How to Get an Amateur Radio License Through the W5QX Club

Updated

The San Angelo Amateur Radio Club (W5QX) supports licensing in two practical ways: its website has a Get Licensed! page covering the licensing process, and the club announces upcoming license test sessions in its news section. To use either, start at w5qx.org, open Get Licensed! for the process overview, then check Club News for the next test date. For specifics that aren't posted, email [email protected].

What the club provides

Resource Where to find it What it gives you
Get Licensed! page Site navigation under Page Links An entry point explaining how to get licensed
License test announcements Recent Announcements / Club News Dated exam sessions, e.g., a session on March 7 and testing on April 4, 2026
Volunteer Examiner recruitment Recent Announcements A notice inviting people to become ARRL Volunteer Examiners (dated April 8, 2026)
Direct contact [email protected] Answers on scheduling and arrangements

The site does not publish exam fees, registration deadlines, or required documents, so confirm those with the club before you commit to a date.

Steps to follow

  1. Read the licensing overview. Go to w5qx.org and open Get Licensed! This is the club's own starting point for the process.
  2. Find the next session. Check Club News / Recent Announcements for the latest test date. The site has listed sessions in March and April 2026; newer posts may supersede them.
  3. Confirm details by email. Write to [email protected] and ask about the next session's date, location, what to bring, and any fee. The club states it is happy to assist with questions.
  4. Attend the session. Expect a standard amateur radio exam session run by volunteer examiners. The club's separate notice about becoming an ARRL Volunteer Examiner shows that its testing is tied to the ARRL VEC system.
  5. Watch for results and your license. After passing, your examiner team handles the paperwork; ask at the session how results and your call sign will be delivered.

Verify before you go

  • Date still current? Announcements are dated, so re-check the news page close to the session rather than relying on an older post.
  • Session open to the public? The club's regular meetings are explicitly open to the public; test sessions are announced separately, so confirm yours is open to non-members.
  • Which exam element? Tell the contact address whether you are a first-time examinee or upgrading, so you are scheduled correctly.

Common sticking points

  • Treating a past announcement as the next session. The March 7 and April 4, 2026 listings are examples of what the club posts, not a standing schedule.
  • Assuming the meeting location is the test location. Meetings are at the SAARC Clubhouse, 5513 Stewart Ln, San Angelo, TX 76904, near Mathis Field; the site does not state that exams are held there.
  • Skipping the email step. Since fees and requirements aren't published, one message to [email protected] resolves most uncertainty.

If you want to go further

The club also recruits ARRL Volunteer Examiners, so once licensed you can help administer future sessions. Its activities—tower work, repeater and net operations, and demonstrations at Angelo State University—are described on the site and give a sense of what the license lets you join.