Chemeketa Community College’s Electronics Dept, June 2026

Date: June 15th, 2026
Time: 5:30-7:00 PM
Team: K7CVO-SLE: Benton County ARES Salem unit.
Test Fee: FREE!
Location: 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305, USA
VEC: Laurel Amateur Radio Club, Inc
Slots available: 30

Notes from the team:

Chemeketa Community College’s Electronics Department, in partnership with the Benton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (BCARES) Volunteer Examiner (VE) Team, would like to invite you to an Amateur Radio Technician License study class and VE exam session. To be held June 12th, 13th, and 15th, 2026, at Chemeketa Community College’s Electronics Dept.

The FCC study class will prepare you to pass the FCC exam to obtain your Amateur Radio “Technician” license. The FCC exam will be administered during the VE session on the Monday following the study classes. The FCC study class and Exam are free of charge and open to the public. So feel free to spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Amateur Radio License Types:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has three operator license classes, each authorizing different levels of operating privileges. New amateur radio operators begin with the Technician Class license and then may advance to the General Class and then to the Amateur Extra Class operator license. During the examination, an applicant may take all three exams consecutively to obtain all FCC license levels, provided they have successfully passed the previous lower license. The FCC no longer requires Morse Code proficiency to obtain Amateur Radio licenses.

Technician License Privileges:

Newly licensed Technician holders will have all amateur radio privileges above 30 MHz, including additional privileges on certain HF frequencies. Technician licenses may transmit up to 1500 Watts PEP on the VHF and higher bands and operate FM voice, digital packet (computers), high-powered Wi-Fi networks, television, single-sideband voice, and many other modes. You can even make radio contacts via satellites using relatively inexpensive radio equipment, so if space is your final frontier, we’ve got you covered.

* VE EXAM SESSION - Details *

The VE exam session is where you can take the FCC exam. Please register so we can stay in touch to inform you of any changes to the plans.

EXAM DATE / TIME: Monday, June 15th, 2026. The FCC exam testing begins promptly at 6:00 pm, so please arrive 30 minutes early at 5:30 pm for check-in, orientation, and registration.

EXAM LOCATION: Chemeketa Community College, 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, Oregon. Building: 4 Room: 126 (located on the 1st floor, Electronics Department).

Upon arrival, gather inside the break room located downstairs (north-east corner) near the restrooms in building 4, until a staff member can let you into the classroom area. The meeting location on What3Words is “Invite, Price, Verge” at this link: https://w3w.co//invite.price.verge.

DIRECTIONS: Take Silverton Rd to 45th Ave or Ward Dr to 45th Ave, and turn onto Satter Rd. When entering the campus on Satter Rd, the purple parking lot is on the left side of Satter Rd, and the yellow handicapped parking lot is directly ahead on Satter Rd.

PARKING: When required, instructions to receive a complimentary college parking permit valid for the duration of the study class and VE exam session will be emailed to ALL registered attendees. Park in the Purple parking lot. Parking in the Purple lot places you closest to building 4, the electronics department. There is also a handicapped area in the yellow parking lot for those with a valid handicap placard. See this link for the campus map and directory:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QD3oTYxjAe89TWCFG5y_RDJxAW-FzkED/view.

FCC PROCESSING FEES: Applicants who pass the test to obtain their first license will receive an invoice for $35 from the FCC for their licensing fee, and have about 10 days to pay the FCC. The FCC will not issue your license until payment is received. Once payment is made, the license is granted within 24 hours.

Please DO NOT attempt to prepay for your license; instead, wait for the FCC to send you an invoice, and/or notice from the VE team. Such an attempt to prepay will result in your application being lost in a bureaucratic limbo from which none have been known to escape. There is no additional cost to taking consecutive exams to obtain advanced licenses, as any additional licenses beyond the Technician license are free upgrades. Licenses are valid for ten (10) years, after which time you’ll need to pay a renewal fee to the FCC.

* FCC STUDY CLASS *

The FCC study class is offered free of charge and is held at Chemeketa’s Electronics Department. This Radio License Class is taught by an ARRL instructor and designed for beginners who want to prepare for the FCC exam to obtain their Amateur Radio Technician License, with no prior knowledge required.

Study Class (New Hybrid Format):
The study class will be hybrid, allowing attendees the option to participate either by Zoom or in person. We understand some attendees may not be able to attend in person because they are located in a galaxy far, far away… However, if you reside within our Local Group, we encourage you to attend in person to fully enjoy the experience of taking the study class in a college electronics setting. Those attending in person will have the chance to see and handle real electrical components associated with communication technologies.

We will do our best to conduct the in-person class via Zoom. However, please note this will be our first hybrid study class, also taught on Zoom, so we cannot guarantee your experience will be perfect. If possible, we encourage you to attend in person.

Study Class Schedule:

- Class day 1: Friday, June 12th. From 1730-1930 (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm)
- Class day 2: Saturday, June 13th. From 0900-1700 (9 am to 5 pm)

Upon completing the class, attendees will learn the basic principles of electronics theory, including series and parallel circuits, basic modulation types, and symbols for electrical components related to radio technology. They will also become familiar with radio terminology, FCC regulations, and the Amateur Radio bands and frequencies used by Technician Class License holders. By the end of the class, participants will have gained the knowledge necessary to pass the exam and receive their FCC Amateur Radio Technician license.

