Classes for Licenses, License Testing, & Training

If you are interested in either getting your first Technician License or looking to upgrade to a General or Amateur Extra license, UtahSAG and W5YI Salt Lake Area recommends using HamStudy.  By registering on the site as a user (it's free), HamStudy can track your progress through the training materials and, therefore, allow the site to decrease the number of questions for topics that you've mastered while focusing on the topics that you need to work on.

Using HamStudy is easy, first - register as a user (it's free).  Next, select which exam it is you want to study for (Technician, General, Amateur Extra).

Now select Study Mode, this will randomly bring up the questions in the class question pool.  In the upper left corner of the page you'll see a line with a return arrow, the license level study mode and All Questions with a drop down arrow.  Click on All Questions and instead change it to (license class)1. For example, T1 for Technician Chapter 1, G1 for General Chapter 1 or E1 for Extra Chapter 1.  

By selecting the chapter number you will go through the study mode following the chapter structure of the Gordon West training manuals.  When you are at 80% or above within a chapter then move on to the next chapter. When you are at 80% or better in all chapters then try a couple of practice tests.  When you are at or above 75% on the practice tests you are ready to go to your local test session.

We are holding the next Eagle Mtn. Technician license Class next year starting Thursday night Feb. 13, 2025, at Eagle Mtn. City Hall at 7 pm.  This will be a five-week class.  If you could help us by sending this information to any other groups, clubs, friends, family. If any of you have Facebook or other social media and can post our class and invite all to come.  I can share a flyer with anyone who needs one. 

If you are interested, please send an email to me at Ki6oss6365@gmail.com .

General Class License Class

April/May

**More details coming**

This will be an in-person as well as on Zoom.

Check ogdenarc.org for updates.

The Salt Lake Area W5YI VE group is conducting sessions.  Sessions are held the last Monday of each month at 7:00 PM, except for May which is moved forward one week not interfering with Memorial Day and no test session in December.

ALL of our test sessions are IN PERSON only, not virtual or on-line.  Our test sessions for 2025 are listed on the HamStudy.Org sessions list as well as the Calendar tab and will be held at the Taylorsville City Hall 2600 West Taylorsville Blvd (5400 S) in Taylorsville, UT.

Test sessions coming up: 

Taylorsville: Monday January 27, 2025 at 7:00 PM   

This is an “in person” exam session held indoors at the Taylorsville City Hall. You must prepay electronically when you register.         

To register for the session go HERE.

To prepay for the session go HERE.

You will then receive an email with further instructions.

If you have any question or concerns please contact Garth Wiscombe at w7ps@arrl.net

Please use NORTH doors at City Hall. Thank you.

Next VE Test Session: Wednesday February 5th, 2025 @ 6PM

Location: Utah Military Academy (5120 S 1050 W, Riverdale UT 84405)  MAP

NOTE: (important)  

Things you must know before you attend a VE Test Session:   HamStudy.org: Exam details

Cost: $14.00 Cash
Bring: Two forms of ID, one of which must be a picture ID.

For "Upgrades" bring current license and a copy of current license, and any CSCE's.
Note: Walk-ins Not allowed. See pre-Registration link above.

Exam sessions are usually held the first Wednesday in February, June, and October.

Location: Utah Military Academy - 5120 S 1050 W Riverdale UT 84405  

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Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES)
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

ARES Membership Requirements

Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES.  Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES.  Please inquire at the local level for specific information.  Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership.

Storm Spotter Training -

If you want to have Kevin come to your club meeting to do an in person training:

If you are a HAM radio club officer and you would like Kevin to come to one of your meetings to do the Storm Spotter training and get your HAM operators listed on the activation email list send Kevin an kevin.barjenbruch@noaa.gov.

