Thank You Letters from Remote Examinees

This page is to share the thanks we’ve received from hams who were on the receiving end of the remote exams you’ve administered in the last few months. A lot of these were addressed to individuals, or to GLAARG VEC, but they’re really meant for our wonderful VE teams – this is why we do this! Here are just some of the messages we’ve receive:

Dear GLAARC and all its members,

I wanted to say a BIG thank you for helping me achieve my Technician and Extra Amateur Radio License.

I believe there is a substantial time commitment on all of your parts to make these online exams possible.

Your VE’s where some of the nicest, kindest, gentlest and understanding people I have ever contacted.

Thank so much for making these online exams possible.  Thank you for your time.  Thank you for your genuine care.  Thank for greatly helping me!

You are the best!

Dirk

AJ6XW

Formally KN6UJF

It’s not just ET on-line – we’re getting nice letters from our in-person ET sessions:

Robert, 

I just wanted to thank you for the congratulations, and let you know that the testing experience was incredible. Everyone involved was very friendly, and made for a great experience. The night of passing my exam, I made my first POTA contacts. Hope to hear you on the air!

73s, 

Owen

KD9LNX

Hi Norm! Thanks for the email and the good word. Yes, I logged on as soon as I received the email this morning, and I’m elated to have my call sign.

It was wonderful to meet you and the gang at Lulu’s on Saturday—thanks for having the exam, and for having us join for breakfast. I look forward to talking with you soon both on the air and in person at another event.

My best,

Jack Daniel

KN6RRJ

Hi Heather!

Just wanted to thank you again for the amazingly well-run exam yesterday… and let you know I’ve already got my callsign!

Hope to catch you on the air sometime… I’m still shooting for the General on Friday still but will see how I’m doing by Wed/Thurs to assess realism of sitting test on the Friday.

Thanks again to you and the team: greatly appreciate you all devoting some of your Sunday to making my dream come true!

From our Friday night Zero to Hero! Thank you for the update!! GLAARG is awesome. You are so organized and everyone is friendly and knows what needs to be done. It’s enjoyable working with groups that have all the pieces working together so smoothly! John Burham

K8FOF

Thank you again Heather, and thanks to all the hard work done by the examiners. I’m now studying for the General exam. See you soon for the next test!

John

Thanks so much to all involved, looking forward to getting on the air!

Everyone was awesome today, super helpful, thanks so much!

  1. Hello Sir Dave! So happy to pass the exam. Thank you for the guidance! The GLAARG Team are so accommodating. I’m glad that I applied my examination in your session. Will be looking forward to see my callsign in the FCC Database soon.
  2. Again,
  3. Thank you so much.
  4. 73,

Dave, I can’t say THANK YOU to you & the rest of the team enough! Yes, the giddiness has fully kicked in. I’ll likely start studying for General tonight! Thanks for all you guys do for new hams!

73, Jeff

  1. Dave Just wanted to drop a note to you and thank you and your team for offering your time to administer the Ham radio license exam. I found you and your team to be very professional and accommodating for old codgers like me struggling with zoom. The experience has inspired me to study for the General exam. As soon as I feel ready I will be scheduling with you again. I do have one question, can I use a mouse with my laptop the next time? The touch pad on my laptop is not very cooperative (at least with me).
  2. Thanks again Dave
  3. KI5RKV

From a BQQ of mine, that finally got issued a callsign! Special thanks to Dan and Adrienne who spent time with this person to help get a favorable outcome! Oh my goodness!!!! This is amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have been such an encouragement and rock through this process and I appreciate it so much! EDIT: This one has nothing to do with the one below. This was a separate case, not associated with anyone else I have shared.

Thank you to all of the VE staff. I couldn’t have taken an in person test this year

Thanks again to you and your VE Team for facilitating yesterday’s tests. I had an issue with my laptop and eventually took the test for my General Class ticket on my iPhone.

Thank you guys so much! – Bob

  1. From Aug 13th session.
  2. Hi Heather,
  3. Thank you so much for all your help through the process. I had no idea there were so many people involved behind the scenes. Everyone was very professional and helpful. It was a great experience.
  4. Thank you,
  5. Brian

Dear Kevin, I just want to thank you and the rest of your team for helping me and people like me in obtaining our HAM license. I was very impressed with the way you and your team pulled the on-line exam experience together, and all for $10.00 what a deal! I just received word this morning that I am now posted in the FCC database as KK7AEL, again thank you one and all.

Thank you so much! Can’t wait to get out there on the waves! BTW, while I’m sure there was a practical reason that required multiple folks be present to verify the test, it was really awesome and fun to have an entire zoom team there to cheer me on, and welcome me (and my partner) at our test’s completion!! The remote testing setup you folks put together is seamless, friendly, and welcoming. Thanks for having that option available for us, it was essential!

