The Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club, holds numerous education and training classes. See the schedule below. These include courses for obtaining or upgrading your amateur radio license; Get-on-the-Air (GOTA) classes to give you practical information and hands-on practice; and Auxiliary classes on a wide range of topics of interest to hams.
The courses are run by unpaid volunteers. Morse code is no longer required for an Amateur Radio License. Your Ham Radio License is good for ten years with no testing to renew it.
See our Getting Your First License page for details on our recommended study method, the question pool and other important information.
See these specific sections on this page:
* Registration for License Courses
* Auxiliary Classes
* License Testing
* Schedule
* Required Manuals
* General Information
Registration for License Courses:
Registration for all classes and courses is required. There is a fee of $15.00 for each license course. The required manual and the license test itself also have modest costs. See those sections below.
There is a fee of $5.00 for all other classes, including GOTA sessions.
For License Courses, the entry-level ham license is Technician. The second license level is General. The highest level is Amateur Extra. See our License Class Description page for more information on them. We offer Amateur Extra courses in alternate years only, as there isn't enough demand to hold one every year.
You must earn each license class in order. You cannot skip a License level.
Each license course student must have full access to a copy of the required manual (see below), both in class and outside of class for study. Sharing is fine, but you must have enough access to it for in-class reference each week and homework study.
In addition, a link to handouts and homework assignments (if any) will be sent by email either before the start of each license course or in advance of each class session. These should be brought to each class. Some material will be sent ahead of the first class, hence the need to register before coming to the class.
GOTA and Auxiliary classes do not have a manual, but may have handouts.
Register for the Below Courses & Classes:
Note: Registration for the 2022 classes has not yet opened.
Note: Items below in Strikeout Font are Closed.
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* Level 1: Technician License Course-2022-A
Each Thursday, January 13 - March 3, 2022 (8 sessions)
* Technician Class License Testing
Date & Time TBA
Location TBA
You MUST schedule your time slot in advance.
* Technician Class Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) #1
Thursday, March 17, 2022; 7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 session)
Held via Zoom
* Technician Class Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) #2
Thursday, March 24, 2022; 7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 session)
Location TBA.
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* Level 2: General Class License Course-2022
Each Thursday evening, March 31 - June 2, 2022 (9 Sessions)
Note: Class will not be held April 14, due to the Easter holiday.
* General Class License Testing
Date & Time TBA
Location TBA
You MUST schedule your time slot in advance.
* General Class Get-On-The-Air (GOTA)
Thursday, June 16, 2022; 7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 session)
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* Level 1: Technician License Course-2022-B
Each Thursday, July 21 - September 8, 2022 (8 sessions)
* Technician Class License Testing
Date & Time TBA
Location TBA
You MUST schedule your time slot in advance.
* Technician Class Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) #1
Thursday, September 22, 2022; 7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 session)
* Technician Class Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) #2
Thursday, September 29, 2022; 7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 session)
Location TBA.
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Auxiliary Classes
Registration is Required.
Click the Class title to register.
All topics TBA
Thursday, July 7, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Thursday, July 14, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Thursday, October 6, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Thursday, October 13, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
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If you have questions not answered on this page,
send an email to: HamRadioClass@mdarc.org
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License Testing:
License testing will be conducted after the last session of License Classes. See the schedule above. An ARRL-mandated additional fee applies. Currently, that fee is $15.00.
License testing is also done most months just before the Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club meetings. See our License Testing page for details & exceptions. Other locations also offer testing.
Schedule:
Class sessions normally begin at 7:00 pm sharp and end by 9:00 pm. However, the first class session of each License Course begins 1/2 hour earlier, to provide for announcements, paperwork, materials distribution and other administrative necessities.
Required Manuals:
Each License Class student is required to have access, in class and out, to a copy of the appropriate manual, as listed below. The manuals include the entire question pool, with answers, for the relevant test. Be sure to obtain the correct version of each manual! The manuals expire every 4 years to update the question pool.
Auxiliary classes do not have a manual.
Students are free to purchase their own manual from whatever source they desire. The manuals are available on the ARRL web site and on Amazon, including Kindle and spiral-bound versions; and at Ham Radio Outlet, among other sources. We strongly recommend that you not obtain your manual from such sites as Ebay, Craig's List and similar sites, as the manual you receive may not be the current version.
Technician Class: Note: For the Technician License Course-2022-A ONLY; January - March, 2022:
ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 4th Edition.
Spiral Bound version: ISBN: 978-1-62595-082-6. List price = $32.95 (plus shipping).
Kindle version: ASIN: B07DFSW94G. List price = $19.99
Note: For the Technician License Course-2022-B ONLY; July- September, 2022:
ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 5th Edition.
Details TBA
General Class: ARRL General Class License Manual 9th Edition.
Spiral Bound version: ISBN: 978-1-62595-106-9. List price = $32.95 (plus shipping).
Kindle version: ASIN: B07TDVH426. List price = $19.95
General Information:
If you are new to Ham Radio it's suggested you wait to buy your radio until after you take the Technician license and first GOTA classes, as some cheap radios advertised as Ham radios are out of compliance with FCC rules. Radios will be discussed and demonstrated at the first GOTA class.