[CW] Dissing the ARRL

[w8okn@charter.net]

I was one of those hams who had to drive to Detroit from Northern Michigan to take the test.  I failed the theory for my General, twice!  Each time, I had to ask my father to consider driving me 3 1/2 hours back to Detroit in hopes that this time I would pass.  He always supported me and drove the distance.

I learned the code with a friend.  He and I would pass notes back and forth to each other throughout the school day and we refused to use "English".  All our notes were in code and the teachers had no clue what the messages were.  In time, we could translate the messages by simply reading the code and not having to look up each letter.

I now operate around 30 WPM and sometimes more, and, I am an Extra.  I value my license and I do not take it lightly.

Sean
W8OKN
> 
> From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea@arrl.net>
> Date: 2004/01/07 Wed PM 11:05:59 EST
> To: <N2EY@aol.com>,  <cw@mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [CW] Dissing the ARRL
> 
> 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
> 
> 
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