AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED SEP. 8, 2015
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used. Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, or D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection,
and a sound card interface...using either a headset microphone, or a
desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On the BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows (all of
these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


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Daryl Stout wrote to All <=-

@VIA: THUNDER
@MSGID: <5847FB59.9.vk-study@freeway.apana.org.au>
AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED SEP. 8,
2015

=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Thanks for the post Daryl, some great information. Just one little thing, as this is an international echo, can you please put a note that this is for US hams. Reminds me, I should post some Aussie info too. :)

Thanks. :)


... Don't hit me, Mr. Moderator... I'll go back on topic... I swear!
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Tony,

Thanks for the post Daryl, some great information. Just one little thing, as this is an international echo, can you please put a note that this is for US hams. Reminds me, I should post some Aussie info too.

I thought it was in there already...but I guess I should move it to the
top.

Daryl

... All those updates, and still imperfect!!!
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
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Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

I thought it was in there already...but I guess I should move it to
the top.

Top would be best, not immediately visible when skimming. Could even put it in the subject too. :)


... Enter that again, just a little slower.
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Tony,

I thought it was in there already...but I guess I should move it to
the top.

Top would be best, not immediately visible when skimming. Could even
put it in the subject too. :)

I went ahead and modified it. I had to split it into 5 separate files,
due to message line limitations...but I also noticed several items in
there that were no longer valid. So, it was update time. <G>

I did note it in the title, and in the first paragraph. However, that
post will appear only once a month. I personally consider anything over
a month old as no longer timely.

On a side note, HamTestOnline offers study material and practice tests
for the U.S. Ham Radio licenses ONLY -- they no longer do Canadian
license material.

In that regard, I know it's up to each individual country's
government agencies, on how they do the exams...but I'm curious as
to how each country handles that.

Daryl, WX1DER


... My day's ruined when I put my left sock on my right foot.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

I went ahead and modified it. I had to split it into 5 separate
files, due to message line limitations...but I also noticed several
items in there that were no longer valid. So, it was update time. <G>

Yep, always good to update. I should do a similar one for Australia. :)

I did note it in the title, and in the first paragraph. However, that post will appear only once a month. I personally consider anything over
a month old as no longer timely.

Yes, monthly is probably a good frequency.

On a side note, HamTestOnline offers study material and practice
tests for the U.S. Ham Radio licenses ONLY -- they no longer do
Canadian license material.

In Australia, best place to go is the Radio and Electronics School.

http://www.res.net.au/

In that regard, I know it's up to each individual country's
government agencies, on how they do the exams...but I'm curious as
to how each country handles that.

Well, in Australia, the exams are conducted by WIA affiliated clubs and handled through the WIA. There is no publicly available qquestion pool, though realistic trial exams are available through places like the Radio and Electronics School.

More information on Australian licensing can be found at the WIA website - http://www.wia.org.au .


... Extinction is the ultimate fate of all species.
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Tony,

Yep, always good to update. I should do a similar one for Australia.
:)

No pressure. <G>

Yes, monthly is probably a good frequency.

It's more aggravating on these "BBS Ads" that are posting every day.
While mine are auto-post like the rest of them, mine are posted every
3 days...on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 25th, and 28th...and that includes many of the other ham radio topics that I have
as bulletins.

In Australia, best place to go is the Radio and Electronics School.

http://www.res.net.au/

Are they still requiring CW in Austrailia?? It's hard to believe that
it has been almost 10 years since the FCC dropped that requirement in
the U.S.

Well, in Australia, the exams are conducted by WIA affiliated clubs and handled through the WIA. There is no publicly available qquestion
pool, though realistic trial exams are available through places like
the Radio and Electronics School.

Years ago, in the U.S., there was no public question pool. The FCC
did the exams, going to Federal Buildings in state capitols maybe 3
times a year. You had to do the code test FIRST, and if you failed it,
you had to come back the next time they were in town.

While the U.S. exams are now multiple choice, apparently they used
to be "fill in the blank", and you had to draw things like oscillators, schematic diagrams, etc.

However, the ham radio hobby (as so many other hobbies are) was dying,
and they had to do something to try and create interest. Folks are
learning CW now because they WANT to, and NOT because they HAVE to.

My three favorite deals on CW revolved around "the dirty words" (and
one of them is NOT "mud" <G>).

1) When I asked a fellow ham in the area (long since a silent key)
what his secret was to learning CW, he said "I learned all the dirty
words first!!". I laughed, and said "Well, you can't say them on the
air, but if it helps, more power to you".

2) That was demonstrated with an on the air CW class, that I was
copying over Echolink. The four characters they taught formed an
expletive (the S word, and I don't mean "snow" <G>). I thought "I'll
be d@mned!!" But, when you looked at the dot and dash pattern, it made
perfect sense.

3) Four ol' boys were sitting at a restaurant table, telling each
other dirty jokes in CW. This drop dead, gorgeous, curvaceous, female,
walked up to them, and admonished them "You boys better watch your
language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy across the street", and
walked out. They were as red as tomatoes!! :D

Daryl

... Ham Radio Messages And Replies Will Be Sent In Morse Code.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
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Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

Yep, always good to update. I should do a similar one for Australia.
:)

No pressure. <G>

Hehe, on the mile long todo list. :D

Yes, monthly is probably a good frequency.

It's more aggravating on these "BBS Ads" that are posting every day. While mine are auto-post like the rest of them, mine are posted every
3 days...on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 25th, and 28th...and that includes many of the other ham radio topics that I have
as bulletins.