  1. Thanks Dave (and the whole crew). As AE7TD suggested after my Saturday exam, while I’m still in “study mode” I’m planning to just keep going and thus will probably be back soon for my General exam. I appreciate it very much. Have a nice week.
  2. -Anthony
  1. Dave, I would like to thank you for all your help. I also wish to thank the VE’s for their time and help in administration of these testings during the issues that have arose from the past year. My experience with the online testing Glaarg has provided was streamline and user friendly.
  2. Thank you again,
  3. Josh KO4SDP
  4. 73
  1. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone involved in testing and setting everything up. It was a fun experience and far less stressful than I thought it would be. I truly appreciate all of your help and the hard work it must have taken. I am truly grateful and look forward to eventually upgrading my license. I have a bit of learning left to do. Thanks again,
  2. Andrew Pruneda KF0GDB
The inside of the card.
AD4VE May 29th session, created and mailed to GLAARG! Thank you to all the amazing VEs that work for GLAARG! We are obviously doing something right!!! Her testing team was Dale NO7K, Bob AA6AZ, Joe N8IN, Bob K6CXR and Tommy K2TJH!
  1. From HRCC on Facebook
  2. Passed my Amateur Extra !!! It’s been quite the journey so far. This group was quite an asset, as was W4EEY’s YouTube Exta course, HamExam, and HamStudy. As always a special thanks to Dave DiGiorgio and all of the great people at GLAARG. Looking forward to the future. So many options and possibilities with this hobby !!!
  3. 73 de KC3RZN/AE
  1. On behalf of ARES LAX Northeast District and our HamCram test takers I would like to thank each and every one of you who made this session so successful! Disaster Resource Centers are mission-critical hospitals in Los Angeles County, which support other hospitals in their vicinity during disasters. During the COVID surge, for example, they supplied their affiliated hospitals with PPE, supplies and enhanced expertise.
  2. Two of the test-takers who passed the exam on Saturday are emergency managers of their respective DRCs.
  3. There is a growing recognition of the value of amateur radio among the hospitals we support in Los Angeles County. That recognition is much enhanced by the professionalism and positive attitude all of you bring to these testing sessions as GLAARG VEs!
  4. Our HamCram participants, including the ones who did not pass, commented on the positive experience they had testing with you.
  5. I would also like to send special thanks to Dave AD4VE who has been a pleasure to work with to get this session organized well in advance. He regularly checked in with us, helped us manage the process and took a lot of the anxiety out of the process. Thank you, Dave! GLAARG and its VEs are a shining example of all that is good in amateur radio. Thank you!
  6. 73 de Oliver K6OLI
  7. District Emergency Coordinator
  8. ARES LAX Northeast District

Thanks Heather! And congrats to GLAARG for providing this great service!

Jack Gaynor N3DNA

Just saw this on Facebook on HRCC, and cut a paragraph out to post here. “Thanks to HRCC, HR2.0, and hamstudy.org I passed my tech and general on 5/23 (33/35, 34/35) and with a huge thanks to the wonderful teachings of W4EEY and KE4EA (on YT @ W4EEY) and hamstudy.org again I passed my Extra today (50/50). And big thanks to GLAARG and Naomi WB6OHW’s team of VEs for super pleasant testing experiences. I look forward to being a VE and helping others soon.”

  1. Good evening, Heather.
  2. I want to thank you for the opportunity to take the license exam earlier. I feel that it is an honor and a privilege to be part of this group of enthusiasts.
  3. Jere Neal

Hi Heather,

I just wanted to thank you for organizing this session. I was a bit nervous to test online, but I must say the experience was first rate. Well organized, great moderators, and lots of help for those not computer savvy. A very welcoming environment which was great to see.

A big thank you to GLAARG and all involved in doing this wonderful service for amateur radio!

Jack Gaynor N3DNA/AE

Just passed the Extra 50/50! Many thanks to the team at GLAARG for providing such a great test environment. Let the FUN begin.

K2WVU/AE

Thanks again for being patient with my technical problems yesterday. I was nervous to start with and then with all the problems I was getting discouraged. I’m glad you all were there to help. 73 and yes will see you on the air.

Alwin, N6ATF and the entire GLAARG Organization is simply fantastic VE’s! I contacted the team to remotely test for my initial HAM Technician License, and within 1 day was contacted, Scheduled and ready to test. This is the best testing coordination I’ve seen to date! Great support, professional and they treat you like “Family!”

