Remote license exams have been a hot topic lately. I’ve blogged about it, the ARRL reports that remotely administered testing is promising, and the W5YI VEC in conjunction with HamStudy.Org has also conducted some remote testing. I think that it’s safe to say that before long remote testing will be widely available.
Not everyone is thrilled by this idea. Jeff, KE9V, tweeted the following yesterday:
Not a fan of remotely administered tests. It puts even more distance between newcomers and other hams, mentors, and clubs. I doubt it will cease when life goes back to normal so this feels like yet another self-inflicted wound. arrl.org/news/remotely-… #hamradio
He’s got a point. I think that we already have a problem mentoring the next generation of hams, and going to remote testing is only going to exacerbate this problem. The flip side, of course, is that this is inevitable. I replied:
That’s certainly a concern, but it’s been my experience that many, if not most, new hams don’t take advantage of mentors and clubs anyway. Whether for good or ill, they’re getting their mentoring from YouTube, reddit, and other online forums, or just foregoing it altogether.
Jeff went on to say, “I get that, but ceding this function renders local radio clubs a little more unnecessary, and most are in a tenuous position as it is.” Jeff is right on again, but the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” comes to mind. Even with local testing, most newcomers don’t attend local radio club meetings or take advantage of the mentoring that club members could provide. For example, I offer to help every single student that attends my one-day Tech classes. and over the past dozen years or so, I’ve had hundreds of students. My guess is that less than 10 percent of them have ever asked for help.
I still think it’s time for remote testing, but Jeff’s point is well-taken. There are lots of good YouTube videos on different amateur radio topics, but I don’t think any of them are designed to help a newcomer discover what he or she might like best.
I hope the VE teams that do remote testing will at least point the newcomers at some resources to help them get into amateur radio. Hopefully that would include links to the ARRL’s Find a Club page so that they could find some one-on-one help, if they need it or want it. And, it might be time for the ARRL to actually get serious about a mentoring program. Many folks do just fine on their own, but I’d guess that many more would benefit by having hams they can rely on for advice and a helping hand.