I post my ads for this net every Friday.

In Australia, best place to go is the Radio and Electronics School.

http://www.res.net.au/

Are they still requiring CW in Austrailia?? It's hard to believe that
it has been almost 10 years since the FCC dropped that requirement in
the U.S.

No, CW was dropped in 2005 here officially, but in practice, it was effectively dropped at the start of 2004. I remember celebrating New Years that year by firing up the radio and welcoming the newcomers to HF (the change took effect at 0000 local time on January 1 2004). :)

Years ago, in the U.S., there was no public question pool. The FCC
did the exams, going to Federal Buildings in state capitols maybe 3
times a year. You had to do the code test FIRST, and if you failed it,
you had to come back the next time they were in town.

Australia was similar, the authorities (they've changed their name several times over the year - PMG, DOC, DoTaC, DOTC, ACA, ACMA at least ;) ) ran the exams 4 times a year, usually in the state capital cities. I remember going into Melbourne to do my first exam in February 1989 run by the DOC (I think that's what they were at the time ;) ).

While the U.S. exams are now multiple choice, apparently they used
to be "fill in the blank", and you had to draw things like oscillators, schematic diagrams, etc.

Ours had changed to multiple choice by 1989. Apparently, fill in the blank and short answer questions were in use some time before then.

However, the ham radio hobby (as so many other hobbies are) was
dying, and they had to do something to try and create interest. Folks
are learning CW now because they WANT to, and NOT because they HAVE to.

I knew that would happen, which is one reaosn why I was always in favour of fropping the Morse requirement. CW has enough unique attributes to offer to stand on its own without regulatory pressure.

My three favorite deals on CW revolved around "the dirty words" (and
one of them is NOT "mud" <G>).

1) When I asked a fellow ham in the area (long since a silent key)
what his secret was to learning CW, he said "I learned all the dirty
words first!!". I laughed, and said "Well, you can't say them on the
air, but if it helps, more power to you".

ROFLMAO!!! :D

2) That was demonstrated with an on the air CW class, that I was
copying over Echolink. The four characters they taught formed an
expletive (the S word, and I don't mean "snow" <G>). I thought "I'll
be d@mned!!" But, when you looked at the dot and dash pattern, it made perfect sense.

LOL, yeah a good word in Morse... :D

3) Four ol' boys were sitting at a restaurant table, telling each
other dirty jokes in CW. This drop dead, gorgeous, curvaceous, female, walked up to them, and admonished them "You boys better watch your language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy across the street", and
walked out. They were as red as tomatoes!! :D

LOL!

Daryl

... Ham Radio Messages And Replies Will Be Sent In Morse Code.

-- .- -.- . ... ... . -. ... .

:-)


... No Virus Found. AARRGGHH!! I've got the No Virus!!
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Tony,

Hehe, on the mile long todo list. :D

And, it gets longer every day.

I post my ads for this net every Friday.

As noted, when I post an ad for the BBS, I post it on the 1st, then
take a 2 day pause before doing it again...and that's the case for the
entire month. To me, autoposting every day is overkill.

No, CW was dropped in 2005 here officially, but in practice, it was effectively dropped at the start of 2004. I remember celebrating New Years that year by firing up the radio and welcoming the newcomers to
HF (the change took effect at 0000 local time on January 1 2004). :)

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has a PDF file (it might be in
my files area, but I'm not sure offhand), on a "Welcome To HF" for the
"No Code Technicians". It definitely is different than VHF and UHF. I
myself have RARELY worked it, except maybe for special event stations.

I knew that would happen, which is one reaosn why I was always in
favour of fropping the Morse requirement. CW has enough unique attributes to offer to stand on its own without regulatory pressure.

Like so many other things in ham radio, you either love it, or you
loathe it. In short, there's something in the hobby for everybody.

LOL!

Glad you liked those 3 examples. :)

... Ham Radio Messages And Replies Will Be Sent In Morse Code.

-- .- -.- . ... ... . -. ... .

:-)

Me and my big mouth...er, fat fingers. I could send it great, but
with being the victim of 2 indirect lightning strikes, and a severe
concussion over the years, I have nervous system damage (especially
now with the cervical osteoarthritis), that I lock up in trying to
copy it. :P

Yet, I've known hams who can carry on a face to face QSO with
several others in the shack...while a CW QSO is ongoing in the
background. This ham tells the group "hang on a minute", reaches
over to the keyer, taps out a reply, then gets back to the QSO at
hand. Or, we're talking about something that's a serious topic,
and he busts out laughing. It turns out he's laughing at what was
just sent in CW.

One area ham was using Ham Radio Deluxe in his shack (originally
freeware, now commercialware), but he was using it to send and
receive CW, as his keyer was broken. Well, he's typing in the
General portion of 40 meters on CW...and the other ham sends
"15 WPM. Can you go any faster, OM??".

He types "Wait one"...moves the mouse to the speed setting,
tweaks it to 99 WPM, and begins typing. After he got done, the
ham at the other end exclaims "That was perfect copy!!"...and
this one typed "It takes a lot of practice"!!

When he told the story, other hams within earshot yelled out
"Bu11$h!+"!! LOL

Yet, if it works, more power to you.

I ran into a blind elderly ham from Canada on CQ100 several
weeks ago, who had been a ham most of his life, working CW, etc.
Yet, with the loss of his eyesight, and declining health, he was
forced to go into a medical facility, where RF gear was a "no-no".
I mentioned to him of my situation with antenna prohibitions, and
he asked me to send him info on these "internet radio" modes, so
he could still enjoy the hobby that he had been part of nearly
all of his life. For many of these elderly hams, this helps to
take the loneliness out of their day.

