The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) is offering a free amateur radio licensing course beginning on Monday, September 8th. The course will prepare students for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician licensing exam that will be offered at the completion of the course. The Technician level radio operator’s license is the first of three amateur licenses offered by the FCC. Each license has increased levels of operator privileges.
The course consists of twice weekly sessions, beginning on September 8th, and meets on Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks. The course will be held at the Grady Research building, 323 West Main St., in Ayer. Sessions will start at 7PM and last for 2 hours. An FCC license exam will be scheduled for the end of the sessions. The course is free, but there will be an FCC required $15 testing fee if you take the exam. The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 5th edition, will be the study guide used for the class. A limited number of study guides may be purchased from the instructor for $30 or online from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) or Amazon.
This course is open to all; there are no age limits. Pre-registration is required; no walk-ins will be allowed. To register you must contact the instructor, Bruce Blain at (508) 341-5124 or via email at
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The FCC Technician license exam covers basic regulations, operating practices and electronic theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications. The FCC exam consists of 35 multiple choice questions, chosen from a published list. The FCC no longer requires Morse code proficiency for an amateur radio license. This Technician licensing course is ideal for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members to quickly get their radio operator’s license.
NVARC has resources available to help new hams with equipment selection, set-up, and getting on the air. There are handheld radios available for as little as $30 that will economically get you on the air and talking to other hams in your area.
Also check out other Workshops in Ayer.