Thanks Alwin N6ATF and the entire VE Team at GLAARG! I appreciate professional like you, and the way you treat others like Family!

Best, Matthew, KF0FNH

First off thank you for providing me a world class experience. The Ves…who were with me, N1LC, N8BLK, and WB6OWH, were amazing. … Joe KE0PKK (now AE0NJ)

Thank you for all of your help Dave!!! What an organization you all have!!! I am very impressed. FYI, I started studying for my General license last night lol, see you again electronically in two weeks!!!

John KN6OQS

I want to Thank everyone last night who was part of the process for testing for my Extra exam. This group has so many wonderful people who made the experience fun and exciting. Passing my exam last night was a rewarding experience. Something I won’t soon forget.

Thanks again Joe KE0PKK

I wanted to thank everyone for assisting me in my upgrade to Extra. I really enjoyed the experience, fellowship and enthusiasm for the hobby! Now all I need to do is try to find an available callsign for Extra Class

73 Glen Garrity Sr

Just want to reiterate our thanks from Uganda. Great job to the whole team, our test experience was administered with excellence!

Jack and I sincerely appreciated your time, kindness, and encouragement! Thanks especially for accommodating our request for an earlier time slot. Well done GLAARG!

Thanks again Heather! It was a pleasure and I’m excited to have passed the General. Appreciate you and your team making that a possibility! The software is great but you and the rest make it a possibility! Much Appreciated and 73s! ~Adam

Awesome thank you guys for the awesome experience of the online testing!! -Justin White

  1. Hi Heather,
  2. Just wanted to say thanks to you and your team for an excellent experience. Everyone was friendly, the process was clear, the exam environment felt secure but not onerous, and the VE’s did an excellent job of balancing their responsibility to proctor the exam fairly while also making me feel like they were rooting for me to do well. Just spectacular.
  3. Thanks, Jon
  1. Dave,
  2. Thank you very much. The testing process was seamless. I’ll be studying for my next level license soon and expect to become and active contributing member of the community.
  3. Best, Doug – KN6OJI

Good Morning Naomi, I want to thank you and everyone else that took part in the FCC exam technician amateur for me! All of you are providing a good service to the amateur radio person during these trying timesI May God Bless all of youIII

Thanks Again, James J Raymond Jr

Thanks so much! He has been studying like crazy during his free time for months. We got him an ice cream cake last night to celebrate. It said “congratulations KF0EOQ”.

My husband and I aren’t in the ham world, so when he talks to me about it, it’s like a foreign language, but I’m glad he’s found something so useful to put passion into.

The proctors were very supportive of him yesterday, and it means a lot to me as his mom, since he really is giving this his all. Thanks again! Blessings, Dana

From the Administration Update, we did.

Dear GLAARG VECs, On behalf of the greater Clarkson University community, thank you so much for all your hard work in hosting the remote examinations. A lot of our students are excited to put their new callsign to use! 73, Carissa Ferguson (KJ4EZA), K2CC President — Clarkson University Amateur Radio Club (K2CC)

Thanks Art to you, the protectors and the team, for your time this evening. Looking forward to testing in the future for Extra and I have recommended GLAARG to friends. Stay safe.

-Matt Quan

Thank you for all your help in this endeavor. You and your team made me feel very relaxed during the whole testing process. I will definitely recommend you and ham study to anyone I run across looking To get into the hobby. Ham study online was a great help and very easy to use and understand.

73 thank you

KI5OSH

Heather,

THANK YOU!!! I am extremely impressed and amazed at your ability to have facilitated this in less than 24 hours! Have a great weekend,

Chris

You guys were awesome.

Great team.

Rgds,

Ralph

I would like express my gratitude to N6ATF and all of the GLAARG VE’s, this OP and the ability to easily schedule an exam provided the impetus to study and pass the Element 4 exam, a task I have been meaning to complete for over a decade. Thank you N6ATF, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance and I appreciate all of your assistance.

You guys were awesome. Your process is on cruise control. Thank you to all the dedicated VE’s. ~Robert Machette

Richard, Tom, Bob, and Conner,

Just a quick note of THANKS. I appreciate your efforts today and endurance of having to painfully watch 2 exam sessions of mine.Thanks for the time and effort and as they say the “shoes on the other foot”. Now for me to pony up and aid in moving the hobbyforward, just as you all have been doing.Hope to make contact with you “down the road” once I get up on HF, or maybe on 2m/440.

Much appreciations, GregKN6ITL/AE (oh that looks so so good).

p.s. Conner – Good luck on the BSEE – been there done that long ago.