Daryl, WX1DER

... Apathy Error: Strike any key...or none, for that matter.
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Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

As noted, when I post an ad for the BBS, I post it on the 1st, then
take a 2 day pause before doing it again...and that's the case for the entire month. To me, autoposting every day is overkill.

I agree, which is why I post weekly. :)

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has a PDF file (it might be in
my files area, but I'm not sure offhand), on a "Welcome To HF" for the
"No Code Technicians". It definitely is different than VHF and UHF. I myself have RARELY worked it, except maybe for special event stations.

I've worked a bit of HF. Being in a large, empty continent, HF has a lot of utility that VHF/UHF, even Internet linked systems can't replace, like the time I was on the highway between Wentworth and Broken Hill in far western NSW. This is an almost 3 hour drive with no phone coverage and the only thing in between is a roadhouse at the halfway point. Lots of emus and kangaroos and little else. I spent the outbound trip chatting to people along the east coast on 30 metres (we're allowed SSB there), from friends mobile in Melbourne, all the way up to Bundaberg, 400km north of Brisbane.

Like so many other things in ham radio, you either love it, or you loathe it. In short, there's something in the hobby for everybody.

Agree. I would like to be more proficient at Morse, but there's so many higher priority things these days.

LOL!

Glad you liked those 3 examples. :)

... Ham Radio Messages And Replies Will Be Sent In Morse Code.

-- .- -.- . ... ... . -. ... .

:-)

Me and my big mouth...er, fat fingers. I could send it great, but
with being the victim of 2 indirect lightning strikes, and a severe concussion over the years, I have nervous system damage (especially
now with the cervical osteoarthritis), that I lock up in trying to
copy it. :P

I have some unusual processing issues that slow down my conscious processing, but as soon as I can get it past that barrier into the unconscious mind, I suspect copy would be smooth. But getting it there is likely to take a bit of time. My involvement in sport has actually given me a lot of insight into this, but it affects all forms of processing.

Yet, I've known hams who can carry on a face to face QSO with
several others in the shack...while a CW QSO is ongoing in the
background. This ham tells the group "hang on a minute", reaches
over to the keyer, taps out a reply, then gets back to the QSO at
hand. Or, we're talking about something that's a serious topic,
and he busts out laughing. It turns out he's laughing at what was
just sent in CW.

Haha cool. :)

One area ham was using Ham Radio Deluxe in his shack (originally freeware, now commercialware), but he was using it to send and
receive CW, as his keyer was broken. Well, he's typing in the
General portion of 40 meters on CW...and the other ham sends
"15 WPM. Can you go any faster, OM??".

He types "Wait one"...moves the mouse to the speed setting,
tweaks it to 99 WPM, and begins typing. After he got done, the
ham at the other end exclaims "That was perfect copy!!"...and
this one typed "It takes a lot of practice"!!

Hahaha! Yeah, it's magic watching a really proficient Morse operator in action. :)

When he told the story, other hams within earshot yelled out "Bu11$h!+"!! LOL

Yet, if it works, more power to you.

I ran into a blind elderly ham from Canada on CQ100 several
weeks ago, who had been a ham most of his life, working CW, etc.
Yet, with the loss of his eyesight, and declining health, he was
forced to go into a medical facility, where RF gear was a "no-no".
I mentioned to him of my situation with antenna prohibitions, and
he asked me to send him info on these "internet radio" modes, so
he could still enjoy the hobby that he had been part of nearly
all of his life. For many of these elderly hams, this helps to
take the loneliness out of their day.

The one I liked was CW Communicator. Instead of doing audio over IP like CQ100, etc, this one simply sent the key up and key down events to the other end, which generated the tone. It also had a Morse to text facility, so you could see, as well as hear the incoming Morse, and it was possible to hook up a key for the real Morse experience. I never got around to connecting a key, but I did play with it, was a good system.


... If you can't control yourselves, we will do it FOR you.
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Tony,

Tony Langdon @QWKNET*432 wrote to Daryl Stout @QWKNET*432 <=-

I agree, which is why I post weekly. :)

I might change mine to that...although with the crazy weather we get
in Arkansas, sometimes I'm offline for several days at a time. It looks
like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after here, will be a "Wet Christmas" instead of a white one...with numerous thunderstorms, and
possible severe weather. They confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Grapevine,
Arkansas from the other night.

I've worked a bit of HF. Being in a large, empty continent, HF has a
lot of utility that VHF/UHF, even Internet linked systems can't
replace, like the time I was on the highway between Wentworth and
Broken Hill in far western NSW. This is an almost 3 hour drive with no phone coverage and the only thing in between is a roadhouse at the halfway point. Lots of emus and kangaroos and little else. I spent
the outbound trip chatting to people along the east coast on 30 metres (we're allowed SSB there), from friends mobile in Melbourne, all the
way up to Bundaberg, 400km north of Brisbane.

For some of the public service events...either in one county or over
several, it is truly "the boonies". Don't even think of cellphone coverage
in those areas!!

Like so many other things in ham radio, you either love it, or you loathe it. In short, there's something in the hobby for everybody.

Agree. I would like to be more proficient at Morse, but there's so
many higher priority things these days.

He types "Wait one"...moves the mouse to the speed setting,
tweaks it to 99 WPM, and begins typing. After he got done, the
ham at the other end exclaims "That was perfect copy!!"...and
this one typed "It takes a lot of practice"!!

