St Giles Presbyterian Church Gymnasium

All MARS-sponsored Amateur Radio exam sessions are open to all applicants. The exams are held in the Gymnasium building behind St. Giles Evangelical Presbyterian Church at 2027 Emerywood Avenue in Charlotte. All exams start at 9:00AM – Please arrive by 8:45AM. Pre-registration is required for our test sessions. You may also contact us if you need additional information.

Please bring the following to the test session: VEC Exam fee of $12.00 (Cash ONLY) Photo ID (Drivers License / Passport) Your original Amateur License and a copy Any CSCE’s and copies from previous exams

All applicants must have an FCC FRN to register for an exam. For more information, please watch the instructional video on YouTube [here] or visit https://fcc.gov/rofrn.
Final registration starts promptly at 9:00 am. Exams are administered for all of the Amateur Radio License categories (Technician, General and Extra) at each session. The Session is structured so that all applicants complete the registration process in advance on HamStudy.org, then the exam processing fee is collected. The exams are taken on a tablet electronically. The exams are not timed so that applicants can take them without being rushed. The exams are graded immediately by three trained Volunteer Examiners, and the results (passed/failed) are shared at that time. If a person passes one exam, they are eligible to take the next Class license exam at the same exam session.

Once the results are in the FCC database, the FCC will send an email to each new licensee requesting the $35 application fee. This fee must be paid within 10 calendar days or the FCC voids your application and requires you to take the exam again. New callsigns are then generated and published. For upgrades, these are actively posted in the FCC database at the same time.

Amateur radio operators may confirm their callsigns by checking the FCC Universal Licensing System and selecting the “By Name” search in the box. If you have not received your FCC email within 5 days, please contact the Exam Session Manager to see if a correction is needed.

The Mecklenburg VE Team tries to accommodate special testing needs such as providing verbal exams. If you have a special need, you must request an accommodation at least two full weeks before the testing date so that the Exam Manager can determine if we can meet your need. The all-volunteer Mecklenburg VE Team cannot guarantee that special need requests can be honored at all testing sessions.

If you have any questions, please contact Steven Burke, KI4FAQ, MARS-VEC Liaison at ki4faq@w4bfb.org or call 704-641-0959.