Naomi, I just wanted to say Thank You so much for letting me help yesterday.  It was a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed it.  It was great to work with Carrie, Tom, and George.  They were so helpful and fun!
I enjoyed it so much and look forward to helping out more.  I’m hoping to sign up for the March 14th exam sessions.
Thanks again for letting me be a part of the group.  I really love it and everyone involved!! Have a great week!
73, Patrick McVerry K8MCV

just a quick note to thank you and your organization for all your help.  From your website providing information, signing up for the test, paying for the test, and taking the test, you clearly have put in the work to make it easy to understand and streamlined the process to make it easy.  Please pass along my appreciation.
Best Regards, Garth Gelster

Dear Naomi,

Thank you very much for your support during the amateur exam! It’s great how you organize this in USA. Very cool! Hopefully I will have the chance to travel to your beautiful country again soon after the Corona theme.

Again, many thanks and 73!

Alfred (KY4EK) from Germany

Hi Dave,

I just wanted to send out a big thank you to you and everyone else involved at GLAARG for providing the amateur radio tests yesterday. Awesome job! And a big thank you for providing free testing for students, law enforcement and first responders. You guys are providing such a wonderful service to the country. BTW I mentioned connecting to the space station to my son Joseph and he was very excited about that idea. In order to do that should I look for a radio with that capability or do the basic Baofengs do that as well?

Sincerely, Sean Ryals

Good Morning Dave, I wanted to thank you and your fellow VE’s for administering last evening’s Technician exam. Everyone was very helpful, knowledgeable and professional making the testing experience enjoyable. I will start studying for the General Class Test and hope to be in your exam room in the near future. I also decided to look near and far for the right radio club to join. With Zoom and YouTube I realize I don’t necessarily need a club in my area. If I happen upon an Elmer, I will be quite fortunate. Thank you all again.

All the best! 73. Bob

PS. You have an awesome call sign!

I certainly have been waiting for this mail, but it arrived much earlier than expected. You all are very quick. Thank you very much, I just plugged in my Mic 😊 Getting ready for first contact.

KJ7TTY


Thank you Naomi for all you do. Thank you for the information.  Take care and be safe.

KN6MVW

Hello, Wanted to express my gratitude . From start to finish this has been a great experience; just phenomenal. From pretest , during, and post. The way you all organized the zoom rooms was impressive; please keep that work flow… but what really made it awesome where all the Hams that participated to help welcome us to join the community…soon after joining the zoom meeting my pre-test jitters were gone and I felt very welcomed. Please give my thanks to the Hams and everyone that made this happen, hopefully I can pay it forward, what great ambassadors for this community…

Please give a special thanks to:

Carrie N6LMA and George N6VNI
73s,

-Adrian as of today, KN6NBI

Thank you very much to everyone yesterday. 
It was a great experience, everyone so friendly and helpful. 
I’ll start studying for General and see you all again soon. 
Thanks

Jeff, KJ7TTZ
73

Just wanted to say thanks, I really do appreciate all the volunteers that made this possible, they were all very professional and helpful.

Mike

Thank you to all involved in the remote testing process, I was very happy with all the individuals involved, from setting up the appointment, the waiting room, and the VE’s.  I am very appreciative of everyone’s time involved.  The process went much better than I expected.  Everyone was very supportive

My very best wishes.

Michael RobinsonKC3QYS

It was a fantastic and awesome time I spent with you all. Thank you so very much for being so wonderful to work with. I was a nervous wreck and my mind was a total blank until I started into the test. It was your being so friendly and providing so much care in making sure I was doing things correctly without making me stress that got me through the test. Thank you and I will be back for my Extra.

Gordon Kuhn

I look forward to getting into Ham so much more!! That testing session couldn’t have been more inviting or conduced by more personable VE’s. Thank you so much. I’m going to start studying for general today. Hayden and I had a great experience. We appreciate the time, effort, and professionalism of all the people we interacted with. Thanks again, Sir!

-Steve So new I don’t have a callsign, ha!

Thanks very much for yours and everyone’s time on a Sunday to do this, really appreciated!

Aaron H

You guys are the best. Thank you for all that you guys do.

KC3QQM/AG

Thanks to your great work I made it. Your Zoom product was amazing. The staff was patient, preventing stress prior to a test. They took their time and with great results. It was better than taking it in person. Saved gas money, and we had lots of snow. I didn’t need gloves and hat. Beautiful. I recommending to everyone. Is there a way to print an actual certificate?

Again thanks and Happy New Year. 🎉

Hi Naomi,

Thank you very much for your help! Your encouragement greatly help me to pursue the preparation for the Amateur Extra test. Have a nice day!