Hahaha! Yeah, it's magic watching a really proficient Morse operator
in action. :)

It really is. They had a CW Shootout at High Noon at a local hamfest,
and the 2 winners tied at 50 wpm!!

The one I liked was CW Communicator. Instead of doing audio over IP
like CQ100, etc, this one simply sent the key up and key down events to the other end, which generated the tone. It also had a Morse to text facility, so you could see, as well as hear the incoming Morse, and it was possible to hook up a key for the real Morse experience. I never
got around to connecting a key, but I did play with it, was a good system.

Interesting...never heard of that program.

Daryl, WX1DER

... Upgrade: Remove old bugs, insert new ones.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

I agree, which is why I post weekly. :)

I might change mine to that...although with the crazy weather we get
in Arkansas, sometimes I'm offline for several days at a time. It looks like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after here, will be a
"Wet Christmas" instead of a white one...with numerous thunderstorms,
and possible severe weather. They confirmed an EF-1 tornado in
Grapevine, Arkansas from the other night.

Yes, you do come and go, which is understandable. The weather here is a lot more stable, we don't have the same extreme air mass collisions you get (the warm air mass tends to be dry, and the cold is not as cold).

For some of the public service events...either in one county or over several, it is truly "the boonies". Don't even think of cellphone
coverage in those areas!!

There's a lot of those places here. :) Even locally, it's not too hard to find somewhere out of coverage

Hahaha! Yeah, it's magic watching a really proficient Morse operator
in action. :)

It really is. They had a CW Shootout at High Noon at a local hamfest, and the 2 winners tied at 50 wpm!!

I remember wathcing a guy rack up some contest points at 40 WPM. It was so good to watch, could have stayed there all day.

The one I liked was CW Communicator. Instead of doing audio over IP
like CQ100, etc, this one simply sent the key up and key down events to the other end, which generated the tone. It also had a Morse to text facility, so you could see, as well as hear the incoming Morse, and it was possible to hook up a key for the real Morse experience. I never
got around to connecting a key, but I did play with it, was a good system.

Interesting...never heard of that program.

It was quite good. I worked it for a while, though I would have preferred to have got a key working on it.


... Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

Tony,

Yes, you do come and go, which is understandable. The weather here is
a lot more stable, we don't have the same extreme air mass collisions
you get (the warm air mass tends to be dry, and the cold is not as
cold).

We were down to 12F (I think around -11C) on Monday morning...but it was
in the 50's yesterday. We're going into an unsettled weather pattern now,
with rain and storms starting tomorrow, and lasting through CHristmas into
the new year. The rain will lower the fire danger, but I can do without
the severe weather. At least with rain, folks can get to their Christmas
Day events.

There's a lot of those places here. :) Even locally, it's not too hard to find somewhere out of coverage

So much for roaming. <G>

I remember wathcing a guy rack up some contest points at 40 WPM. It
was so good to watch, could have stayed there all day.

I just can't comprehend that...but there's something in the hobby for everybody.

It was quite good. I worked it for a while, though I would have preferred to have got a key working on it.

When I did that skit on "The Ham Radio Wedding", plus "The Honeymoon
And More" and "Ham For The Holidays", I used the WinMorse program to
create a sound file of CW for "the father of the bride, Ken Wood <G>
to say "Yes, I do", to "give his consent for his "daughter", Radio,
to marry Ham.

I did a search on the internet, and also found sound bytes of PSK31,
RTTY, and a packet burst...all of which I incorporated into "The Ham
Radio Wedding".

The wedding and honeymoon deals were filled with ham radio humor and puns...and if you weren't a ham, you likely would not understand it.
I had to practice them several times, as even I couldn't keep a straight
face.

When I give folks a "quick summary", I add "Yes, I have too much
time on my hands". <G>

Daryl, WX1DER

... Lawyer: One who calls a 137 page document a brief.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

Daryl Stout wrote to Tony Langdon <=-

We were down to 12F (I think around -11C) on Monday morning...but it
was in the 50's yesterday. We're going into an unsettled weather
pattern now, with rain and storms starting tomorrow, and lasting
through CHristmas into the new year. The rain will lower the fire
danger, but I can do without the severe weather. At least with rain,
folks can get to their Christmas Day events.

Here, the temperature has crept up from a pleasant 25C to around 35C over the past couple of days. Expecting high 30s (around 100F) until at least Wednesday. As for fire danger, I don't know how they compare, but we don't bat an eyelid until it gets to "severe". Our scale is:

Low - moderate - initial attack usually soccessful
High
Very High -
Severe - By this level, initial attack has a high probability of failure. Total Fire Bands are commonly declared when this level is forecast.
Extreme - until 2009, was considered the worst possible conditions. First attack is most likely to fail.

But, we now have..

Code Red - these are conditions under which most structures, even well prepared ones are considered un defendable. On a Code Red day, the only defence is to leave early (night before or first thing in the morning, before any fires develop) and head to a safe place - large cities, with their lack of native vegetation are the best bet.

For an indication of what can (and actually did) happen on a Code Red day, look up "Black Saturday" (Feb 7, 2009).

There's a lot of those places here. :) Even locally, it's not too hard to find somewhere out of coverage

So much for roaming. <G>

Domestic roaming is not common here anyway, but there's a lot of places with zero coverage from _any_ network. :)

I remember wathcing a guy rack up some contest points at 40 WPM. It
was so good to watch, could have stayed there all day.

