https://qrznow.com/usa-conducts-first-all-online-ham-radio-exam/
It has already happened once.
Wes, KF5UKF
All,
I’ve been a VE for 25 years and I have managed VE Teams in Atlanta, GA, Del Rio, TX and here in Abilene, TX area. The way this exam was handled is not a session I’d ever participate in. No one onsite to watch. All via internet. And, W5YI is not my favorite VEC.
73,
Dale
W5WI
WTX Section Manager
I totally agree. Next you will get your ticket out of a box of cereal.
I was a VE early on when they first started, with W5YI and ARRL both. I would insist on
at least one examiner on site in a “virtual” session. And that guy on site would be me.
**de Charlie, N5EXY, Grid EM10FL,**
<b>
South Suburban Greater Hutto</b>
Where am I? https://aprs.fi/#!call=a%2FN5EXY-9&timerange=3600&tail=3600
It is a different world than it was on January 1, 2020.
We must be willing to adapt and change to our new environment.
While I am glad there is a precedent for on-line testing, I will concede that improvements must be made. Any first generation product goes through multiple changes. If they didn’t you would still be driving a steam powered car and using Windows 3.0.
Let us learn from our past, make things better, and work to support the future of our beloved pastime.
David Godell
“It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry Truman
I’m not a fan of it by any means. Obviously, it’s here to stay. There needs to be at least 2 VE’s on site so the “good old buddy” testing doesn’t happen and it stays legit.
There should be three VE’s and Extra Class same as has been in the past.
(attachments)
This article is probably outdated but I do not know of a newer discussion that has as much information.
I think it would be a mistake to continue to offer online testing for any service where training is required for public safety unless there was good enough proctoring to make cheating unlikely and difficult. Many of us have all seen what can happen with no testing by watching CB over the last fifty years or more. I do not think a jump into online testing is a smart move for Amateur Radio or the public.
There are reasonably good proctoring services available. The good ones are not cheap. I think the best path forward is to require a proctoring service and draft language to ensure the use of a quality service for inclusion in the rules. My experience tells me that in exams in small rooms there is little chance for cheating if the instructor is aware. Large classrooms require more strategy. Having three people actively watching (moving throughout) would prevent virtually all cheating. Having three at the front does not eliminate the possibility. I worked teaching sections of 250 students at a big state school with a history of cheating. It was an eyeopener. But, I have not used proctoring for online exams and have offered only a few online exams in the past.
- Louis w0it
Not In Favor VE Here in Texas and Yes There should be 3 VE’s at the Testing site just like before .
You cannot start handing out practically free ham tickets just because if this pandemic wouldn’t be fait to the rest of us hams period.
Noel -KD5PMU
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Just my though sense my email is exploding with this chatter but colleges and high schools have been doing this for years. A quality webcam to watch the room, if anyone enters the room, the webcam turns off or get obstructed the person fails. Even free Google forms have an option to lock out the browser so people can switch screens. Have people show their Drivers License to the camera to verify ID. The work area should be shown in the camera view to prevent cell phone use.
Guys I know that it’s primarily older folks that get into HAM and become VEs but this whole issue got solved years ago. I earned 2 college degrees online, took several State EMS license exams virtually, a teaching certificate virtually using person view or just a 10.00 webcam in my house. Once the webcam and testing environment is set you could have 1000 VEs watching the exam because it’s a web feed. You could pay a professional test cite that has been doing this for 10 years to monitor and use their pre-set rules. It’s the 21st century guys. This industry will die if we don’t start to one be more inclusive and two find ways to make it easier for people to test and enter the hobby
I am not suggesting removing the learning requirements or FCC requirements but as a high school teacher I am promising you younger people are not gonna jump through these hoops to get onto a radio that’s 20 years behind what the have in there pocket for 10 times the price. Have you guys ever wondered why no one is on 2 meter and 70cm? I live in a town of 2 million peoples and we probably have 200 HAMs. Why would we not want more? Why keep hiding this and working on making it more difficult? Yes you don’t want it being CB but CB is not licensed and anyone can buy a CB, that isn’t what people are suggesting. The comparison is not similar in my opinion.
Again I am a nobody, a new HAM in this hobby who is still learning the ropes but I can tell you Tech and General should be fun and easy. Everyone with 10,000.00 and an engineering degree can keep the Extra class channels. Let’s give people a chance to get into this and move up a bit so they can enjoy the hobby. Perhaps that would grow the hobby and we would all find new things. If not the FCC is gonna spend the next 15 years taking our channels, like they are doing with 3 GHz now and we will lose this whole thing as the older folks start to die off.
73,
Tim
KI5TIM
New Braunfels Texas
Licensed Paramedic / Teacher
ARRL Instructor
Tim,
Agreed. There HAS to be a way to make this happen without cheating
Jeff
Happens everyday around the world Jeff. Honestly as a Texas educator I could set the rules and environment up pretty easily using very proven and academically accepted methods with very cheap and affordable technology. while it’s not perfect nothing is and cheating happens everywhere. You will never stop cheating entirely you can only work to make it as difficult as possible.
This crises has opened a world of possibilities to teach this to, take Zoom for example. A tester could be given an exam via this teleconferencing app. It’s free to use and gives a live feed all you need is a web cam and internet connection. Every school in the country is using it right now to teach. We could not only use it to teach but could also use it to socialize, have club meetings, even hold Ham License classes that help to avoid students not being able to drive the sometimes hour to a physical class. Recordings of the class are saved and can be uploaded to YouTube. The nets could be Zoomed and people could video chat to solve tech problems on the net or participate if they are having issues with their own equipment. New HAMs could use it to work with virtual elmers.
The 21st century is amazing and we could do amazing things with 20th century tech in the 21st century to grow our hobby and become a tad bit more relevant to the Emergency Management side again. For those that worry I am having fun looking into the idea of creating a broadband GHZ ham internet in the area that could be used for this very purpose. While completely not needed the research into that over the last few years is interesting and can be a fun project. I teach in a STEM school and the kids would love to do stuff like that. I can’t sell them Packet radio or email over radio because we can’t compete with Cellphones I their mind but building their own HAM internet that can solve world connectivity issues or have them build a satellite they can talk to and that works.
I know I have changed topics a bit here but again we need to think about incorporating all the tech we can because it’s fun, easy, affordable, and attractive to busy kids that can’t drive and hour to sit and take an exam. They are smart enough to change the world, mostly for the better, but let’s pave the way not create road blocks by limiting what kids today are using to learn.
Just a comment about Tim’s post. The San Antonio metro area has around 4,000 hams licensed, as of my last FCC data search 2 years ago, there is only about 10% of them active in clubs.
But I often have trouble getting 40-50 hams to help out with the BikeMS ride in October, and most of them are my “usuals” that volunteer every year for public service events.
Lee Besing, N5NTG
210-771-7075
San Antonio TX
Hear him! Well said and absolutely true.
NT5CC. (Amateur Extra)
Totally agree with you, Tim.