Training & Testing
New to Ham Radio?
If your New to HAM Radio and you want to take your first exam, please follow this link to get your FRN with the FCC. Without it you won’t be able to take your exam! The Fee at the time of your test is $15.00 if your age 18yrs or older. If your 17yrs of age or younger your exam Fee is $5.00. After the ARRL receives your paperwork they will forward it to the FCC. The FCC requires a $35.00 Fee before the issue you your license. The FCC will email you a link to pay and you’ll only have 10 days to complete that. If your 17yrs of age or younger the ARRL will reimburse you the $35.00 FCC fee after you get your license. Follow this link for the form and instructions.
Exams will be held after each monthly club meeting, see the club’s website for dates. If you want to take your exam before a club meeting you can email Tom/N7WI at to schedule your exam.
AMATEUR RADIO TRAINING
Amateur Radio operators know there is a lot of knowledge and training that go into being a successful Amateur Radio operator (Ham). Before you can get on the air, you need to have a license*. You need to know the rules to operate legally. You also need to know how to operate safely and you will need some knowledge and training to operate successfully; and now there is no requirement to learn Morse code in order to get your license. US licenses are good for 10 years before a free renewal, and anyone may hold a license except a representative of a foreign government. After you get your first license, training does not stop there. There are classes that prepare you for public service and emergency communications and Elmer sessions to help make you a better operator.
ICARC Ham "U" Technician Class
Cost: $30 for the most current ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, $5 if you buy your own book or share.
For more information, contact: Dave, W7DAF
Our next class is scheduled for March 2 and 9, 2024
ACES Basic Certification Class
The ACES Basic Certification Class is a 2 day, 16 hour, hands on class that provides fundamental knowledge about public service and emergency communications. It is an alternative for ARRL EC-001 for ARES Level II certification in Western Washington. Prerequisites for the class are a Technician license or higher and completion of ICS-100, ICS-200, and ICS-700.
Sign up for ACES Class - http://www.oregonaces.org/
ICARC Sponsored ACES Class
Next class is unscheduled
FEMA ICS Classes
FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) classes provide training to radio operators who might be involved in community service communications during an incident managed using National Incident Management System (NIMS) procedures. Most ICS classes are on-line, self-study classes. To sign up for these classes go to -
The following courses are recommended for any operator considering community service communications and are prerequisites for most advanced training courses.
Elmer Sessions
From time to time ICARC will be offering Elmer sessions. These are normally held on a Saturday the same months as our Ham U classes. Other sessions may be scheduled as the need arises. Watch the ICARC Calendar for schedules.
Upcoming Elmer Sessions
Saturday May 4th from 9am-1pm, we will hold an Intro to HF workshop in Oak Harbor. Topics will include basic HF propagation, popular operating modes, antennas and equipment, and HF on a budget. Information for all license levels will be included. The location is 3095 Hunt Rd in Oak Harbor.
11/16/2020 New Ham Orientation slides and Video Recording.
Slides - https://1drv.ms/b/s!AqxmIwxdslAmg_ZzKWR6du_zMSlvig?e=XEcOq4
Video - https://1drv.ms/v/s!AqxmIwxdslAmg_ZypnT6MTt6PX4jiA?e=QS8Rwe