During the study class, there will be regular breaks, including a lunch break on Saturday. A breakroom is available, equipped with a microwave oven and a refrigerator/freezer. You are welcome to eat snacks and drink beverages during class. However, please refrain from bringing food or drinks into the lab area on exam day.

STUDY CLASS REGISTRATION:

If you are interested in joining the FCC study class, please take a moment to complete the Study Class Registration link provided below. This will help us determine whether you plan to attend the FCC Study Class via Zoom or in person. By filling out this form, we can gauge expected class attendance and contact you in case of any last-minute changes.

Link to Study Class Registration Contact Form (please fill out): https://forms.gle/ibacm1Pb2zQadrzb6

HELPFUL STUDY AIDS:

Those who prefer to do some prep work before the study class should sign up with HamStudy.org to begin taking the practice tests and viewing the study cards there. Additionally, several books have been published for those who would enjoy some reading. Books are available by the ARRL, Gordon West, Stephen Horan, Michael Burnette’s Fast Track Series, and the FREE No Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide by KB6NU, among others. While we can't vouch for or recommend anyone in particular, most of the books out there do a reasonable job of covering the relevant material.

Before you buy, we recommend checking with your local library, because once you pass the exam, it doesn't do you much good. If you purchase a book, consider donating it after you’ve passed the test. Also, the library at Chemeketa has Michael Burnette’s The Fast Track to Your Technician Class Ham Radio License, which you may check out. This is the same book we provide to Chemeketa students studying for their license.

One important thing to note is that test questions are changed on a four-year cycle. The current Technician test, which is Element 2, is part of the 2022 to 2026 update cycle. Element 3 is 2023-2027, and Element 4 is 2024-2028. All dates are from July 1st through June 30th. Therefore, the study books found at libraries, including some inexpensive ones found online, may be older editions. While most of the information won’t change much between single cycles, there may be content in older books, several cycles ago, that is less relevant for the current exam. On the other hand, the website HamStudy is always up to date; therefore, we recommend creating a FREE account at HamStudy.org and begin studying the “Technician class” practice tests and study cards at this link: https://hamstudy.org/tech2022.

* REGISTRATION PREREQUISITES *

There are two important prerequisites you’ll need to complete before attending the VE Session for the FCC exam to take the exam. If you’re taking your first FCC exam, you’ll need to apply for an FCC Registration Number (FRN). If you’re upgrading a license, you should already have an FRN, so skip this session.

First prerequisite (CORES / FRN):
For those who don't already have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and a Username Account set up on the Commission Registration System (CORES), you'll need to get those set up first. An FRN is required to do business with the FCC, and CORES is where the business gets done, and is your FCC user account. Use the link below for Step-by-step instructions to establish a Username Account on CORES and get an FRN:

Link for Instructions to get an FRN and a Username Account on CORES: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/knowledge-base/universal-licensing-system-uls-resources/getting-fcc-registration.

Helpful FRN registration Tips: When registering, both a U.S.-based physical (snail mail) address and an email address are required. You can perform routine updates to your license information through the FCC for free (updating mailing address or other contact info). Please note that the address you use to sign up for the FRN becomes listed publicly. Therefore, if privacy is a concern, you can use any address you receive mail at, such as a P.O. Box or a work address, so it does not need to be your physical home address.

The FCC regulation states: "Any person, except a representative of a foreign government, may apply for an FCC amateur service license upon passing the qualifying examinations."

Therefore, international students and our global citizens may obtain an FCC Amateur Radio license. The FCC licensee must maintain a valid US mailing address. Therefore, remember to use a U.S.-based physical (snail mail) address when registering your user account with CORES.

When registering for an FRN, everyone should sign up as a resident individual - Under
"FRN Registration \- Registrant Type" select "An individual", and then under "FRN Registration \- Individual Type" select "CORES FRN Registration."

Second prerequisite (HamStudy):
For those who haven't already signed up for an account at HamStudy and registered for our VE exam session at Chemeketa, please do so before attending the VE exam session. Please note: We will administer the exam through Exam Tools, a platform related to HamStudy.org. Therefore, to take the FCC exam, you will need to create an account at this website: HamStudy.org and be pre-registered for the exam session taking place at Chemeketa (see “Exam Registration” below to register). If you have a laptop or tablet you would like to use, you're welcome to use it. We will also have paper exams available on-site.

* EXAM REGISTRATION *

If you are reading this post on the HamStudy website, register for the FCC exam test (VE Session) using the button at the bottom of this page.

If the “Register” Button below causes an error, try the “Old Registration” button next to it; otherwise, please use the normal “Register” Button below.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility concerns or questions.
Contact us if HamStudy reports “there are no seating slots available.” Also, contact us if you are interested in joining our local Chemeketa VE team.

Contacts:

Anthony (BCARES / Laurel VEC coordinator) at: ke7osn@gmail.com
Phillip (Chemeketa Electronics dept aide) at: ormicroportal.club@gmail.com
Scott (ARRL Instructor) at: kf7ggn@gmail.com

We would like to thank Chemeketa Community College’s Electronics Dept for graciously hosting this event and the awesome people with the Benton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (BCARES) and our local Volunteer Examiner (VE) Team for their support, including the Laurel Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (Laurel VEC).

We are thankful for your generous support. Thank you all for being gracious, Elmers. Without you, we couldn't have gotten started in Amateur Radio. 73.