Woo Sik Yoo KN6MRN

Naomi:

I wanted to say THANK YOU for all of your assistance – it is greatly appreciated. I passed the Extra Exam yesterday. The GLAARG VEC’s were very helpful in administering the exam and I thanked them several times for volunteering their time.

Wishing you a Happy New Year. Best regards,

Ethan Bordman N8WAB

Naomi:
I just want to offer up my thanks & praise for you of such a WONDERFULLY organized Ham test system that was run today. I was Very impressed with the professionalism displayed. I may be back in a few weeks for the top-level exam TBD. 

Hi Connor,

I just wanted to thank you again for the work you put in to administer the exams. It was a very easy and fun experience. All of the VE’s were extremely nice and helpful.
I’ve already received my call sign: KD2VBO. I was surprised that it came this quickly; less than 3 hours after passing the exams.
Once again, thank you, and please pass my thanks on to all of the VE’s.

Sincerely,

Andy Gabler (now KD2VBO)

On behalf of my brother and I, we wish to show our appreciation for you and the entire VE team for making it a pleasurable experience. It was well organized and smooth. We were able to pass both the Tech and General class exams yesterday.  Thanks very much.  And take care.
73
Don & Dan Lucas

Chris,

It was truly a pleasure to meet such great folks while testing with your group! Thanks to you and all the others for helping me get started in amateur radio!

If I didn’t have a friend who recently drove over an hour to Yuba City (from Newcastle) to take his test, then waited a couple weeks to get his call sign, I would not have known how awesome you guys are, and how exceptional my experience was.

Convenient testing, friendly examiners, immediate results, and an expedited call sign issuance – Incredible!

Maybe an overuse of exclamation points, but necessary to express my amazement.

Thank you!!!

See you again for the General exam.

Hello Guys!

Please pass along my thanks for last night! I am now *KC1OCA*! It was an honor meeting with you guys and I will consider becoming a VE sometime soon. You guys were professional, quick and witty. Jonah’s joke was, well, its dated but did the trick perfectly!

 Its awesome that people were able to get all those going for online testing with covid and all.

I told my father about 40 or so years ago that I would get my license but the code held me up back then.

I asked the question last night about getting youth into amateur radio as I’d like to return the favor to my nieces and nephews someday. I asked my niece and she and her robotics instructor haven’t heard about amateur radio. That kind of made me sad.

Digital ‘may’ be most of the future but analog is where the art and the magic are. To really go forward with either these days you need to know both. And I mentioned to her that having an amateur license when you start out your career will be something very very few others these days at her age will have and will help make her resume stick out.

73s all around!

Naomi – I want to thank you for running a great virtual testing operation!  Despite the sheer volume of attendees and some technical challenges, you and your entire team made the experience yesterday enjoyable and effective.  The Zoom breakout rooms helped greatly to pass the wait time and I was impressed with the professionalism, friendliness and obvious dedication of the VEs and everyone else involved.  You’ve created a great operation in response to challenging times.  I’d originally planned to test for my Extra license back in April, but COVID put everything on hold – until now.  Please pass along my thanks to others, as appropriate.
ChrisN6EWT

Totally psyched. Great test experience. Y’all did an awesome job. Time to start working on general… see you again in a couple of weeks. 

Hello, I wanted to thank you for the attention and professionalism in the exam last Saturday. Thank you so much for your attention.
a greeting, Carlos Rodriguez, Madid, Spain  

Hi Heather,
Thanks so much to you and to all of your cohort of VEs for going the extra mile to help me get this certification done!  You were all very helpful and made the experience a super positive one for me!Soon I’ll have one of those cool callsigns to sign off with!
73
Matt Krueger

Nick, I just received the below email from your automated service and felt that I needed to reach out to you personally and thank you and your entire team for what you are doing for Amateur Radio in regards to remote testing. To assemble 94 VE’s to test some 90 or so test takers in a single day with your multi-room breakouts is truly revolutionary and I don’t even think that our group was your largest by any means. Your group may very well have permanently changed the way the exams will be conducted for years to come and this new approach may grow the amateur service at a pace never before seen.  Thank you for your service . . thank you for your whole team’s professionalism . . I am sending this to you since you were my session manager and I could not remember who else was involved or who was managing the whole process . . but, in any case, well done!
Robert Clinton KD5CAE

Just wanted to say that I was really impressed with the on-line test format today and the hams that oversaw my test were the nicest people!
John Ummel

Thank you again for a good experience.  Please convey my thanks to all the VEs.  Special mention to the waiting room, technical, and testing VEs.
Look forward to receiving my CSCE in the next few days.  And my actual FCC notice 🙂
Regards and enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend 🙂
Tony.
ps.  Now that I am an Extra, I’m considering being a VE.  I’ll contact you as soon as I put more thought into it.  

