When I first started in amateur radio in 2015, I connected with a fellow Navy veteran in Seligman, Arizona by the name of Theodore “Ted” Shelly KF7QPG. I learned tonight that he is a silent key.
He used to rag me about my Baofeng UV-5r that I started with, as most new Technician licensees do. I was happy when he finally gave me a good report on the UV-82. I got my Technician license in October of 2015 after a serious Internet/phone outage occurred in February in northern Arizona. Ted was always there to talk to on the Bill Williams 146.780 repeater. I daresay we hogged the repeater at times because we were both studying to upgrade our licenses. I was working on the General and he the Amateur Extra.
In December of 2015, I rode with him to the Coconino Amateur Radio Club exam in Flagstaff. We both left as Amateur Extras. While he was able to use the “Stroke AG” on HF, I was still relegated to the Technician spectrum because of income. That was okay because I mainly was interested in emergency communications and getting into the Amateur Radio Emergency Service system with the CARC.
Ted and I also became volunteer examiners and had a little competition on how many exams we could do. He was way ahead at one time, but I blame ARRL because they did not give me credit for a couple.
Ted also gave me some of his old equipment, some of which I still use.
He moved to Georgia a couple of years after we met, as I understand it, but I learned today that he passed away on May 20 of this year due to cancer. He was one of my first amateur radio friends and I morn his passing, but he did live a good long life. He had many years as a Ham and I am sure he continued to touch lives as he did mine.
With what is going on in the world today, it may have sparked your interest in amateur radio. With the appropriate license, equipment and propagation, you may be able to contact areas hard-hit by the coronavirus and get on the scene reports. You may realize that it helps in emergency communications locally. You may just want to chat or use it just for communications while camping or hunting. What ever your reason, if you have an interest in an amateur radio license, you can still study for it. There are several resources that may help you prepare for an upcoming exam in your area (if they have not been cancelled).
Let me first explain the licenses. There are three levels. From lowest-to-highest they are Technician, General and Amateur Extra. Most people that have taken our Coconino Amateur Radio Club sponsored classes have been able to get the General license. The Amateur Extra is much more difficult to get and only gives you a few more frequency privileges. The Amateur Extra, however, give you the ability to assist amateur radio in other administrative ways.
There is a separate exam for all three levels of license. The exam fee is $15. This does not pay the people giving the exam. The examiners are all unpaid volunteers. The classes (if held) are also free and run by volunteers. The exam fee pays for the administration of the exam (printing the exam, postage, etc.). When you go in, you must take the Technician exam first. You must bring in a valid picture ID, also. We recommend that you bring a FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the exam. You need this to deal with the FCC and you can obtain it at their web site. If you plan to get a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license, you need to get an FRN also. It only takes about an hour to get the FRN, so I always recommend people do it a couple of days before the exam in case you decide not to take the exam. If you do not get an FRN, you must bring your social security number. We prefer the FRN for your security.
When you pass the Technician exam, you can take the General exam free. If you pass that, you may take the Amateur Extra exam free. If you fail an exam, however, you must pay the $15 exam fee to take it again. For example, if you pass the Technician and fail the General, maybe you feel you can pass the General if you had another shot. You have to pay the $15 to retake the exam.
Another point is that once you are licensed, you are under no obligation to join any group or organization to use that license. You may go merrily along calling out on the radio and QSOing. (You will learn what that means when you study) There are obvious advantages, of course, to supporting the ARRL and joining a local Ham club.
By the way, I gave you the information to answer about three exam questions in the above paragraphs.
As of this writing, the Coconino Amateur Radio Club has an exam scheduled for April 18 and Saturday classes starting April 25. This may change depending on current conditions. The Bill Williams Mountain Radio Club sponsors periodic classes in Williams when there is enough interest.
The American Radio Relay League has information on becoming licensed. They also offer books. These books and other resources are available on Amazon, as well.
Applications on your phone can help.Another source of information is your smart phone. If you have an Android phone you can search for ARRL Ham Test Prep. That app contains all of the questions and answers (including distracters) for every exam level. There is also an app for Ham Bands that is useful. There are also free apps on Apple. The Ham Test Prep app allows you to take sample exams. However the “STUDY” button is a little misleading. The STUDY button allows you to go through each section of the exam pool and memorize answers. It does not explain the answers. That is where the books and videos mentioned above are useful.
