Subj : Local License Exam Update
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Jun 10 2021 22:31:10

  I have the exam supplies from ARRL/VEC...the venue at the University
Of Arkansas At Little Rock (UALR)(Fribrough Hall Room 517) on Saturday,
June 19, 2021, at 10am Central Time), and the VE Team (examiners) for
the session....but as of yet, no candidates.

  Pre-registration is required, as only a maximum of 15 candidates will
be accepted. A related message was posted a few days ago. The deadline
for registration is 48 hours in advance, in this case, 10am Central
Time on Thursday, June 17, 2021. If no one has contacted me by that
time, then the session will be canceled.

  This is because it makes NO SENSE to:

1) Order supplies from ARRL/VEC (since I'm no longer Field Stocked,
due to continuing uncertainties with venues because of COVID-19). I
will have to pay to send the supplies back, whether or not a test is
done...as I'd rather use the FedEx 3 Day Super Saver, than go through
the US Postal Service.

2) Get a VE Team Together.

3) Get a venue for the testing.

....if NO ONE is going to show up. Otherwise, it's a waste of time,
energy, gasoline, wear and tear on cars, money, and scheduling...if
the examiners go up there for nothing. Ham radio, like any HOBBY,
should NEVER take priority over things like church, family, health,
job, or even honey-do's.

  Before COVID-19, even when we allowed walk-ins, there were several
cases where no one showed up to take the exam...so we made the trip,
and the effort, for nothing. Now, some hams don't mind the eyeball
QSO's...but nowadays, that's not as likely, especially with all the
stuff with COVID-19. Most of the VE's are in the vulnerable age
group, and while most have had their shots, there are still quite a
few folks who have not. 

  Since then, folks have been clamoring for me to get a license exam
session together, and a week out from it, no one has signed up. I'm
intentionally doing it the week prior to Field Day Weekend, so those
hams and examiners that want to operate June 26-27, can do so.

  I realize that no matter when you schedule a ham radio license
class, an exam session, a net, a club meeting, a hamfest, a special
event station, etc., -- that someone, somewhere, is not going to be
able to make it...that's just the way life is.

  But, if folks want license exams to be done...no matter where they
are held...they need to commit to going. Basically, it boils down to
"How bad do you want that ham radio license or upgrade??". If no one
shows up, then apparently not much. If that becomes a regular
occurrence, the VE Team may decide it's not worth the hassle, and
that testing opportunity would be gone...forcing those wanting a
new ham radio license, or an upgrade, to go elsewhere for the exam.
In some cases, that could be an extended drive...and with the price
of gas nowadays, if it's too much trouble, they're not going to make
the trip...and may go with remote testing instead, as some clubs are
doing.

  I will post an updated message on Thursday, June 17, on the status
of the session...hopefully, that it will take place, instead of it
being canceled. You can go to the ARRL website (www.arrl.org), click
on Exams, search for Arkansas, then look for the UALR Ham Radio Club
exam on June 19 for details.

  Further information is also available on The Thunderbolt BBS in
the file ualrhamx.pdf -- a PDF viewer is required.

Daryl Stout, WX4QZ, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

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