vec-check

Volunteer examiner check list for amateur radio test sessions

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 VE's, 4 is better
• A Windows laptop with the Laurel VEC software installed
• Minimum 2 mobile devices with ZipGrade installed
  • Need to provide group code to activate and load answer sheets
• Printer - See tub inventory
• phone to contact Cory
• Stand to organize manila folders
• File back up location for Laurel critical files.
• SAT Certified calculater
• The Tub

Items in The Tub

• Tub Inventory

Time Line

Commitment of 3 or more VE's schedule

Reserve a room for testing

• Lopez: Library Common Room
• SJ: Friday Harbor Commons building
  • Old FH Fire Station

Enter Testing Session in Laurel Site

• Required for testing session
  • automatically puts announcement on Laurel Site

Advertise X weeks before exam session

• Lopez Rocks
• The Islands' Weekly
• Laurel VEC session announcement - occurs when entering testing session
  • Optional: ARRL VEC announcement

VE Team to-do

• Set the time when VE's should arrive
• Assign exam session leader (person running computer)
• Assign tester leader (team interacting with testers and grading tests)

Exam classes or not

IMPORTANT Testees should pre-register

• Need to fill-in & return a sign up form located here
  • Verify that they have filled in their email address.

Each testee should get an FRN number before session day

• Getting an FCC Registration Number (FRN) in the Universal Licensing System (ULS)
• Youtube FCC User Profile and FRN Registration for New Radio Operators (4:21)
• Alliviates SSN requirement
• Includes new testees without an Amateur license

Walk-ins should get an FRN number at session

• Need process for getting walk-ins FRN, how-to and laptop?

Day of Session

• VEs should show up half hour in advance
• Testees should be given paperwork to fill out as soon as they arrive
• VEs
  • One VE inputs data on the computer
  • Two VEs have ZipGrade on their mobile devices and are availabe for questions.

Testees need to:

• Sign in & show ID
• General & Extra testees need to bring a copy of their current license or CSCE if upgraded license hasn't been issued yet.

Exam session Check list

• All initial paper work completed, hand out exams to testees

  • Testees need to put the correct exam number on their exam and element
  • VE should walk around & confirm correct exam number is on their exam
  • Tell everone else to PLEASE BE QUIET
  • Make sure all phones are off the table and no programable calculators used.
  • Remind testees to not write on the test booklet. Use back of answer sheet for scratch paper.

• Testees that passed their exam need to have their CSCE

• Testees need to have signatures match what they printed

  • No smiley faces

• print the 605/CSCE and NOT 'close out' the testee until the 605 has been received and signature checked.

  • Make sure the testee VERIFIES their name/address on 605 when they sign it.

• If testee fails an exam, another exam may be given. (Max of three tries if getting closer to passing)

• On the 605, don't need candidate to initial top section, unless they are requesting callsign change

• If testee passes an exam be sure they get their CSCE

• Order of Events

  • Fill out form
  • Take test
  • Grade test
  • Enter results into Session Software
  • Check if wants to take next test, else continue
  • Print CSCE and 605
  • Have tester sign CSCE (they keep) and sign 605 (we keep)
  • Give 605 back to session lead, they check it off in software and file (staple) items in this order
    • 605
    • Answer sheet (pass first, then any fails)
    • Sign in sheet and/or copy of license

Day after exam (Or just after exam)

• Review test booklets to make sure nobody wrote in them.
• Check results match paperwork
• Send kenny/cory the .enc file (generated by FCC file upload tab in software)
  • Needs to be pushed to Laurel site, under session. Will automatically be scheduled to send to FCC
• Assemble packet
  • Summary Report (from software)
  • List of Applicant (from software, Tool/Print List of Applicants)
  • signed in form of VE's
  • packet of tester papers (605,Answer Sheet,SignInSheet,copy of license)
  • Assemble all artifacts in single PDF and upload to Laurel site as part of the session

List of files required to send to Kenny in a tar.xz file

• If Kenny is not present be sure to exclude his name from VE roster

• Packet content files

  • From each testee
    • Answer sheet
    • 605.pdf
    • csce.pdf
  • SessionSummary.pdf
  • VESignIn.pdf
  • BYSJCARS220622A0.enc (example file name)

• Create tar.xz file for VEC session on June 22

tar --xz -cvf LopezVESession0622.tar.xz AnswerSheetBob.pdf AnswerSheetDoug.pdf 605Bob.pdf 605Doug.pdf csceBob.pdf csceDoug.pdf SessionSummary.pdf BYSJCARS220622A0.enc

• Verify contents of tar.xz file

tar -tvf LopezVESession0622.tar.xz

Other notes

• VEs auditing the session need to PLEASE BE QUIET

FAQ - What happens if no tests given?

• Still need to generate the following files, even if no tests were given, to get credit for the session.
  • SessionSummary.pdf
  • VESignIn.pdf
  • Empty or blank .enc file (generate like normal, will complain that empty)