Hello Norm and Naomi,
It was a pleasure meeting you, Angel WP3R, and everyone else during the testing! Everyone was super-supportive, kind, helpful, and informative. I wish I could remember everyone’s names. They were so supportive!The process for upgrading to GENERAL was just perfect and when I take the Extra test someday, I can’t see taking it any other way!Your organization has certainly made an impression on me. I absolutely could see and feel the enthusiasm for ham radio and people with every person I encountered from GLAARG from the beginning to the end of the process.It really blew me away and I’ll remember this experience forever.
I don’t know how you’ve organized it all so well but you did and I’m absolutely grateful. 
Thanks again,
Christian Walldorf, KJ7QAF/AG !

Hi Naomi,
Thanks! I passed the Technian today with a 34/35. Looking forward to taking the General. I just scheduled it for Sunday 9/13.
You guys are great. Awesome remote testing setup. Much appreciate all the work you and the others put into it!
Looking forward to getting my call sign, and hopefully one day communicating with you and your team over the radio!
Thanks again,
Robert Ilardi

Hi Norm and Naomi,

I really enjoyed the class and thank you and all the volunteers for your time and service yesterday.  The volunteerism and commitment is truly impressive. 

Keep up the good work.

George Suchand

Hi Naomi and team at GLAARG,

I wanted to say thank you and the volunteers very much for all the hard work you put in.  Your process for the online test was very smooth and well-organized.  The people doing the triage were efficient, pleasant and funny.

The proctors were very welcoming and personable.  I took the exam in my bathroom, which is a story to remember in itself.

I am amazed that GLAARG made remote testing possible and I am very happy to have signed up two weeks ago, and I have my license 1 day after I took the exam!  I was asking the local tester at Stanford (I live in Palo Alto) for three months about Technician exam, and had little hope.  

I am going to help Palo Alto as a ham operator in our emergency services volunteer program.  

Thanks again, I am sure I speak for many test takers that you have helped the past few months.

David LeeKN6KBA(!)

Posted byu/HopHead1685

Well, something happened I never thought would happen; Amateur Extra test passed

Today I passed my AE with GLAARG’s online testing. The whole experience was professional and besides a little bit of waiting, it was a very smooth process. I signed up for testing about two weeks ago and really started studying everyday. It only took about a week to get most through most of the material and to be able to pass the practice test on Ham Study. I really think studying helped me understand AC and waveform physics better. I plan on volunteering as a VE in the near future with GLAARG as they seemed pretty busy with large numbers of people wanting to get licensed. Now to start to looking at vanity call signs.

About a month ago I participated in one of the GLAARG remote exam sessions.  I had been trying to take my extra exam since April through various clubs/organizations but to no avail as session after session was canceled due to coronavirus issues.  I was running out of time and options before the Extra question pool I had been studying expired.  I had heard that a few VEC organizations were working on offering remote exams and were expanding the number of applicants tested in a session to significant levels.  Preforming a google search I found the GLAARG VEC organization and signed up for an exam session.  I was impressed with every aspect of this process and procedure.  The sheer magnitude of the undertaking is impressive with the number of people taking various exams, coordinating this volume of activity and VE’s from all over the country pitching in to help.  The entire team that I interfaced with from Naomi making sure all the paperwork was in place and proper days before the session started, the various folks managing rooms that explained that was going on each step of the way as we moved from room to room, the team inspecting my computer, and the 4 VE’s that inspected all aspects of my exam room and witnessed me taking the exam were all friendly, thorough, professional and made me feel comfortable through this very unfamiliar process.  The GLAARG has my sincere thanks and gratitude for this great service you are providing the Amateur Radio community and, in this case, me personally.
Keep up the good work, Amateur Radio needs folks like you.
73,Harry – N1IAH

Just wanted to say thanks to all the volunteers that administered my test.  They were professional, but also kind and cheerful, which helped put my nerves at ease.
They seemed like the kind of folks you hope you run into on the air waves.
Kudos to you, VEs!!
Bret(KJ7PAC)

Thank you for a flawless testing experience!  Having committed and capable VE’s is a true blessing.
R. Drum
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Nick,
I wanted to personally thank you for putting together this event.  As a new VE, it was a great opportunity to get my feet wet.  I had a great time and the Experienced VEs I was paired with really did a fantastic job of making me feel welcome as a new VE!  The team lead did a great job of having us rotate responsibilities; which allowed be to take part in different aspects of the process from approvals to signing the CSCE.  My group/room had 4 examines total I believe.  3 passed and one did not.  I even got invited by one of the other VEs to help them with some ARRL sessions.
Great job Nick!!!
73, W Josh Tate – KF4EAG