There are web sites on line which offer practice exams, also.
I recommend the videos at http://www.hamwhisperer.com/p/ham-courses.html. The videos cover an outdated question pools, but most of the information is still valid. The updated pools ask some new questions about digital radio and ask some questions a little different, but overall the information is still good. The videos go through each question of the old exam pool give a very basic explanation of the information. The videos on electronics and radio wave propagation, for example, will give you valid information even though the questions have changed. There are some updated questions in the area of radio equipment, but those are minor.
With the plethora of resources available, we still have an uncertain future concerning actual exams. We are hopeful that this situation is resolved by April 18. If it is, you will be ready without the need for classes.
While only one person came to take the amateur radio exam, Craig Gerasim represents the beginning of another cycle of exams. The exam was held on January 18 and Craig received a technician license.
The rest of the exams scheduled for the year are April 18, July 18 and October 17. There will probably be an exam at the Overland Expo in May. This also does not count exams that may crop up from classes in Williams.
If someone was a little quicker on the keyboard at ARRL, we would have had two lux in Coconino County. Craig, however, drew the call sign of KI7LUY.
It was also beneficial in that the newest volunteer examiner—Mike, AG7XQ—a chance to learn the exam system. Mike earned his Extra license in one sitting at the last 2019 session.
Joe, W7LUX, thanked Erv KE7QFI, Mike AG7XQ , Scott KY7A and Glen, KG7YDJ for making the exam possible.
This year has been a good year for Amateur Radio in Flagstaff and Williams. The exam October 19 is indicitive of that
Congratulations to Morgan KI7WTS who upgraded to Amatuer Extra and Mike who upgraded to Amateur Extra from… Well. Nothing. He passed all three exams. His dad, Don, got a General license. Congratulations to Jeremiah KF7NIQ who upgraded to General. Carl passed the Technician and General exams. Nathan and Willis, from Williams, got a Technician license.
The final talley is two new Amateur Extras, two new Generals and two new Technicians.
Thanks to Ken KF7DUR, Ron KG7OH and Glen KG7YDJ for proctoring this exam and Joe W7LUX and Janice KI7WCK for setting up the exams. Also thanks to all of the other VEs who helped this year. We, of course, thank Melissa Fisher and North Country Health Care for allowing us to use their facility.
Thanks to the instructors who helped in Flagstaff and Williams. Phil AE7HO, Ron KG7OH, Kevin KK7NAZ, Jack NT7MM, Jackie KI7YQO, and Peter. I hope I remembered everyone.
On Sunday July 21, I turned on my two radios to monitor the 146.980 (- 162.2) repeater on Mt. Elden and the 146.780 (- 91.5) repeater on Bill Williams mountain as I normally do. On Sunday I did not expect much as traffic is normally light. To my surprise, I heard Janice KI6WCK announcing that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Flagstaff was active and the Coconino Amateur Radio Club (CARC) Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) was providing communication services.
The ARES group was providing backup communications in support of a fire that was being called the Museum Fire. I listened to monitor the situation for a few minutes. When it was clear they were asking for volunteers, I volunteered. This is, after all, what we train for. I could not drop everything and run up that day. So I volunteered for Monday. I contacted Joe W7LUX who is the District Emergency Coordinator for Coconino County. He needed someone late in the day Monday so I volunteered.
There were other things happening on Sunday. Amateur radio operators responded to the call to tow the CARC antenna tower trailer and the communication trailer to the EOC. Others brought coaxial cable that was needed. Some came to help set up and relieve Janice. It was a busy day.
The trip to Flagstaff for me is about 80-miles round trip and about two-hours travel time. Arizona Department of Transportation is currently doing repairs on the highway in both directions east- and west-bound on I-40. So that was another thing I had to contend with.
I packed my emergency dual-band antenna and mast in my car and an extra power supply in case it was needed. I carried them to Flagstaff every time I went up.
The Museum Fire from 4th Street in Flagstaff.
When I arrived in Flagstaff, I was actually stunned by the magnitude of the fire. To make matters worse, the fire was in an area called Shultz Pass that had a fire years ago. This caused flooding when it rained. Fortunately Coconino County had been working on the problem long before this fire. There was some flash flooding because of rain on Tuesday—according to NOAA radio—but it did not damage any private structures, as far as I know.