I just can't comprehend that...but there's something in the hobby for everybody.

Yeah, I'm nowhere near that either. :)

It was quite good. I worked it for a while, though I would have preferred to have got a key working on it.

When I did that skit on "The Ham Radio Wedding", plus "The Honeymoon
And More" and "Ham For The Holidays", I used the WinMorse program to create a sound file of CW for "the father of the bride, Ken Wood <G>
to say "Yes, I do", to "give his consent for his "daughter", Radio,
to marry Ham.

I did a search on the internet, and also found sound bytes of PSK31, RTTY, and a packet burst...all of which I incorporated into "The Ham
Radio Wedding".

The wedding and honeymoon deals were filled with ham radio humor and puns...and if you weren't a ham, you likely would not understand it.
I had to practice them several times, as even I couldn't keep a
straight face.

When I give folks a "quick summary", I add "Yes, I have too much
time on my hands". <G>

Hahaha, nice. :-)

Daryl, WX1DER

... Lawyer: One who calls a 137 page document a brief.

True! ;)


... Mr. Spock wears vulcanized rubbers.
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

U.S. HAM RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS - UPDATED DEC. 16, 2016
=====================================================================

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the UNITED STATES, and its territories. You MUST pass all
"lower elements" before the license class privileges of a "higher license"
may be used.

Those interested in amateur radio license exam elements for Canada, or
other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing
entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools or
from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, or with CQ100 or HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection
(DSL or broadband is PREFERRED...dial-up internet connections are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED because of speed issues), and a sound card interface...using
either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living where outdoor ham radio antennas are either
severely restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Hamsphere
is as close as you can get to ham radio, with "antennas", "propagation",
etc.

However, unlike Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100,
there are also SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners), who are NOT licensed ham
radio operators on Hamsphere.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

Question Pools And Effective Dates:
===================================

The amateur radio license class Question Pools are to have at least ten
(10) times the number of questions that are on the license exams for each
test element. With 35 questions on both the Technician and General Class License Exams...and 50 questions on the Amateur Extra Class exam...
depending on which element, or how many license class elements you plan
to test for, you'll have from close to 400 to over 1600 questions to study. And, because they're in the pools (unless a particular question has been withdrawn), there is a CHANCE that ANY of the questions in the pools WILL appear on the test!!

The Question Pools are updated and released every 4 years, based on new technologies, rules changes, etc. The actual release date is around six
(6) months prior to the effective date (January 1st release date for a
July 1st effective date).

This allows time to catch any errors...and change or withdraw any
questions that are vague, with incorrect data, etc.; so that various
companies that publish study guides can have accurate information in their products. The ARRL Question Pool website on the Internet (www.arrl.org/question-pools) has this information as well.

Technician: Changed in 2014; Changes in 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, etc.

General: Changed in 2015; Changes in 2019, 2023, 2027, etc.

Extra: Changed in 2016; Changes in 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.

BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION POOL YOU OBTAIN FOR STUDY, HAS THE CORRECT
DATES. If not, you could be in for a "rude awakening" on exam day.

On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the Ham Radio Exams file area, are as follows
(all of these require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them):

2014TECH.PDF
Amateur Radio Technician Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2014TCHG.PDF Graphics for the Technician Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

2015GEN.PDF
Amateur Radio General Class license question pool, valid from July 1,
2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2015GENG.PDF Graphics for the General Class license question pool, valid
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view.

2016EXT.PDF
2012 Amateur Extra Class license question pool, valid from July 1, 2016
to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2016EXTG.PDF Graphics for the Amateur Extra Class license question pool,
valid from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Requires the Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.

Volunteer Examiners
===================

Years ago, to take an amateur radio license exam, you had to usually
travel a long distance to an FCC Field Office. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) program and groups were created in 1982. Volunteer
Examiners (VE's), accredited by the respective VEC, began testing in 1984,
and have been administering ham radio license exams ever since. Now, in
most cases, there is a license exam available in your area...or nearby...on either a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even an "on demand"
basis. The amount of advance notice required will vary with each VE Team,
but for teams that I work with in central Arkansas, please give at least
24 to 48 hours notice, so a VE Team, and a location can be obtained, that
will be suitable to the examinee, and the VE Team. The best time to do an
exam is on evenings or more likely on weekends.

Any Amateur Radio Operator holding a valid General, Advanced, or
Amateur Extra Class license, is eligible to apply to be a VE...as long
as they are at least 18 years of age, their license has never been
suspended or revoked, and there is not a question about the amateur
radio operators "integrity" as a Volunteer Examiner.

Speaking of which, integrity of the exam sessions is a huge part, as
the VE's basically are putting their own licenses on the line. According
to Part 97 of the FCC Rules...if a VE team, or individual VE, administers
or certifies an exam by fraudulent means, they could lose BOTH their VE accreditation, and their ham radio licenses FOR LIFE...and the examinee
may have to re-take the exam elements in question...either before another
VE Team, or before the FCC itself, as noted later in this bulletin.

The VE team is to TERMINATE the test session of any examinee, who is
caught CHEATING, or if they fail to comply with the instructions of the
VE team. Should this occur, the exam will be marked as FAILED, and the
cheater will be ordered to leave the premises. This could also affect
their ability in the future to attempt to test at another license exam.

A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their accreditation processes may be different.

Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019
--- SBBSecho 2.27-Linux
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED AUG. 12, 2017
=====================================================================

Note that this is a rather lengthy document, and with posting into the selected message areas, it is split into several messages as a result.

