Archives April 2012

VARC Repeaters Moved ! April 28th

Yesterday members of the technical team assembled in order to move the club’s VHF and UHF repeaters to the new equipment room located inside of the water tank.  Everything went very smooth with the move.  The biggest worry were the heavy hard-lines going to the antennas.  But in the end they proved to be a non-issue.  More work will need to be done later in order to finish up installation,grounding and other cabling.  Now the VARC has enough room in order to install the D-Star repeater and Allstar equipment.

HamCram Session- April 21st

Today the VARC held its first ever HamCram session with five dedicated participants present.  Two hams were prepared for their upgrade to general class while three remaining persons were “craming” to become technicians or new hams.

HamCrams are a excellent way for people wishing to obtain their ham radio license in our fast paced club.  A one day session consists of six question pool modules which take approximately six hours to go over.  Sessions are directed by VARC members but they are self study for each individual.  Each participant is given a copy of the question and answer pool which then they familiarize themselves with the questions which will on the exam and the associated correct answer.  Each module lasts for one hour after which participants are given a fifteen minute break to rest.  It has been found that breaks help provide for a better success rate.

After the HamCram session has been completed then the exam immediately is given.  Since a HamCram session revolves around short term memory then it is important to go ahead and test while the information is fresh in ones mind.

At today session four of the participants took their exams.

The VARC is dedicated to both the promotion and development of Amateur Radio in the South Georgia area.  We encourage all those who are interested in Amateur Radio to attend one of our future sessions.