I sat for my Technician’s exam earlier today (and passed) and just wanted to let you know what a wonderful and smooth experience it was. Every single person from check-in to the 3 VE’s who were overseeing the exam were very patient and helpful. 
Because of how great it was, I am even more determined to sit for my General exam sooner than planned.
Thank you for offering these remote exams and for having a such a great group of people moderate the process.
73,Nadia Ballas-Ruta

Thank You so much for putting together the remote tests! I have gotten my call sign KN6JIR! I am stoked! Now…I guess I am gonna start to memorize all the “Q” language and phonetic alphabet now!Can thank you and everybody for making this happen enough.  I could tell there were some serious logistics involved and it went smooth as heck!… I missed two questions BTW and I will never forgive myself.  I think I over studied to be honest….my brain was swimming the last week of studying. Now on to the next step. Again! Thank YOU and EVERYBODY so much 
God Bless
Sincerely John C Apostoli

I would like to thank all of those involved in the testing I took part in today.
The pretest instructions had me ready to go when the time came.
The process flowed smoothly once the Zoom started and within a couple hours I found my new call sign on the FCC web site.

Thank you all for your time and 73!
Jerry KN6JCP

Please pass on my thanks yous to everyone that has worked so hard to make these online tests possible.  I’d been trying to take my tech exam for a couple of months and the waitlist was so long, it was looking like I wasn’t going to be able to get in until August.  
I was the last one to test so I had a bit of a wait (which was my fault because I wasn’t able to make it at the start of the session) but the VE’s made it fun by providing some great conversation.  Also, I was up and on the FCC ULS within 3 hours of taking the test!  Amazing.
Thanks again for making this possible.
73
Dan Deibert
KD9PMS 🙂

Thank you so much Norm and team! Appreciate your hard work and dedication to the hobby!
Regards,
Rolando (KN6JAU)

Norm, thanks very much to you and the others for administering the exam yesterday. I had my license by 9:30 am this morning. KJ7OFD. Now I’m just trying to navigate the FCC licensing system to see if I can get my old call sign back (I think it may be possible under the vanity license rules, even though it would require an Extra license if it were issued new today). Thanks again.
Dave

Many thanks, Norm. Very impressed with GLAARG VEC! My experience obtaining my Technician Class License was professional and wonderful. On to the General!
73’s
Daniel

Hi Norm
Thanks to all the VEs volunteering with Allan B, yesterday I also passed my General exam (with score 34/35).
Sushil Tyagi

Norm,
Wow!
I just looked up my status in the FCC ULS database, my call sign is already there, KJ7OCC.
You guys are incredible. The only thing that differentiates companies is their customer service, imho, and you’re at the top of the list.
thanks
-tom

GLAARG VEC team,
Thanks so much for the opportunity today, to sit for the General Exam. You guys and gals have put together a method that should be a standard for other remote group sessions.
You did a fabulous job, both keeping the candidate in queue as well as moving things right along. I was especially impressed when the examiner who got each candidate set with the exam tools login, he was very computer knowledgeable and concise with his direction and resolve.
I was successful today with part of the credit going to your team for such a professionally produced exam session!
Thanks so much for your time,
73
-Danny

Thank you again for helping me complete one of those “little” goals in life. I know there has been a lot of interest in HAM since this pandemic and I thought I would use the down time to finally study and pass the exam. It is very nice of you to volunteer for the testing process and says a lot about the HAM community. I know giving back to something that you enjoy doing is its own reward, but it is also important to know that others appreciate it.
My next goal also follows your example to give back. I am in the processes of training and evaluation for a phone councilor for Copline, an Officer’s Lifeline. I got 28 years of experience as a line police officer and Mental Health Evaluation team member. I enjoy helping people in crisis and I think I could positively impact an officer who had a bad day. So like you who follows your passion, so will I. Funny how one actions effects another.
Have a great day,
Jason

Thanks again for all of your hard work.  The process was painless and went quickly.  Is there a way to further donate to your cause?
Brandon Beck
73,
KC5MDE

From Dewey Sasser on Facebook
Just passed my tech and general today.
Big shout-out to GLAARG — I know they said it’s chaotic and changing every day, but I think they did a great job very smoothly and efficiently administering the tests. They were running 4 simultaneous test sessions and really cranking through candidates in a very orderly and efficient way.