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories, as of the date noted above.

You MUST pass all "lower elements" before the license class privileges
of a "higher license" may be used. Those interested in amateur radio
license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio Exams files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools
or from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, CQ100, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User setup, D-Star via a
DV Dongle, CQ100, or with HamSphere, there are no additional antennas,
rigs, cables, etc. required...just a computer with an Internet connection,
and a sound card interface...using either a headset microphone, or a
desktop microphone and speakers. The internet connection needs to be DSL
or broadband...dial-up internet is NOT recommended. Smartphone apps for Echolink are available, but one needs a valid Amateur Radio License to
use the apps.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living in areas where amateur radio antennas, towers,
etc., are either restricted, or prohibited altogether.

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. With HamSphere, there are both ham radio operators, and SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners). With Echolink, D-Star, D-Rats, and CQ100, an appropriate amateur radio license is required, so ONLY LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS are on these modes.

For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information
on pricing for each is on the respective websites.

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)



---
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org
* Origin: Freeway BBS - freeway.apana.org.au (432:1/101)

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED MAR. 23, 2022
=====================================================================

Note that this is a rather lengthy document, and with posting into the selected message areas, it is split into several messages as a result.

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories, as of the date noted above.

You MUST pass all "lower elements" before the license class privileges
of a "higher license" may be used. Those interested in amateur radio
license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

As of April 19, 2022, there will be a $35 fee for the following ham
radio licenses, issued in the US and its territories:

1) Individual (new, renewed, upgrade, callsign change)
2) Club (new, renewed, or callsign change)

For callsign change, it's for either sequential or vanity...and it's
per application.

Whether for a license or callsign, the fee is payable on the FCC website, within 10 days of notification...or the license grant is dismissed, and the applicant is NOT eligible for a refund.

Full details are at http://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

No fee is charged for an administrative update (modification) for a
change in name, email, mailing address, or phone number.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio Exams files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools
or from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, CQ100,
DMR, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User Setup, or using the ThumbDV or related device for D-Star, DMR, WIRES-X, or Fusion on the
QuadNet Array (https://openquad.net)...or using the programs of CQ100 or HamSphere...there are no additional antennas, rigs, cables, etc. required;
just a computer with an Internet connection (preferably high speed, as
dialup is too slow, and not recommended), and a sound card interface...
using either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.
A smartphone app is available for Echolink, and a D-Star app called
DroidStar are available for Android phones. However, one needs a valid
Amateur Radio License to use the apps.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living in areas where amateur radio antennas, towers,
etc., are either restricted, or prohibited altogether. This can be with
medical facilities, where any RF could cause a life saving device to malfunction, causing someone to die...or with living in Home Owners Associations (HOA's) or Covenants, Creeds, and Restrictions (CC&R's).

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. With HamSphere, there are both ham radio operators, and SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners). With these modes, an appropriate amateur radio
license is required, so ONLY LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS are on these
modes. Again, the one exception is HamSphere, where SWL's can be on there.

With some remote base operations, for RF operations on HF, the site of remotehams.com is FREE -- others charge a rather large fee. Note that
you must be of the appropriate license class to use the desired bands,
whether on HF, VHF, or UHF. With these, you have to register, and then
download the appropriate software.

For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information
on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Also, work is being
done on a web browser app for CQ100, where more people can access it.
As of March, 2022...the CQ100 application, with its QSO-TV add-on, is
for Windows users only (there is not an app for Mac or Linux).

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (432:1/112)

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED MAR. 23, 2022
=====================================================================

Note that this is a rather lengthy document, and with posting into the selected message areas, it is split into several messages as a result.

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories, as of the date noted above.

You MUST pass all "lower elements" before the license class privileges
of a "higher license" may be used. Those interested in amateur radio
license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

As of April 19, 2022, there will be a $35 fee for the following ham
radio licenses, issued in the US and its territories:

1) Individual (new, renewed, upgrade, callsign change)
2) Club (new, renewed, or callsign change)

For callsign change, it's for either sequential or vanity...and it's
per application.

Whether for a license or callsign, the fee is payable on the FCC website, within 10 days of notification...or the license grant is dismissed, and the applicant is NOT eligible for a refund.

Full details are at http://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

No fee is charged for an administrative update (modification) for a
change in name, email, mailing address, or phone number.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio Exams files area...or from either http://www.arrl.org/question-pools
or from http://www.ncvec.org on the Internet. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader) is required to view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, CQ100,
DMR, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User Setup, or using the ThumbDV or related device for D-Star, DMR, WIRES-X, or Fusion on the
QuadNet Array (https://openquad.net)...or using the programs of CQ100 or HamSphere...there are no additional antennas, rigs, cables, etc. required;
just a computer with an Internet connection (preferably high speed, as
dialup is too slow, and not recommended), and a sound card interface...
using either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.
A smartphone app is available for Echolink, and a D-Star app called
DroidStar are available for Android phones. However, one needs a valid
Amateur Radio License to use the apps.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living in areas where amateur radio antennas, towers,
etc., are either restricted, or prohibited altogether. This can be with
medical facilities, where any RF could cause a life saving device to malfunction, causing someone to die...or with living in Home Owners Associations (HOA's) or Covenants, Creeds, and Restrictions (CC&R's).

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. With HamSphere, there are both ham radio operators, and SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners). With these modes, an appropriate amateur radio
license is required, so ONLY LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS are on these
modes. Again, the one exception is HamSphere, where SWL's can be on there.

