News

VE Corner

Amateur Radio was first placed under the authority of the Department of Commerce in 1912. Under the Radio Act of 1912 one needed to pass an essay type test plus 5 WPM (Word Per Minute) CW exams to gain a First Grade Amateur Operator license. In 1951 The 5 WPM, 13 WPM, and 20 WPM requirements came into effect for the Technician, General and Extra class licenses. The Novice class also required 5 WPM.

In 1991 The FCC dropped the CW requirements for Technicians. Technicians who had passed the 5 WPM were given the endorsement of Technician Plus, giving them limited privileges on High Frequency. In 2000 the CW requirement was reduced to 5 WPM for all license classes. In 2007 all CW requirements for licensing were dropped.

Bill Neill

HISTORY of COLVET

COLVET began in 2008 as a very loose group of Amateur Radio Operators interested in offering a class in Amateur Radio with a license exam at the conclusion. Our first class was held at the Hannah (Paint) Mansion for the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism. At the time we were an ARRL VE Team consisting of Bill Neill-NE1LL, Ned Raybould-N8OIF and Mike Swaney-KI8KF. As demand increased we added a General Class study session and maintained the class with an exam format.

In 2009 COLVET became a Laurel VEC affiliated team. We continued to offer classes and added several stand alone exam sessions. While the exam process is the same for examinees we chose to change for two reasons. The Laurel VEC fee is free. Because our classes were free this meant we could get the next generation licensed and money would never be an issue. This works quite well for youth groups such as scouts. The next benefit was that the Laurel VEC coordinator for district 8 lives nearby. This allows us to hand deliver our test session directly to him and have the results uploaded to the FCC within hours (on business days).

COLVET enjoys the support of most of the major clubs in the Columbus area. Most of our VE's are ARRL members and belong to one or more local club. COLVET supports area clubs by helping newly licensed hams find a local club that fits their needs and interests.

COLVET is a stand alone VE Team and not a club. We enjoy the success in being a team and promote and support all the local clubs and other VE teams. Our goal is to help the individual in getting their license or upgrade and support them in any interests they have in Amateur Radio.