Nick, I just received the below email from your automated service and felt that I needed to reach out to you personally and thank you and your entire team for what you are doing for Amateur Radio in regards to remote testing. To assemble 94 VE’s to test some 90 or so test takers in a single day with your multi-room breakouts is truly revolutionary and I don’t even think that our group was your largest by any means. Your group may very well have permanently changed the way the exams will be conducted for years to come and this new approach may grow the amateur service at a pace never before seen.  Thank you for your service . . thank you for your whole team’s professionalism . . I am sending this to you since you were my session manager and I could not remember who else was involved or who was managing the whole process . . but, in any case, well done!
Robert Clinton KD5CAE

Chris,

It was truly a pleasure to meet such great folks while testing with your group! Thanks to you and all the others for helping me get started in amateur radio!

If I didn’t have a friend who recently drove over an hour to Yuba City (from Newcastle) to take his test, then waited a couple weeks to get his call sign, I would not have known how awesome you guys are, and how exceptional my experience was.

Convenient testing, friendly examiners, immediate results, and an expedited call sign issuance – Incredible!

Maybe an overuse of exclamation points, but necessary to express my amazement.

Thank you!!!

See you again for the General exam.

On behalf of my brother and I, we wish to show our appreciation for you and the entire VE team for making it a pleasurable experience. It was well organized and smooth. We were able to pass both the Tech and General class exams yesterday.  Thanks very much.  And take care.
73
Don & Dan Lucas

Hi Connor,

I just wanted to thank you again for the work you put in to administer the exams. It was a very easy and fun experience. All of the VE’s were extremely nice and helpful.
I’ve already received my call sign: KD2VBO. I was surprised that it came this quickly; less than 3 hours after passing the exams.
Once again, thank you, and please pass my thanks on to all of the VE’s.

Sincerely,

Andy Gabler (now KD2VBO)

Hello, I wanted to thank you for the attention and professionalism in the exam last Saturday. Thank you so much for your attention. a greeting Carlos Rodriguez Madid Spain  

Hello Guys!

       Please pass along my thanks for last night! I am now *KC1OCA*! It
was an honor meeting with you guys and I will consider becoming a VE
sometime soon. You guys were professional, quick and witty. Jonah’s joke
was, well, its dated but did the trick perfectly!

       Its awesome that people were able to get all those going for
online testing with covid and all.

       I told my father about 40 or so years ago that I would get my
license but the code held me up back then.

       I asked the question last night about getting youth into amateur
radio as I’d like to return the favor to my nieces and nephews someday.
I asked my niece and she and her robotics instructor haven’t heard about
amateur radio. That kind of made me sad. Digital ‘may’ be most of the
future but analog is where the art and the magic are. To really go
forward with either these days you need to know both. And I mentioned to
her that having an amateur license when you start out your career will
be something very very few others these days at her age will have and
will help make her resume stick out.

      73s all around!

Hello, Ms. Goodkin: I was thrilled to receive an e-mail message regarding the results of my exam and my call sign as a Technician. I want to thank the people who volunteered to make this a very well-directed test session. I was very impressed with the professionalism of everyone involved. I will try to use my license in some beneficial way to benefit the community where I live. (I also can’t wait to reflect a signal off the Moon and make contact with the International Space Station!) 

If you don’t mind, I will be keeping in touch with your organization if I have any questions until I hook up with a local group here in Las Vegas. Again, thanks for the wonderful service you provide.

73

KJ7QDH

Jay A. Yeo

Thank you very much Naomi! Your club is super helpful. We have just made 1 happy new ham with my wife. She passed (and actually got 35/35), and callsign will soon be on the way for her. God bless and take care!73! Jojo KN6HTD

Hi Naomi, 
I am really impressed with the way you and your teams were able to get us in and tested!! And I’m really grateful for all of you working so hard to make this happen. I’m very excited about diving into this world. I had been putting this off for a number of years and I’m glad I was able to get it done so easily.
Thank you all again for your service!!
Mark D. // KN6KGJ

Naomi,
I just want to thank you and your team for all the work put into testing online. The preparation and emails were excellent and the volunteers who guided me on test day were welcoming and considerate. I am very appreciative for the experience.  

Thank you
Albert Cook
KI5KHX (WOW…that’s sounds great)

On behalf of ARES LAX and the examinees I would like to thank all of you who stepped up and supported this testing session.

Everyone of the test takers works for a hospital or health care facility in Los Angeles County and – as you probably have heard from the news by now – they are in the midst of a major surge in patients and stretched thin. So while it was an intense day for the test takers they were happy to have their minds on something else for a while – in this case amateur radio.

They asked me to pass along their thanks to all the VEs and the VE team for making them feel welcome, for your friendliness and your encouragement throughout. Some were apprehensive of taking the test and you made them feel comfortable with the process.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you. Please know that you made a very positive difference on Saturday!

73 de Oliver K6OLI