With some remote base operations, for RF operations on HF, the site of remotehams.com is FREE -- others charge a rather large fee. Note that
you must be of the appropriate license class to use the desired bands,
whether on HF, VHF, or UHF. With these, you have to register, and then
download the appropriate software.

For details on CQ100, go to http://www.qsonet.com -- and for details on HamSphere, go to http://www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information
on pricing for each is on the respective websites. Also, work is being
done on a web browser app for CQ100, where more people can access it.
As of March, 2022...the CQ100 application, with its QSO-TV add-on, is
for Windows users only (there is not an app for Mac or Linux).

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (432:1/112)

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED DEC. 27, 2022
=====================================================================

Note that this is a rather lengthy document, and with posting into the selected message areas, it is split into several messages as a result.

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories, as of the date noted above.

You MUST pass all "lower elements" before the license class privileges
of a "higher license" may be used. Those interested in amateur radio
license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

As of April 19, 2022, there is a $35 fee for the following ham radio licenses, issued in the US and its territories:

1) Individual (new, renewed, upgrade, callsign change)
2) Club (new, renewed, or callsign change)

For callsign change, it's for either sequential or vanity...and it's
per application.

Whether for a license or callsign, the fee is payable on the FCC website, within 10 days of notification...or the license grant is dismissed, and the applicant is NOT eligible for a refund.

Full details are at www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

No fee is charged for an administrative update (modification) for a
change in name, email, mailing address, or phone number.

At the exam session, dependng on the VE Team under its VEC (Volunteer Examiner Coordinator), there may be an exam fee. For ARRL/VEC, the fee
is $15 for one (1) attempt at each exam element. If the examinee fails
an exam, another $15 fee is charged. The VE Team will collect the exam
session fee...the examinee must send the $35 payment to the FCC.

Examinees under 18 years of age at the exam session will pay a REDUCED
fee of $5, if the VEC is ARRL/VEC. Proper identification must be presented
to qualify for the reduced rate (see the section on "what to bring to an
exam session" later in this bulletin/message thread for more details). Additionally, the ARRL will cover the ONE TIME $35 FCC application fee
for new license candidates younger than 18 years old, with tests done at
an ARRL/VEC license exam session.

For more info on reimbursement of the fee, and the program reimbursement form, go to www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program

The completed grant reimbursement form can be mailed or faxed to the
ARRL/VEC -- or submitted by the VE Team with its exam session package,
either mailed in, or scanned in, and uploaded electronically. Note that
this applies only to NEW, FIRST TIME LICENSEES, younger than 18 years of
age. At renewal time, or if they request a vanity callsign, they will
have to pay the $35 fee, and do NOT require for a fee reimbursement.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio Exams files area...or from either www.arrl.org/question-pools
or from www.ncvec.org on the Internet. A PDF reader is required to
view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by
amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, CQ100,
DMR, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User Setup, or using the ThumbDV or related device for D-Star, DMR, WIRES-X, or Fusion on the
QuadNet Array (www.openquad.net)...or using the programs of CQ100 or
HamSphere; there are no additional antennas, rigs, cables, etc. required;
just a computer with an Internet connection (preferably high speed, as
dialup is too slow, and not recommended), and a sound card interface...
using either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.
A smartphone app is available for Echolink, and D-Star apps are available
for Android phones. However, one needs a valid Amateur Radio License to
use the apps.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living in areas where amateur radio antennas, towers,
etc., are either restricted, or prohibited altogether. This can be with
those having medical conditions (i.e. heart issues), or being in medical facilities, where any RF could cause a life saving device to malfunction, causing someone to die...or with living in Home Owners Associations
(HOA's) or Covenants, Creeds, and Restrictions (CC&R's).

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. With HamSphere, there are both ham radio operators, and SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners). With these modes, an appropriate amateur radio
license is required, so ONLY LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS are on these
modes. Again, the one exception is HamSphere, where SWL's can be on there.

With some remote base operations, for RF operations on HF, the site of www.remotehams.com is FREE -- others charge a rather large fee. Note that
you must be of the appropriate license class to use the desired bands,
whether on HF, VHF, or UHF. With these, you have to register, and then
download the appropriate software.

For details on CQ100, go to www.qsonet.com -- and for details on
HamSphere, go to www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on
pricing for each is on the respective websites. Also, work is being done
on a web browser app for CQ100, where more people can access it. As of
late 2022...the CQ100 application, with its QSO-TV add-on, is for Windows
users only (there is not an app for Mac or Linux).

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (432:1/112)

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES, EXAMS, AND CALLSIGNS -- UPDATED DEC. 27, 2022
=====================================================================

Note that this is a rather lengthy document, and with posting into the selected message areas, it is split into several messages as a result.

License Classes And Required Elements:
======================================

Here are the current amateur radio license classes, and required test elements, for the United States, and its territories, as of the date noted above.

You MUST pass all "lower elements" before the license class privileges
of a "higher license" may be used. Those interested in amateur radio
license exam elements for Canada, or other countries, should contact the respective amateur radio licensing entity for that country for details.

Novice and Advanced Class licenses are NO LONGER ISSUED, as of April 15, 2000...but holders of these licensees may continue to use their license privileges, as long as their licenses are not expired, and they may renew
them at the appropriate time.

Also, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any class of U.S. Amateur
adio License, as of Feb. 23, 2007. You can learn, then use Morse Code on
the air, and many hams will continue to do so...but, you don't have to
prove that you know it.

