[CW] FCC TESTING

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/2/02 10:31:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
constant.thomas@snet.net writes:

> I took General and advanced  in Philadelphia, same thing, the pencil was #22
>  not #2, the buss wire variety, and the headphones were terrible.

When was this? I took the exams all the way to Extra at the Philly Custom 
House in 1968-70

>  Before the test started the dictator warned us, if you use your own pencil,
>  you go home and come back in a month.

That was Joe Welsh, known locally as "Joe Squelch". He also said that when 
the code stopped, you put the pencil DOWN or you flunked.

>  As all that was going on someone walks in asking when will the FCC  drop 
the
>  CW from the test so he could get HIS ticket.

I can just imagine the look ol' Joe gave him.....Or maybe it was a set-up to 
rattle ya.
>  .
>  But the best was when I took my novice in the fall of 1971 in the hall of
>  sciense in Queens NY.
>  The old man who gave me the test ( I don't remember his call) was somwhat
>  agrivated when I told him that I was using a DRAKE B line to listen, he
>  thought I was geting on the air.
>  So he placed a CW LP on an old Magnavox stereo and set the speed at 78 RPM,
>  You failed he said.
>   I passed when the speed was set at 33 1/2.

HAW! 

When I went for the Extra at age 16, (32 years ago this month), I was the 
only one in the crowd trying 20 wpm. They used a punched-paper-tape code 
machine that changed speeds by changing drive spindles.

Joe gave me the whole standard spiel about the test. Started the machine and 
watched me copy for about a minute and a half, then shut it off. Turned out 
the machine was set for 13 wpm, and I had to do it all over again. I'll never 
know if he just forgot to change spindles or if he did it on purpose to 
rattle me a bit. 

>   I was given WN2KZU, look at your old log book as I was very active on CW,
>  it was excactly when the rockbound requirement was droped.
>  
>  Good old days or what :-))

Different era. No CSCEs - pass the exams in order or do it all again. Two 
year wait to even try the Extra. Secret exams. Sending tests. Long expensive 
trips for those not close to an exam point. Exams only given on weekdays - 
tough on working people and students alike.

73 de Jim, N2EY