The big concern was whether or not the fire would reach the repeaters at Devil’s Head on Mt. Elden. I was impressed that the CARC trailer was set up for its intended purpose of emergency communications. The CARC antenna trailer had been set up and Ken KF7DUR had a VHF and UHF emergency repeater set up in the trailer in case the worse happened.
The CARC trailer and antenna set up for emergency communications.
We were also able to maintain communications with the Bill Williams Mountain Club repeater in Williams. The 146.780 (- 91.5) Bill Williams repeater is also attached to Echolink. Under normal conditions, I’ve met some new Hams coming in on Echolink.
Ken KF7DUR set up a UHF and VHF repeater in the CARC trailer in case the worse happened.
By the end of the day Monday, it was clear that there was less danger to the repeaters. Things slowed down and Erv KE7QFI conducted the Skywarn net.
On Tuesday I had an appointment at the VA in the morning, so I went to the EOC right after. I did not expect to, but I wound up staying until they secured ARES for the day. In the morning, the Southwest Area Type I Incident Management Team 2 took over management of the fire. What that means, in layman’s terms, is that this was a serious fire. The terrain was rugged and aircraft had been bombing the fire with water since the fire began.
l-r Ken KF7DUR, Jacob KI7WNS, Governor Doug Ducey, Glen KG7YDJ and Joe W7LUX
The big news (though not over the amateur radio airwaves) was that Governor Doug Ducey was going to come to the EOC to sign the Declaration of Emergency for the Museum Fire. They had podium, flags and chairs set up for the purpose. He did not arrive at the scheduled time. It turns out he went into the field. He did,however, show up at the EOC later and took time out to thanks us for our work. He also patiently took time so we could all snap a picture with him.
The Museum Fire on Tuesday. The trailer in the foreground is a piece of equipment from Arizona DEMA that is used to establish cell communications and Internet.
After he left we returned to duty. The monsoon rains started. They were relatively light but seemed to help slow the fire a bit. Surely it helped cool off the fire fighters. The problem was that there was now a flash flood warning until 7 p.m. People were given the opportunity to get sand bags for their homes. At about 5:30 p.m., I checked NOAA radio and it was reported that a flash flood was crossing Paradise Road and heading toward the community of Sunnyside. It was reported by Skywarn observers that the flash flooding carried ash and debris from the fire. I did not hear of any damage to homes. After 9.5 hours I went home.
On Wednesday I returned to the EOC at about 12:45. The fire was still going as was the EOC. I did notice that there was considerably less smoke. I received a surprise visit from an amateur radio friend, Ian, who was a fire fighter on the TYPE I team that was sent in to manage the fire. He got to see just what ARES does.
Wednesday is the regular ARES net. I remembered to take my computer, but forgot to take a copy of the roster and even the script. So I had to text Ron KG7OH to email me a copy of those items. It was an interesting experience running the net from the EOC. I made it more interesting by playing with the buttons on the radio and forgetting to re-set it back to the proper settings before the net. I was familiar with the Yaesu radios, so it was no problem getting it set properly and conducting the net.
I simply could not return on Thursday due to personal reasons. I still monitored the radio, of course. On Friday I monitored fully prepared to respond if needed. I learned, however, that ARES was being de-activated at 10 a.m., but that the EOC was still being staffed over the weekend. So we are still “on call,” though we are breaking down the CARC equipment tomorrow.
Overall it was an interesting experience participating in an actual ARES activation. It was more interesting because this was such a major emergency. I met new Ham operators both on the radio and in person. It gave me a chance to learn to interact with the different groups in the EOC.
The EOC provided plenty of food and snacks. In fact on Tuesday they provided an Italian cuisine with spaghetti, Parmesan chicken and the works. Of course, no Italian menu would be complete without Chinese fortune cookies. They had a box of them. This was one of my fortunes:
The nerve center of the Emergency Operation Center.
FLAGSTAFF – On March 23, the Emergency Operation Center in Flagstaff held an open house to allow the public to peer inside for the first time.
The Emergency Operation Center is based on a modular, FEMA model. That means that only those areas necessary for the current emergency are staffed. That could mean representatives from federal agencies, State agencies or local agencies. Local agencies can be anything from the American Red Cross, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Community Emergency Response Team, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, representatives from fire and police departments from anywhere in Coconino County to name a few.
