Amateur Radio Testing Sessions at Georgia Tech
Official Website

Please note, this is the only official source for information regarding amateur radio testing sessions held at Georgia Tech. These testing sessions are offered on campus by the Georgia Tech Amateur Radio Club W4AQL and the Atlanta Radio Club W4DOC through the ARRL-VEC. If you discover information to the contrary on another site, please e-mail w4aq...@lists.gatech.edu with the URL.

Table of Contents

• Dates & Times
• What to bring
• Location & Parking
• Directions to the Van Leer Building
  • Driving from South of Atlanta
  • Driving from North of Atlanta
  • Using MARTA and walking
  • Using MARTA and Tech Trolley
• Registration and Updates
• Talk-In Information (for current amateurs)
• Information for Volunteer Examiners

Dates and Times

Tests are held on the 4^th Sunday of every month except December at 2:30 PM. Please note that due to club and examiner availability, tests are typically not run over the summer (May, June, and July). The tests are not timed, but everyone has usually finished within two hours.

What to bring

You may also check ARRL’s more detailed list.

• Cash to cover the exam fee. ($15 for 2022).
• Your FRN – New amateur radio license applicants must register with the FCC for an FCC Registration Number before the testing session. You may register for an FRN here.
• Pen and pencil
• Calculator (optional) – please note: the memory will need to be cleared if it is a programmable type!
• Identification:
  • One (1) of these:
    • Driver’s license
    • Passport
    • CAC
    • Other government-issued photo ID
  • OR Two (2) of these:
    • Non-photo ID or driver’s license issued by a government
    • Social Security Card
    • Certified copy of birth certificate
    • Minor’s work permit, school report card, school ID card or library card
    • Utility bill, bank statement or other business correspondence that specifically names the person
    • Postmarked envelope addressed to the person at their current mailing address as it appears on the Form 605
• If you are already licensed, bring the ORIGINAL and a COPY of your License.
• If you are claiming any credit for previous exams, bring the ORIGINAL and a COPY of your CSCE. (This is uncommon. If you have a license, bring that instead; see previous point.)

Location & Parking

Testing sessions are held in the Van Leer Electrical Engineering Building (map), room W218. The Van Leer Building is locked on weekends. VEs should arrive by 2:00 PM and will let people in.

The Parking Office has information for visitors. The best parking to use is marked Area 4 on the parking map and is located at the intersection of State Street and Ferst Drive. The rate for this parking lot is $2.00 per hour (as of January 2022; the current rates are available from the Parking Office)

Directions to the Van Leer building

Driving From South of Atlanta

• I-75/85N to exit 250 (10th/14th Street)
• Take a left on 10th Street
• Take a left on State Street
• Follow through stop sign to visitor lot on the left
• Walk to Atlantic Drive and take a right
• Van Leer is on the left before the end of the brick path

Driving From North of Atlanta

• From the northwest: On I-85S go to exit 84 (17th/14th/10th Street)
• From the northeast: On I-75S go to exit 250 (16th/14th/10th Street)
• Follow signs to 14th/10th street.
• Go through 14th Street light and follow right fork to 10th Street WB
• Take a right on 10th Street
• Take a left on State Street
• Follow through stop sign to visitor lot on the left
• Walk to Atlantic Drive and take a right.
• Van Leer is on the left before the end of the brick path

Using MARTA and walking

If you decide to take MARTA, please make sure you allow enough time to walk from the MARTA station to the Van Leer Building.

• Take the train to the Midtown station
• Exit to 8^th Street, turn right on 8^th Street (go west)
• Turn left on West Peachtree Street
• Turn right on 5^th Street, name changes to Ferst Drive
• Turn left on Atlantic Drive
• The Van Leer Building is at the bottom of the hill on the left

Using MARTA and Tech Trolley

This method is not recommended because the Trolley nominally leaves the MARTA station every 36 minutes on weekends; walking may be faster.

• Take the train to the Midtown station
• Exit to 8^th Street and board the Trolley
• Get off the trolley at the intersection of Ferst Drive and Atlantic Drive
• Go south (towards Coca-Cola building) on Atlantic Drive
• The Van Leer Building is at the bottom of the hill on the left

Registration and Updates

You do NOT need to confirm your attendance unless you will require special assistance on the exam or have specific questions. If you will require special assistance on the exam, please e-mail the officers to pre-register at least two weeks in advance of of test session so that we can ensure that accomodations will be available. If there is an urgent issue, please feel free to call us.

Talk-In Information

If you are already a licensed ham, someone is generally monitoring our repeater: 145.150- (PL 167.9).

Information for Volunteer Examiners

If you are an ARRL accredited VE who lives in the Atlanta area and is interested in helping us out, please contact the officers, and we will put you on our VE Team mailing list. Our team staffs sessions with Amateur Extra licensees, but General or Advanced licensees may still join the mailing list. Approximately two weeks prior to an exam session, a message will be sent to all VEs requesting volunteers for that session. In addition to the monthly sessions, there are usually two extra sessions, one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester, that are associated with our Ham Radio Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is not held at the same time every year but will be announced at least a month in advance.