Subj : HamData Callsign Updates To : Barry Martin From : Daryl Stout Date : Sun May 29 2022 19:12:00 Barry, BM> That's not good. I'd expect to take a test some review studying but BM> not a full-blown colege-graduation type of test. It seems like they BM> are testing on things that don't nned to know the details but do need BM> the information. I'd use my 'Black Box' knowledge: I know there are BM> various types of coax cable, Hams use the 52ê, TV reception uses 72ê, BM> there are sub-types within those. Probably good to know those basics BM> but I wouldn't have to know the detail of the thickness of the BM> insulation core is 2.1 mm. Originally, you had to take EVERYTHING again...a 5, 13, and a 20 WPM Morse Code test...plus the written exams for Novice, Technician, General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra. Years ago, there was no Question Pools in the public domain, and you had to draw things like schematic diagrams, oscillators, and there were no multiple choice questions. Also, you had to pass the Morse Code exam first, or you were sent home...and, the FCC usually came to the Federal building maybe 3 or 4 times a year at most. They have a deal for folks whose license had lapsed (expired more than 2 years)...in which case, they lose their license, privileges, and callsign. But, they have to take and pass only the 35 question Technician Class exam, on rules, regulations, frequencies, propagation, RF safety, and basic electronic theory...no more Morse Code test is needed. If they previously had a Novice or Technician license, they are basically starting over, as if they had never taken a ham radio license exam. If they formerly held an Advanced Class license, they still have to take and pass the Technician exam, but are DOWNGRADED to General (the FCC stopped issuing Novice and Advanced licenses in 2000). However, they can get the lost 250 kilohertz of spectrum back, and get 250 kilohertz more, by taking and passing the Amateur Extra exam. If they previously held a General or Extra Class license, they still have to take and pass the Technician exam, and with providing proof of their former license, they get a CSCE (Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination) for a General or Extra Class license. In any case, they will get a brand new callsign. If their old callsign has not been taken by the vanity callsign system, they can apply to get it back. As of April 19, 2022...requests for a vanity callsign, or a new or renewed ham radio license in the US and its territories, requires a $35 fee to the FCC, within 10 days of the exam. There is no fee for a license class upgrade (they already have a license or callsign), or for a change in name, email or mailing address, or a sequential callsign change request. While several ham radio operators complained vociferously about that $35 fee for the 10 year term, I understand that in some countries, the fee for the license term is over $500. So to me, $35 is a bargain. Yet, many of these folks will lay down a $100 bill or more at a big "hamfest" for a "brick" of 250 prize tickets. Of course, if you win a big rig, you more than got your money back, especially if you can sell it. BM> I can see a reasonable fee to cover the necessary paperwork; otherwise BM> it's nickle-and-diming which is wrong. Most all of it is electronic (the FCC doesn't mail out paper copies anymore), but you still have to keep a current mailing address on file with them. Otherwise, if they send you mail, and it's returned to them, your license can be revoked...then operating without a license can cost $10,000 every time you key the mic. BM> It is! Breaks down to $3.50 per year! OTOH that hundreds of dollars BM> fee charged by other countries is either a really bad exchange rate to BM> the U.S. dollar or inflation or bribery to the officials. It could be both. Plus, you can't get a decent meal for under $4. BM> Different purchase considerations. I'd spend $100 on a party-size BM> snack tray (cheese, crackers, etc.) but I'd not spend the same $100 on BM> a case of booze -- the difference is I rarely drink but I do eat! BM> (Probaby not the best couter-example but was trying to think of BM> something to match your $100 reference.) A moderator in one of the other FIDONet echoes (I got to meet him a few years ago, before Covid-19, when he was traveling), said that once when he was younger, all these kids going to a party were responsible for bringing something. He ended up bringing the drinks (booze ), and he said "it wasn't long before we were as drunk as monkeys on a lawn". BM> Wanting to learn something is alsways better than having to learn BM> something! Wonder if they use Morse code like a 'secret language'? BM> I'm thinking of that semi-joke where kids don't understand the cursive BM> writing of their grandparents. They were trying to outlaw it in schools. I think of the old Tex Avery cartoon, where this wolf was to be the schoolmaster (the "kids" were all dogs (aka Droopy, Jr. ). The wolf is going through, seeing what they need to study. It went like this: Reading....no (throws the book aside). Writing...no (throws the book aside). 'Rithmetic...no (throws the book aside). Fingerpainting, man!! That's what we need!! The "kids" are elated. So, he has them paint "a confederate flag", but he notes they forgot the stars. He is then hit on the head by a bat from one of the kids, and the stars to the flag. He growls "There's a damn Yankee in this here crowd". BM> So that's how the 'beep!' got started to cover audio outbursts! Possibly. Many radio and TV stations would have a 7 second delay, instead of being "live". I'm not sure how the filter worked to get rid of the expletives. Years ago in central Arkansas, the guy playing Bozo The Clown, was doing a live show, and the kids were bouncing a ball, and trying to bounce it into this barrel. When one boy's ball missed, he said the S expletive. When admonished "Now, son...that's a Bozo No-No"...the kid retorted "STUFF IT, CLOWNIE!!". That ENDED the live show. :P BM> They could have used 'this' or 'hits'! That, too. BM> The problem with speaking in a non-native language is there are other BM> non-natives! And, the natives can get restless. BM> If only the poor guy had been told of the correct pronunciation before BM> or during the first ordering. But then wouldn't make a decent joke! This is true...but I'm not enthused about having it. BM> And one can't always assume the kids are listening/watch "junk": for BM> all we know the kid would have recorded the class and is reviewing. We BM> used to do the same thing: it was called taking notes. When an EMP occurs, everything gets fried...ALL electronics...cellphones, cars, calculators, cash registers, etc. The kids are going to panic!! BM> Clever on the element symbol, but wonder how many listeners got it? No clue. That station is long gone. BM> ...I can't talk intelligently about local/regional radio for the past BM> few years as I essentially don't listen. Have Pandora playing here in BM> the Computer Room. When I was working my commute was 12-15 minutes. So, Pandora has her own box?? DS> There you go, blubbering again. BM> Argh! You krill me! You can't tune a fish. Excuse me...Charlie is at the Starkist door. BM> Drizzle-drizzle-drizzle! I had a draw several years ago which required BM> multiple tubes: by the last one I was barely getting blood into the BM> tube. I don't watch the actual puncture but am sort of fascinated by BM> the flow into the vial. On the last I was sort of kidding with the BM> phlebotomist/nurse doing the draw and cheering on the vein to complete BM> the draw. I knew of a woman who originally was a phlebotomist...now, she helps with colonoscopies. :P DS> ... Sign in Restroom: Toilet Out Of Order. Use Floor Below. BM> Well if you insist! Clean up in stall 4. Daryl .... Madness takes its toll; please have exact change... === MultiMail/Win v0.52 --- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33) .