[Elecraft] CW tests

Wed Nov 12 21:13:01 2003

In 1963 I had gone into the Wash DC FCC field office to get my
commercial radiotelephone license as an increment to my being hired by
AT&T. More money to start if I got the license because they could put
me to work in the microwave section.

I had taken the commercial exam, and was setting in the room waiting
for the results, and copying the extra class code exam, which I had
not gone in for, just to kill time.

The guy came out with the commercial results, and saw me copying. He
asked to see my copy.

He said I passed the written commercial, AND the extra class code
exam. Handed me a hand key and said send the first sentence at 20 wpm.
I did.

Asked me if I had a general ticket, I said I did, and he told me to
take the extra class theory, coming up next, didn't think I'd have any
trouble passing it. Said to fill out the application afterwards, and
send him my general ticket in the mail when I got home. I did, and the
Extra ticket came in the mail a couple months later.

There weren't any transistors on either written exam. They had a lot
of the same questions.

The commercial ticket bumped 74 bucks up to 84 bucks a week. Fair
amount of money back then.

The extra ticket was worth K2AV and the band edges up in New York when
incentive licensing came along 10 years later.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Nielsen" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] CW tests

> On Tue, Nov 11, 2003 at 02:26:46PM -0800, Eric Manning wrote:
> > When I took the Advanced Amateur test in 1956 it was 15 wpm on
> > 5-character code groups. The Radio Inspector sent at 17 wpm and
> > allowed us a couple of mistakes. Straight key only, no bugs, no
mills.
> > In the theory test, he kept asking questions until he'd found out
> > everything you knew. Then he stopped.
> >
>
> I recall that when I took my 13 WPM General exam in 1953 (also
straight
> key only), one of the other applicants passed on receiving and
failed
> on sending.
>
> Bob, N7XY
>
> -- 
> Bob Nielsen, N7XY                          n7xy (at) n7xy.net
> Bainbridge Island, WA                      http://www.n7xy.net
>
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