If you want to take the online training:

There are two modules that must be completed to get your Storm Spotter certification, it should take between 1.5 and 3 hours to get through both modules.  When you click the Enroll Now button you will be taken to the Comet MetEd web site.  Click the Enroll button and you will be taken to a registration form.  The key to getting proper credit for your certification is to make sure you put Kevin's email address into the "Supervisor/Instructor email" box on the form.  His email address is kevin.barjenbruch@noaa.gov. 

The first module is "The Role of the Skywarn Spotter" and is available here: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=817#.XM9cYehKiUk

The second module is called "Skywarn Spotter Convectivce Basics" and is available here:

https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=816#.XM9cZ-hKiUk

Once you have gotten your storm spotter training if you would like to be added to the Storm Spotter Activation Email list please  go to this page to sign yourself up. 

To report weather events you can follow one of these options:

1)  Storm Reports via the web

2)  For immediate and severe weather incidents 800-882-1432 X1

3)  Email (best for reporting information after an event)

4) Twitter

5) Facebook

In addition, there are two more ways to report weather events, the first is the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a membership based reporting site at cocorahs.org.  The CoCoRaHS program requires that you have some level of weather station equipment set up to participate.  The other option is an App for use with your Android or IOS Mobile device, the mPING program.  Information on mPING is available here.

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FEMA NIMS ICS On-Line Training Courses

The basic certifications you need to be considered ICS trained are the ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700 AND ICS-800 COURSES

What is the National Incident Management System (NIMS)?

NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. It is intended to:

• Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents, hazards, and impacts,

regardless of size, location or complexity.

• Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of incident management activities.

• Provide a common standard for overall incident management.

Why do we need NIMS?

NIMS provides a consistent nationwide framework and approach to enable government at all levels (Federal, State, tribal, and local), the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents regardless of the incident’s cause, size, location, or complexity.

Consistent application of NIMS lays the groundwork for efficient and effective responses, from a single agency fire response to a multiagency, multijurisdictional natural disaster or terrorism response. Entities that have integrated NIMS into their planning and incident management structure can arrive at an incident with little notice and still understand the procedures and protocols governing the response, as well as the expectations for equipment and personnel.

NIMS provides commonality in preparedness and response efforts that allow diverse entities to readily integrate and, if necessary, establish unified command during an incident.

What are the Components of NIMS?

NIMS Components link together and work in unison to form a comprehensive incident management system. NIMS Components include:

• Preparedness

• Communications and Information Management

• Resource Management

• Command and Management

• Ongoing Management and Maintenance

https://training.fema.gov/nims/ 

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From the ARRL:
All-Hazards Communications Technician (COMT) Training Materials Available: Valuable for all ARES Operators

The All-Hazards Communications Technician (COMT) course trains emergency responders on practices and procedures common to radio communication technicians during all-hazards emergency operations. The course helps communications technicians work within the Incident Command System (ICS) organizational structure.

The Communications Unit, or COMU, falls under the Logistics Section of the ICS. The COMU leader is the COML, and a technician in the COMU is the COMT. Study materials available to help COMT students are also of significant educational benefit to amateur radio operators serving in the COMU, an AUXCOMM group and ARES. The materials include topics such as general terminology, units of measurement, radio wave propagation, voice vs. data systems, and radio system and antenna characteristics.

Below is a selection of training resources that would be valuable reading/training resources for any amateur radio operator engaged in an emergency communications program such as ARES, RACES, and AUXCOMM:

All-Hazards Communication Technician Pre-Course Study Guide -- 2007

Auxiliary Emergency Communications: The Emergency Communications Center and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Unit 1

Auxiliary Emergency Communications: Roles and Responsibilities Unit 2

Auxiliary Emergency Communications: Intrastate and Interstate Radio Networks Unit 10

Communications Unit Leader (COML): A valuable Resource for Incident Commanders Brochure -- 2011

All-Hazards Communications Unit Self-Paced Briefing

OEC: An Overview of the Communications Unit

Communications Unit Personnel Position Task Book Sign-Off Process /Template

Auxiliary Communicator Position Task Book

There are also more communications unit resources available.