARC Education Chair Bob Pattison (K4DU) and featured presentations by Bob, Hank Perritt (K9KDF), Brian O’Rourke (K4UL), Skip Thacker (WD4LT), Jim Owen (K4CGY), Joe Greenberg (KJ4PE), and John Porter (KK4JP). Several other hams, including Jim Wilson (K4BAV) also helped answer questions.
Following the course, 13 participants attended a VE session on Nov. 7 with a 100% pass rate. Additional participants, who were not able to attend that session, plan to take the exam in the near future.
As a follow-up activity, starting on Monday Nov. 16, Dave Damon (K4DND) will be leading a “New Ham Net” each Monday at 7:00 pm on the 146.925 & 146.895 linked repeaters. The net will be simulcast via ZOOM to allow participants who don’t yet have radios, are out of range of the repeaters or who have radio issues to participate.
The course was divided into 9 “modules” and included: Welcome to Amateur Radio; Radio and Signal Fundamentals; Electricity; Ohm’s law, Power and the Metric System; Electronic Components; Types of Radio Circuits; Propagation; Antennas and Feed Lines & SWR; Modulation and Bandwidth; Transmitters, Receivers and Transceivers; Power Sources; Contact Basics; Band Plans; Making Contacts and Using Repeaters; Nets, Emergency Communications, Special Modes and Techniques; License Regs and Privileges; Call Signs; Control Operations, Station ID & 3rd Party Communications; Interference, Remote & Automatic Operation, and Prohibited Transmissions; Safety and Amateur Radio; RF Interference (RFI) and wrapped up with a Review for the Exam.
Plans are in the works for a General License class next spring.