[CW] Dissing the ARRL

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

Thanks to Jim N2EY for a wonderful recollection of FCC Amateur Radio
testing.

His information was right on the money!

Several things come to mind that might clarify some things.

The FCC would make "house calls" if you were near enough to a FCC Field
Office - which were generally located in the big port city of the FCC
District and you had enough people to take the test.  They did this at  ham
conventions!

If you lived beyond the "air line distance" of a twice yearly FCC exam - I
think it was 175 miles from there... you could take a Conditional (General)
license.  You had to have three Generals or higher.  But if you upgraded,
you had to take the General all over in front of the FCC.

If you went to the FCC office to take the General, but failed the code test
at 13 wpm - but had enough letters in a row (25) to qualify you for 5 wpm,
you could continue to take the theory.  If you passed the theory, you would
be given a Technician license.  You license would NOT be marked TECHNICIAN
C - which meant "C" or "Conditional" because it wasn't conditional, you had
been examined by the FCC.

All "conditional" licensees - Novice, Technician, Conditional (those were
the ONLY licenses available by mail) were subject to RESTESTING at the will
(whim?) of the FCC.  They had the right to call you into the office, and
test you.  If you failed, you would be stripped of your license.

The hams in Northern Maine, Upper Penn. of Michigan, and other remote
places - Alaska - had to travel hundreds of miles - and they could only take
the exam TWICE a year!

ALL commercial exams were given by the FCC - and you HAD to go to either an
Annual, Semi-Annual, or the District Field Office.  There were NO exceptions
to this.  So the guy repairing taxicab radios in a remote place, had to go
to the FCC for his license.

Sobering isn't it?

73

David Ring, N1EA