Subj : Local License Exam Update
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Mon Jul 12 2021 07:49:37

We had only one examinee at the July 10, 2021 license exam session at
the University Of Arkansas At Little Rock (UALR)...he aced his General
test, but (as expected, for not looking at the material), failed the
Extra. But, that was to be expected (unless you're an electrical engineer
who is familiar with a lot of the terms, etc.). He does want to upgrade
for Extra, but I have to get with the Faculty Advisor, and the rest of
the VE Team on scheduling, as noted below. I will encourage him to
become a VE, because whether General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra, VE's
are needed at exam sessions.

Schedule wise, we likely won't do it on the following weekends:

1) Labor Day Weekend and the weekend after it: First, for the holiday,
and then for the Mena, Arkansas Hamfest, the oldest hamfest west of
the Mississippi River.

2) The first weekend in October: This is when the Simulated Emergency
Test (SET) is done, and one club usually provides communications for
the Arkansas Traveler 100 Mile Run. However, it was canceled last
year, and with a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases (especially the Delta
variant), it may be canceled this year.

3) From Thanksgiving Weekend through New Years Weekend: This is due
to the hectic pace of the holidays...then winter weather is possible
in January and February.

We nearly didn't have a session, though...because we needed 3 Amateur
Extra Class VE' to administer a General or an Amateur Extra exam, and
besides myself and the faculty advisor for the UALR Ham Radio Club,
the other VE there was only a General Class VE. One of the Extra Class
examinees had forgotten to check the calendar, and as a result, didn't
show up (he apologized profusely afterwards). Thankfully, another Extra
Class VE was on campus, trying to find the room...so, we "saved the
session".

With all the problems that many VE Teams have had with the US Postal
Service in getting the items to ARRL/VEC within 10 days of the exam
session, the ARRL/VEC has a PRIVATE HIDDEN URL for VE Team Leaders
to upload their data in a PDF file to the VEC. The Liaison takes all
the forms, and scans them into their computer...then takes the images,
and creates a PDF file. That is uploaded to the hidden URL noted above,
which gets the data to ARRL/VEC quicker. They still have to send in the
data (and return ALL the forms, etc. if they are NOT "Field Stocked"),
but this getting the data to ARRL/VEC faster, allows processing of the
exam session data faster.

If the exam is on a Saturday, and the data is uploaded Saturday night
(as was the case for my VE Team), ARRL/VEC can process this on Monday
(today, at this typing), and the examinee can have their new license
or upgrade by late Monday or on Tuesday. The processing is delayed 1
day, if Monday is a Federal holiday...and further delayed in case of "
a government shutdown" (a redundancy in terms, if there ever was one
(hi hi)).

If the examinee(s) paid in cash, and the VE Team Liaison has a credit
or debit card on file, there is no need for the liaison to write a
check...the amount noted is charged to the card.

With the trouble with the Postal Service, I sent it via FedEx 3 Day
Super Saver, and it cost around $18. That's cheaper than the Postal
Service Overnight Mail...and unlike the Postal Service, everything
that I've sent via FedEx has arrived at its destination when it was
promised. ARRL/VEC should get the items on Thursday, even though I
already uploaded images of all the forms.

As for future sessions the rest of 2021, no dates have been set as
of yet. As noted above, I have to get with the Faculty Advisor, and
the VE Team to check schedules. But we have the room available for
when the next session is done...even though we have to limit the
number of examinees to 15.

We did practice social distancing at the session, and everyone wore
masks inside the building (one was not required to do outside any
of the buildings). With the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases (the
Delta variant), Arkansas might end up doing another mask mandate.

While everyone at the session (examiners and examinees) had taken
both shots, Arkansas is one of the states where the vaccination rate
is LOW. Some are hesitant because of religious reasons, or they are
worried about side effects. While there have been cases of such,
that's possible with ANY vaccination...especially if you already have
an underlying condition. To me, a vaccination may not keep you from
getting the disease...but it should keep you from a far more serious
case of the disease. Last year, I had to take shots for the flu,
tentanus, and shingles (the latter disease is extremely painful).

I will post an update when the next session date is finalized.

Daryl, WX4QZ, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison
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 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)

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