[CW] Dissing the ARRL

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/8/2004 9:19:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, k3miy@csonline.net writes:
> 
> This thread reminds me that, for awhile, the Conditional license was
> available to people who lived more than 75 miles from a quarterly examining
> point.

Before about 1953, it was 125 miles and the Novice and Tech were given in FCC offices.
Then FCC made Novice and Tech by-mail regardless of distance and the Conditional limit was
75 miles. Somewhere in there (early '50s) FCC dropped the requirement that Conditionals
had to be retested if they moved to within the limit. Before then, a Conditional had
just 90 days to show up at an exam point and retest. 

In 1963 the limit became 175 miles and the number of quarterly exam points increased to
the point where almost all of the country was covered. 

> I had to do Conditional (1961), as I couldn't drive (poor vision). In
> those days, there was some Conditional bashing. (boxtop license). The 75
> mile limit made it easy to abuse the system, hence the 175 mile limit to
> which you refer.
> 
All kinds of stories were told but I know of none that can be proven 40 years later.
One trick I've heard was to use the address of a relative who lived outside the 
limit, get the license, then "move" once the license was in hand. 

I do recall that in the '70s, when the FCC eliminated the Conditional, there was
a lot of shouting by some who thought they'd have to be retested. But all the 
FCC did was to reclassify Conditionals as Generals.

73 de Jim, N2EY