Subj : Other Ham Radio News
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Dec 01 2022 03:43:19

  I discovered an error in the files listing for the ham radio exam files
area on The Thunderbolt BBS. The FILES.BBS was still showing the 2018
Technician Class Question Pool file, even though it noted "file not valid
after June 30, 2022"...but the file had been removed from the database.
I have made the correction to the FILES.BBS listing...my apologies for the
oversight. The file area lists question pools for the US Ham Radio Exams
only.

  The General Class Question Pool will change on July 1, 2023, with the
Amateur Extra Class Question Pool changing on July 1, 2024...and the
Technician Class Question Pool won't change again until July 1, 2026.

  The pools change every 4 years, with changes in rules and technologies.
While the Question Pools are in the public domain, maintained by the
National Council Of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC), ham radio
operators provide the questions as follows:

General Class Licensee: Technician Class Question Pool
Advanced Class Licensee: Technician and General Class Question Pool
Extra Class Licensee: Technician, General, and Extra Class Question Pool

  FCC Rules require at least 10 times the number of questions in a pool
as there are on the exam. So, with currently 35 questions for both the
Technician and General exam (separate tests), and 50 questions for the
Amateur Extra exam, there are at least 350 questions in the Technician
and General Pool, and at least 500 questions in the Amateur Extra
Question Pool. Many questions are similar...and unless they have been
removed by the NCVEC, there is a chance that ANY of them will appear on
the exam.

  The Question Pools expire on June 30 of a particular year, with the
new pool taking effect on July 1 of that same year. In the 4 year
cycle, Technician changes in year 1, General changes in year 2, Amateur
Extra changes in year 3, with no changes in year 4...then, the cycle
starts all over again.

  Examinees need to be sure they're studying the correct question pool
for the exam they're taking, or they could be in for a rude awakening
on exam day.

Daryl Stout, WX4QZ, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

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