New General Question Pool Released, Effective July 1, 2023

From ARRL-VEC

 

The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC<http://www.ncvec.org/>) Question Pool Committee (QPC<http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=333>) has released the 2023 – 2027 General Class FCC Element 3 Question Pool & Syllabus<http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=369> into the public domain. It’s available as a Word document or PDF. The graphic required for the new General question pool is available within the documents, or separately as PDF or JPG files.

The new pool incorporates some significant changes compared to the 2019 – 2023 pool. Its 432 questions were modified slightly to improve wording or to replace distractors; 51 new questions were generated, and 73 questions were eliminated. This resulted in a reduction of 22 questions, bringing the total number of questions in the pool from 454 to 432. The difficulty level of the questions is now more balanced, and the techniques and practices addressed have been updated.

The new 2023 – 2027 question pool is effective July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2027, and must be used for General-class license exams administered on or after July 1, 2023. – Information provided by the NCVEC Question Pool Committee. Committee members: Chairman, Roland Anders, K3RA, of Anchorage VEC and members Maria Somma, AB1FM of ARRL VEC and Larry Pollock, NB5X, of W5YI-VEC.

New General Examinations will take effect for exam sessions on July 1, 2023

The newly revised general pool must be used starting July 1, 2023. VECs and VEs will have new test designs available starting on that date. Previously supplied versions of ARRL VEC General-class exam booklets (2019 series) and computer-generated General-class exams from the 2019 question pool are valid until midnight on June 30, 2023. The ARRL VEC will supply its officially appointed, field-stocked VE teams with new General exam booklet designs around mid-June.

CW [Morse Code] in the modern world – alive and growing!

A January 2023 Article from Smithsonian Magazine highlights CW [Morse Code] and the SOTA [Summits on the Air] focus of Steve WG0AT in Monument Colorado. With surprise, is that ARRL [American Radio Relay League ] reported a 10% increase in the participating of the January 2021 CW event over prior years. Manufacturers of equipment, including the oldest production company of CW Keys, Vibroplex [http://www.vibroplex.com/], reporting 2021 was the best year ever in over 100 years of production.

Read the Smithsonian Magazine article here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/morse-code-back-looking-ditch-twitter-180981309/

 

You can apply to Join the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club here: https://svarc.us/how-to-join-svarc/

Learn more about Amateur Radio with the American Amateur Radio Relay League here: http://arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

 

Come say “hello” with our club! We meet every 1st and 3rd Thursday at 2925 Grace St, Winchester, Virginia 22601. Gathering begins at about 6:30 PM, meeting begins promptly at 7:30 PM. 

 

Ready to begin learning Morse Code [CW] consider these resources to help!

 

ARRL – Learning Morse Code: https://www.arrl.org/learning-morse-code

CW Academy [remote learning with up to 6 students with 1 master trainer] https://cwops.org/cw-academy/

Morse Trainer – Google – for Android or iOS: https://morse.withgoogle.com/learn/

 

Sterling Park VA – Technician License Examination Preparation Class

The Sterling Park, Virginia Amateur Radio Club [SPARC] will be hosting an on-site Technician Class Test Preparation Class and Exam.

Dates: January 21-22, 2023

Time: 

January 21 Class: 0800 1730 hrs.

Sunday 22 January 2023: 1300 hrs. (for class members) and 1400 hrs. (for exam-only candidates)

Fees: There is no fee for participation in the Technician License Preparation Class.

Location: 

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Eastern Loudoun Station, 46620 E. Frederick Drive, Sterling, VA 2016

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/fAE2GqtDUsn4Ykgx5

For more information visit: 

https://www.qsl.net/sterling/Licensing/202301_Tech_Class_&_Exam/Instructions_for_Participants_SPARC_Tech_Class_21-22_Jan_2023.pdf

Mini “Ice” HamFest – Page Valley ARC Feb 18 7AM-2PM

Mini “Ice” HamFest – Page Valley ARC Feb 18 7AM-2PM

Get Ready for a Mini “Ice” HamFest – IceFest 2023

February 18 7AM-2PM

Gear * Eyeball QSO’s * Food Truck Cuisine!

