Resistance Chicks were PROUD to present the HAM radio class that was held in March of 2022 by Instructor Matthew Yellen.
I’m still working on editing videos from the original class, but the first session is below, there will be 4 parts in total!
Session ONE Rumble
Session TWO Rumble
Session THREE Rumble
Session FOUR Rumble
Session FIVE Rumble
Following our very successful HAM Radio class with instructor Matthew Yellen, we conducted a Zoom call Q&A. This was an extremely helpful exercise after several days of studying and taking the practice tests on www.QRZ.com to sort of iron out some of the kinks in our brains and ask detailed questions. You can view that zoom call below.
Also- for those of you looking for the links to four the follow-up General Zoom Class we held- here are they are!
HAM Radio General Class License ZOOM Review w/ Instructor Matthew Yellen- Session 1 of 4
HAM Radio General Class License ZOOM Review w/ Instructor Matthew Yellen- Session 2 of 4
HAM Radio General Class License ZOOM Review w/ Instructor Matthew Yellen- Session 3 of 4
HAM Radio General Class License ZOOM Review w/ Instructor Matthew Yellen- Session 4 of 4
If there is one thing I have learned over the past two years is to expect the unexpected and to unplug from the “system” in every area possible. If you’re like me, you’ve long been fascinated with the idea of HAM radio communication and are excited about the ability to communicate with, potentially, anyone, anywhere, even around the world! HAM radio instructor Matthew Yellen has agreed to give us a two day boot camp class to prepare us to pass the licensing test.
Getting your HAM license isn’t difficult but it will require some effort on your part. This class is being offered to you for FREE but you will need to purchase the 2018-2022 Technician Class Study Guide available on Amazon (click here). We will be taking an offering for Matthew at our in-person class and on-line students can submit a gift on-line at our Paypal page with the note: HAM Class, Instructor gift.
Below is a message from our instructor, Matthew Yellen for pre-paring for our two day boot-camp:
To be successful in the class, students should go through the study guide before class. This will familiarize you with the material for the class. This book is primarily just a list of all the questions from the question pool and a brief explanation of the question. I expect everyone to have questions and there to be a lot of things that you may not understand. All of these items will be covered in class and I will be able to answer any questions that you have.
The question pool is broken into sections and there are multiple questions in each section that are basically just rewordings of the same type of question. This allows for multiple versions of the test to be generated. This means that even though there are over 400 questions in the pool, full memorization isn’t required.
I have taught several of these weekend classes and students that put in the effort to go through the material and come hungry to class for more will be successful.
The process that I recommend and have been successful in getting students to pass is as follows:
*Two weeks before class students start going through the study guide.
*The two day class is a boot-camp style session that cover the material thoroughly and provides understanding that isn’t available in the book.
*In the week following the class, students self-study by going through the book on their own, with a partner, or by taking practice exams online.
*By the end of the week students should be passing online tests with scores around 90%.
*The weekend after the class or as close to it as possible students take the actual exam and pass!
Below you will find TWO links to help you find testing in YOUR area. It is a GOOD idea to test within one- three weeks following BOOTCAMP while everything is fresh on your mind. Most clubs offer testing every month so you should certainly be able to find a testing location close to you in that time frame.
| Laurel VECClick on the VE Team links to get more information including the test location, point of contact, phone number, and e-mail address.www.laurelvec.com |
http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session
| Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area – ARRLThe American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.www.arrl.org |
The Laurel or the ARRL exams are the same, they are just given by different administrators. There is a small charge for the ARRL usually ($15), but the Laurel is free.
Matthew told us that once you’ve been through the book once, the best thing is to go straight into the on-line PRACTICE tests. So for one hour each day this week, take several practice tests and review the questions you miss. Matthew recommends the following site for your on-line practice testing: https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
Matthew also said that when you pass your technicians exam, you will be given the opportunity to take the general exam right then and there- he strongly suggests you go ahead and do so because you never know, you just might pass!
For those of you wondering what a good, quality radio to buy would be, that is reasonably priced in it’s quality range, is the ICOM IC-7300 https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=71-002065 He says that if you are looking for an inexpensive handheld just to get started, he would stick with Japanese brands instead of the Chinese ones. So, brands such as ICOM, Yaesu or Kenwood are good. He did say that even if (like me!) you have a cheap Baofeng, it’s perfectly fine to start there, he has 4 or 5 himself, they are just more challenging to use. Also, apparently the ARRL Hamfests are an excellent place to get to equipment and get to know other hams, so check out this list and see when and where the next one closest to you is! http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search/Location.division_id:SE/model:Event
Matthew has generously offered his e-mail to everyone from the class- if you have any questions, feel free to contact him at [email protected]
About your instructor:
Matthew Yellen was first licensed in 1993 as a technician class with the call sign KB7TSE. Matthew advanced through the license classes learning Morse code (no longer required), and currently holds an Extra class license with the call sign K7DN. He has worked in the Amateur Radio industry as a product development engineer for ICOM America, one of the largest Amateur Radio manufacturers. While working for ICOM Matthew launched the D-STAR digital communications system.
Matthew is an IT professional working for an international manufacturing, industrial technology, and IT security company, serving as Global IT Manager over data center and server operations. In addition Matthew has worked as a licensed armed security contractor and teaches firearm, CCW, and justified use of force classes.