[K3PZN-List] VE Exam Information

[Al Bisasky K3ZE]

Members:

Those wishing to obtain their Amateur Radio license or upgrade license class
should be aware of the following:

The current question pools and their four-year validation periods are as
follows:

* Current Technician class Element 2 (effective 7/1/03): Expires midnight
June 30, 2007 Effective July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2007  (or until FCC
implements related restructuring changes, if/when they do so)

* Current General class Element 3 (effective 7/1/04): Expires midnight June
30, 2008 Effective July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2008

* Current Extra class Element 4 (effective 7/1/02): Valid until further
notice

Starting January 1, 2005, the fee charged all applicants at ARRL
VEC-coordinated Amateur Radio test sessions will increase from $12 to $14
for the year 2005.

The number of examinees has diminished in the past 24 months (in part we
expect as a result of the uncertainty of the pending restructuring
proposals). As examinee attendance establishes our revenue, and the number
of attendees has dropped-while at the same time our cost of doing
business--and the expenses incurred by ARRL VEs and the ARRL VEC--continues
to rise, only so many cost-cutting measures can be justified without cutting
back significantly on services essential to our VE teams and our program.

While recent ARRL VEC cost cutting has included staff reduction, reduced
printing and distribution charges of our VE training material and exam
software (both having gone to ARRLWeb distribution only), and elimination of
lesser used services, these steps still are not balancing the bottom line.
Therefore an adjustment was needed in the 2005 test fee if we intended to
maintain the basic levels of service that our VEs and VE teams have come to
expect.

Applicants failing an exam at ARRL sessions where examiners permit retesting
on the same exam element also, or those seeking grandfather-credit upgrades
without being required to take an exam, must also submit a fee of $14
(2005).

73 Al K3ZE