As of April 19, 2022, there is a $35 fee for the following ham radio licenses, issued in the US and its territories:

1) Individual (new, renewed, upgrade, callsign change)
2) Club (new, renewed, or callsign change)

For callsign change, it's for either sequential or vanity...and it's
per application.

Whether for a license or callsign, the fee is payable on the FCC website, within 10 days of notification...or the license grant is dismissed, and the applicant is NOT eligible for a refund.

Full details are at www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

No fee is charged for an administrative update (modification) for a
change in name, email, mailing address, or phone number.

At the exam session, dependng on the VE Team under its VEC (Volunteer Examiner Coordinator), there may be an exam fee. For ARRL/VEC, the fee
is $15 for one (1) attempt at each exam element. If the examinee fails
an exam, another $15 fee is charged. The VE Team will collect the exam
session fee...the examinee must send the $35 payment to the FCC.

Examinees under 18 years of age at the exam session will pay a REDUCED
fee of $5, if the VEC is ARRL/VEC. Proper identification must be presented
to qualify for the reduced rate (see the section on "what to bring to an
exam session" later in this bulletin/message thread for more details). Additionally, the ARRL will cover the ONE TIME $35 FCC application fee
for new license candidates younger than 18 years old, with tests done at
an ARRL/VEC license exam session.

For more info on reimbursement of the fee, and the program reimbursement form, go to www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program

The completed grant reimbursement form can be mailed or faxed to the
ARRL/VEC -- or submitted by the VE Team with its exam session package,
either mailed in, or scanned in, and uploaded electronically. Note that
this applies only to NEW, FIRST TIME LICENSEES, younger than 18 years of
age. At renewal time, or if they request a vanity callsign, they will
have to pay the $35 fee, and do NOT require for a fee reimbursement.

You may download the appropriate license class element question pools,
and if applicable, accompanying graphics (in .PDF format) from the Ham
Radio Exams files area...or from either www.arrl.org/question-pools
or from www.ncvec.org on the Internet. A PDF reader is required to
view the .PDF files. For a detailed list of license class privileges by
amateur radio band, see the category "Band Plans".

Test Element:

2 Technician Theory -- Technicians have all amateur radio privileges above
50 Megahertz, including the popular 2 meter band. They also have the
following HF privileges, identical to the former Novice Class license:

80 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 3.525 Mhz to 3.600 Mhz
40 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 7.025 Mhz to 7.125 Mhz
15 meters: CW (Morse Code) only: 21.025 Mhz to 21.200 Mhz
10 meters: CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and data only: 28.000 Mhz to 28.300 Mhz
10 meters: SSB Phone Only: 28.300 Mhz to 28.500 Mhz

Technician Class or higher licensees may also use the Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) modes of Echolink, IRLP, WIRES-II, D-Star, D-Rats, CQ100,
DMR, HamSphere, etc.

The advantage with using Echolink as a Single User Setup, or using the ThumbDV or related device for D-Star, DMR, WIRES-X, or Fusion on the
QuadNet Array (www.openquad.net)...or using the programs of CQ100 or
HamSphere; there are no additional antennas, rigs, cables, etc. required;
just a computer with an Internet connection (preferably high speed, as
dialup is too slow, and not recommended), and a sound card interface...
using either a headset microphone, or a desktop microphone and speakers.
A smartphone app is available for Echolink, and D-Star apps are available
for Android phones. However, one needs a valid Amateur Radio License to
use the apps.

With these, they can still talk around the world. This is particularly
useful for those living in areas where amateur radio antennas, towers,
etc., are either restricted, or prohibited altogether. This can be with
those having medical conditions (i.e. heart issues), or being in medical facilities, where any RF could cause a life saving device to malfunction, causing someone to die...or with living in Home Owners Associations
(HOA's) or Covenants, Creeds, and Restrictions (CC&R's).

CQ100 and HamSphere are "virtual ionospheres for amateur radio", as no
actual RF occurs. While Echolink is free, CQ100 and HamSphere each have a yearly fee. With HamSphere, there are both ham radio operators, and SWL'ers (Short Wave Listeners). With these modes, an appropriate amateur radio
license is required, so ONLY LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS are on these
modes. Again, the one exception is HamSphere, where SWL's can be on there.

With some remote base operations, for RF operations on HF, the site of www.remotehams.com is FREE -- others charge a rather large fee. Note that
you must be of the appropriate license class to use the desired bands,
whether on HF, VHF, or UHF. With these, you have to register, and then
download the appropriate software.

For details on CQ100, go to www.qsonet.com -- and for details on
HamSphere, go to www.hamsphere.com on the Internet -- information on
pricing for each is on the respective websites. Also, work is being done
on a web browser app for CQ100, where more people can access it. As of
late 2022...the CQ100 application, with its QSO-TV add-on, is for Windows
users only (there is not an app for Mac or Linux).

The Technician Class license is now the ENTRY LEVEL license for amateur radio. Note that except as noted above, NO OTHER HF PRIVILEGES EXIST FOR
NOVICE OR TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSEES.

3 General Theory -- must also have element 2 if wishing to gain access
to HF privileges, specific to the General class license. The General
Class license allows all amateur radio privileges, except for the 500
kilohertz of spectrum on the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands, that the
Amateur Extra Class licensees have.

4 Amateur Extra Theory -- must also have elements 2 and 3 if wishing to
gain access to HF privileges, specific to the Amateur Extra class
license. which allows ALL amateur radio privileges...including some on
the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands EXCLUSIVE to them.

(CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (432:1/112)