Free Parking * HandiHam Accessible * Refreshments

Hosted by the Page Valley Amateur Radio Club

 

Saturday, February 18, 2023: 7AM – 2PM

Location: VFW Post 9292 13958 Spotswood Trail, Elkton, VA 22827

 

Directions:

38.400401, -78.664079

Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ikwLr785jkT9QnMq9

Apple Maps: https://maps.apple.com/?address=13958%20Spotswood%20Trail,%20Elkton,%20VA%20%2022827,%20United%20States&ll=38.400401,-78.664079&q=13958%20Spotswood%20Trail

email questions to: pvarccarrie@gmail.com

Updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PVARC/

 

Come for a Visit!

Club Meetings held every Second Wednesday, 7PM

PVARC Clubhouse, 611 Williams Avenue Shenandoah VA 22849

 

3Y0J – Rare DX Expedition – On the Air Beginning ~January 30

3Y0J – Rare DX Expedition – On the Air Beginning ~January 30

Exciting Times await! Another attempt will be made to operate rare DX from the team that will shortly be traveling to the remote Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean! HF operations may begin on or about January 30 for approximately 22 days from the most remote uninhabited island on Earth! The team of 13 on the island will be operating around the clock on 160-10 meters on Phone, CW, RT8 modes. Best wishes to add this super rare location to your log book!

Find out more by visiting the DXpedition’s website: https://www.3y0j.no/

Track the progress of the sailing vessel:https://share.garmin.com/3y0j

 

What is a DXpedition?

An expedition or Dxpedition is an operation carried out by an amateur radio operator or a group of them from an “exotic” or “weird” place, radially speaking due to their remoteness, their complicated or restricted access, or simply because they do not exist or are very few resident radio amateurs who practice DX.https://wosars.club/2019/07/02/what-is-a-dxpedition/ Read More. ]

About Bouvet Island:

From the-earth-story.com

The Most Isolated Island in the World – Bouvet Island 

Go to Iceland, turn south on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and follow it all the way to the triple junction where the ridge intersects the Antarctic Plate, and there you will find… an island. At 2260 kilometers from the nearest inhabited island (Tristan de Cunha with a population of 271, if this counts), smack dab between Africa, South America and Antarctica, Bouvet island is not a very big island, less than fifty square kilometers in size with nearly all of it covered by a glacier, but is considered as the most isolated land mass on earth. Nevertheless, it turns out to be – an island of mystery!

Discovered in 1739 by the French (hence the name), claimed by the British in 1825, and annexed by Norway in 1928, there has never been a war or disagreement about the sovereignty of the island – apparently no one loves it enough to argue over it, and it is, today, a nature reserve (apparently seals and penguins do like the place). The Norwegians take responsibility for it, with the island’s administration managed by their Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Oslo Police. Since the island is uninhabited, the police have little to do there one supposes. Perhaps in hopes that someday someone would like to take up residence, an internet domain has been set up under its name (.bv), but as yet no takers.

Read more: https://the-earth-story.com/post/108817769902/the-most-isolated-island-in-the-world-bouvet

Free Class – Zoom – Repeaters 102 – December 28 – 9-10:30 Eastern

Free Class – Zoom – Repeaters 102 – December 28 – 9-10:30 Eastern

Next Wednesday Dec 28 at 7:00-8:30 pm will be the next RMHAM-U Tech Talk on Repeater 102 by Doug K2AD. Doug will discuss what is required to interface a repeater to a repeater-controller like the RTCM. The use of the SCOM 7330 as a reference design.

This will NOT be a beginner course, but rather a deeper dive into the system integration interfaces in our repeater network. [Colorado State Wide Repeater System ]

What do we need to know about controllers and the physics behind the system integration.

Questions and answers will be encouraged.So if you ever wondered how a linked repeater system like the Colorado Connection works under the hood, this talk will be of interest to you.The class is free and presented via Zoom. Sign up at
https://www.rmham.org/cgi-bin/rmham-u/signup
for the Zoom link and passcode.

This link shows you the multi-state wide repeater system that has been built by RMHAM and will be the subject of the discussion. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1f2oDcy5oB7RId9vxPDm1T_Ug0f8&ll=38.23553306819319%2C-105.4419496&z=7