The Coconino Emergency Operation Center is operated by Coconino Emergency Management. It received national recognition during the Tinder Fire in the Blue Ridge area. Amateur radio operators from the Coconino Amateur Radio Emergency Service was the only communications to get through to the EOC at the beginning to issue evacuation orders.
Visitors got a chance to see the various community emergency services in Coconino County. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) sponsored by the Sheriff’s Department was one. The group is made up of volunteers that respond to various emergencies as directed by the CCSO. This can be anything from assisting in searching for a lost person to providing traffic control. CERT training, provided by the CCSO, is required to be a member.
Amateur radio operators set up antennas to demonstrate emergency communications.
The Coconino Amateur Radio Club Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) group mans their space at the EOC for almost every emergency. Amateur radio—aka “Ham”—operators are people of all walks of life licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate amateur radio equipment on several frequencies. This is not the same as a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license. Although amateurs are not required to, many donate countless hours in training and providing emergency communications. Amateur radio can get through when many other means of communications fail. They use a variety of digital and voice modes and sometimes even old-fashioned Morse code. Some FEMA courses are required to work with the amateur radio operators in the EOC, however any amateur radio operator can participate by providing reports in their area. ARES is a program sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. There is no requirement to join any group or provide emergency communications attached to an FCC amateur radio license.
The American Red Cross also provided an information table for their continuing role in many emergency situations in and outside of the EOC. The State Emergency Management Agency also presented their role.
Ground control to Major Tom. This unit provides cell and wi-fi service in remote locations.Flagstaff Police Department bomb squad robot.
Outside there were several agencies present . The Flagstaff Police Department bomb squad had their bomb robot present. The State Emergency Management Team had their “Ground Control” unit that provides cell and Wi-Fi services in remote areas. There were also representatives from the fire department and ambulance services.
The Coconino Amateur Radio Club holds a last successful exam for 2018. Every candidate left with a new license or upgrade.
FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino Amateur Radio Club finished a successful class and exam cycle for 2018. The club held two Technician and one General license class in 2018 in Flagstaff. They also sponsored a Technician and General license class in Williams.
Several amateurs from CARC were responsible for the successes of the year. Phil AD7EO, Ron KG7OH, Jack Lunsford NT7MM from the NADX Club taught antenna courses in Williams and Flagstaff. New amateur extra Joe Ellison AG7OR taught the electronics section for the last Technician course. Joe passed all three exams to earn the amateur extra in one sitting in Williams.
“I really appreciate the assistance of all of the instructors and volunteer examiners,” said Glen Davis KG7YDJ, CARC Training Coordinator. “This year we added General classes for the first time. We held one in Flagstaff and one in Williams. Next year we will probably only hold one Technician and one General class in Flagstaff. We’ll do the same in Williams if there is interest.”
The Inquisitors. Mary Lou KG7TPK, Bill KG7TPM and Ron KG7OH administer the last CARC exam for 2018.
The last exam was held Saturday, October 10. Mary Lou and Bill Hagan and Ron Gerlak administered the final exam. Three new technician licenses, 3 General and one Amateur Extra license were earned at the exam. Joe W7LUX coordinated the effort with the assistance of Glen KG7YDJ.
Thomas Pifer, Lance Husted and Matthew Frentzen earned a Technician license at the exam session. David Jackson passed element 2 & 3 to earn a General license. Jerry KI7RHL and Robert KJ7APS upgraded to General and Pete KI7ZWP earned an Amateur Extra license.
Peter Blakan, who gave up a General license in 1962, came in to earn a new General license.
FLAGSTAFF – April 21 was a good day for the amateur radio community thanks to the Coconino Amateur Radio club. The club hosted an exam which had more people than usual and brought one person back into amateur radio.
There were six participants for a Technician License and one returned for his extra. All passed and one of the people passed both the Technician and General exam. He nearly passed the Extra exam, as well.
One of the participants came because her license had expired beyond the two-year grace period. Because she passed the Technician exam, she can now notify the FCC to get her General license re-instated. Welcome back to amateur radio.
Two of the examines were CARC students. One of them aced the exam and the other missed only two. That is thanks to instructors Dan Shearer N7YIQ, Jack Lunsford KD7RCJ and Ron Gerlak KG7OH.
The VE team today was Joe W7LUX, Ken KF7DUR, Erv KE7QFI and Glen KG7YDJ.
