GLAARG VEC administers amateur radio exams. Since April 2020, most of our exams have been on-line (remote) – our exam teams have done 1000s of them – we run remote as well in-person over all the United States.
Find a GLAARG VE Session here: GLAARG VE Sessions
Early in 1984 the Federal Communication the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to terminate their testing in the Amateur Radio Service and turn the function over to the amateurs themselves. Thus, the VEC Program was born. Appropriate Rules were written, permitting Volunteer-Examiners (VEs) to conduct the testing. To reduce their span of control, the Volunteer-Examiner Coordinator (VEC) function was established to act as intermediary between the VEs and the FCC. At the outset there were 21 VECs. Currently there are 14.
The Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group was formed as a nonprofit organization in May 1984, dedicated to the coordination of amateur radio license examinations at minimum cost to the examine. We signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the FCC at that time and coordinated our first examination on June 6, 1984 (55 examinees).
The VEC accredits amateurs as VEs. It approves VE teams to administer exams for new and upgrade applicants for Amateur Radio licenses. It prepares and distributes examination materials, provides instruction and training materials to VE teams, reviews results of examination sessions, maintains records and electronically files the results with the FCC. The FCC grants the privileges earned.
The VEs have the lion’s share of the task. They establish a test facility, proctor the examinations, maintain order, resolve disputes, collect fees, grade papers, issue Certificates, decide when accommodations are in order, verify identification documents and deal with the public. Without them the program would come to a shuddering halt! As of 2020, due to the pandemic, we now have Remote Exam session managers. They must manage an online sharing system – like ZOOM , have good internet access, and of course must be accredited by our VEC . They must be computer savvy and be able to be comfortable using the website – exam.tools. (patent Richard Bateman). Session managers will have access to all GLAARG VEs who are willing to use the online tools. Our remote testing is available in all states.
In 1988 the FCC allowed each VEC to recover their expenses in conducting and processing an exam session. Currently, GLAARG, charges each examinee the same amount regardless of class of license or how many exams he takes at one sitting. Applicants may be allowed to retest 1 time after a failing grade at the discretion of the Session Manager. This retest will incur an additional exam fee at the same rate as the original exam. Our exam fee is currently $10.
At the end of the year, our VEC will determine whether these fees are matching our expenses. Fees can be changed yearly.
GLAARG (VEC) IS NOT A RADIO CLUB. IT FUNCTIONS ONLY AS A VEC.
1 47 CFR, PART 97, SUBPART F, “Qualifying Examining Systems”