In the world of amateur radio, we often talk about the "Ham Spirit"—a culture of helpfulness, mentorship, and going the extra mile. However, sometimes you run into a gatekeeper that reminds you why you walked away from certain organizations years ago.
I recently received an email from the Director of Operations at W5YI Licensing Services that perfectly illustrates why I haven't used their services in decades and why I continue to prefer the “ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC)”.
The Interaction
I reached out regarding a simple matter of contact information. The response I received (as seen in the image above) was:
Why Tone Matters in a Volunteer Hobby
While every organization has its protocols and paperwork chains, the "delivery" of that information matters. Amateur radio is a volunteer-driven hobby. When a high-level official in a VEC responds with such blunt dismissiveness, it sends a clear message: "Your time isn't valuable, but mine is."
Here is why I choose to stick with ARRL VEC for my administering testing sessions:
A Culture of Partnership: In my experience, the ARRL VEC treats Volunteer Examiners (VEs) and Team Liaisons as partners in the licensing process. They understand that we are all on the same team trying to grow the hobby.
Problem-Solving vs. Finger-Pointing: When a piece of data is missing or a form has a typo, the best coordinators help you fix the problem rather than lecturing you on whose "responsibility" it was.
The "Volunteer" in VE: We do this for free. We spend our weekends in community centers and designated areas to help new hams get their tickets. A little professional courtesy from the central office goes a long way in preventing "volunteer burnout."
Final Thoughts
Efficiency is important, but it should never come at the cost of basic professional courtesy. If a VEC makes it difficult or unpleasant to do the administrative work, the hobby suffers.
Decades ago, I found the ARRL VEC to be a more supportive environment for the way sessions are ran. After seeing that some things at W5YI haven't changed, I’m confident I made the right choice.