For more information on upcoming CARC classes and exams, visit cocoradio.club and click on Licensing and Exam Sessions link.
At a meeting of the Coconino Amateur Radio Club in Flagstaff, Dan SHEARER, N7YIQ, introduced the club to the ARRL® podcast The Doctor Will See You Now—also known as The Doctor Is In.
As I perused the Google Play Store with my Android phone for something else, I found something interesting. There are several apps which lead you to amateur radio podcasts.
I found one called—interestingly enough—Ham Radio podcast. I downloaded it at our Williams amateur radio club meeting. It not only accesses the ARRL® Doctor Is In, but the ARRL® news feed and ARES® newsletter, as well.
I also found one for what I thought was the Arizona Emergency Information Network. It turned out to be the Maricopa County Emergency Network. Interestingly it is taken from their over-the-air emergency Network.
There is one called AmateurLogic.TV. This one apparently gives lessons in amateur radio and licensing exam information. Currently they are running a course for the General license. I haven’t listened to a full podcast yet.
There are several others that look interesting. One is Linux in the Ham Shack. If you are interested in an alternative to Windows, Linux is just that. With some effort you can run some Windows programs under Linux. It is better, however, to simply download the free Linux programs available online and stay away from Windows.
Another nice feature (If you have the memory) is that you can download many of the podcasts to listen off-line. They are MP3 format so you can transfer them to CD and listen to them as you drive.
The one thing I noticed about the app is that it takes some time to buffer and start the podcast. That could be because I am using a cheap ZTE phone that does not even allow you to move apps to the SD card. If your Android phone or tablet has a decent amount of internal memory and speed, the buffering process might be shorter and thus the podcast might come up quicker. My cheap ZTE phone tends to take time buffering the podcast. Also I cannot transfer the app to my SD card.
I am only reviewing one of the several apps that access amateur radio podcasts. You can download others and experiment.
Amateur radio is what you make of it. If you just want to get the license and sit on it, you can do that. I know of people who got a license and never use it which is really sad because they are missing a lot. Maybe you obtained a license just for emergency use. There are those of us, however, that like to try new things: Explore new areas of the hobby. Along with the many amateur radio magazines and articles on the Internet, podcasts may help you do just that.
FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino Amateur Radio Club has set an ambitious schedule for license classes for 2018. They added classes for the General Class amateur radio license, this year. There are eight sessions for each class to be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon. The classes could not happen without the help of the Northland Healthcare Clinic in Flagstaff.
The classes for the General license are broken in the middle with the annual Amateur Radio Relay League® Field Day. This will give students a chance to operate equipment and ask question about digital modes and so-on. This will help students on the exam.
The Saturday following the last class of each session is the normal Coconino Amateur Radio Exam.
The class schedules are as follows:
TECHNICIAN LICENSE CLASSES
The Coconino Amateur radio club will hold two series of classes for the Amateur Radio Technician License. There are eight classes for each series to be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Northland Healthcare Clinic, 2920 N 4th Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. The Coconino Amateur Radio Club will host exams the Saturday following each class at the same location. Email preregistration is desired.
The first series is Saturdays from February 24 to April 14.
The second series is Saturdays from August 25 to October 13.
GENERAL LICENSE CLASSES
The Coconino Amateur radio club will hold classes for the Amateur Radio General License. There are eight classes for each series to be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Northland Healthcare Clinic, 2920 N 4th Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. The Coconino Amateur Radio Club will host an exam the Saturday following the last class at the same location. Email preregistration is desired. The classes will be held Saturdays on May 19, 26, June 2, 9, 16, 30, July 7, 14. The ARRL Field Day is June 23, 24 and no classes will be held that weekend. Students are invited to attend the CARC Field Day to get some experience in operating equipment which should help them on the exam.
Please note this is eight classes held on Saturdays. The regular CARC exam is the Saturday following the last class. Email pre-registration is desired. We recommend you purchase the ARRL Ham Radio License manual. If you can afford the spiral bound edition, it is easier to handle.
For more information people can email Glen KG7YDJ at KG7YDJ@arrl.net.
At a meeting of the Coconino Amateur Radio Club in Flagstaff, Dan SHEARER, N7YIQ, introduced the club to the ARRL® podcast 
I also found one for what I thought was the Arizona Emergency Information Network. It turned out to be the Maricopa County Emergency Network. Interestingly it is taken from their over-the-air emergency Network.
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