FAQ

How do you test people that have handicaps or disabilities?

To paraphrase from the ARRL VE manual, we are allowed great flexibility in accommodating candidates with a visually identifiable handicap. These accommodations may include, but are not limited to, administering the test at a place and time convenient and comfortable to the examinee (even at bedside), reading or writing for candidates who are unable to do so themselves, enlarging the test material to accommodate failing eyesight, or presenting the test material to the candidate in Braille. For those with hearing impairments who have difficulty with our standard Morse Code tapes at 716 Hz, tapes can be made at a frequency of the candidate's choice. A sending test may be substituted for the receiving test. Please be aware that special testing assistance or needs must be arranged in advance. Contact team liason KI8AS and we will contact you ASAP to work out the details. We may need to suggest a convenient alternative date/time/location other than our normally scheduled test sessions. We may require a Doctor's Statement indicating the nature of the disability before determining which, if any, accommodations may be used. Also, if the candidate doesn't have a readily identifiable handicap/disability or doesn't provide a Doctor's Statement describing it when asked by the VE team, we are not allowed to offer more flexible accommodations. For more information, see the Courage HANDI-HAM web site . You may also contact the ARRL VEC department by e-mail. We hope to see you at one of our test sessions!

Okay, I passed. So how long before I can use my new license?

We knew you would! New calls are usually issued within two weeks. But you don't need to wait for the paper license to come in the mail. As soon as you know your callsign you can get on the air. You can call the number on the back of your CSCE, check the QRZ! or Buckmaster web sites daily (we have quick call lookup links to both sites on our home page). If you earn an upgrade you can use your new band space as soon as you pass the test, but you have to ID while on the air by using a temporary suffix along with your callsign until the change shows up in the FCC database. New Technicians use /KT, new Generals use /AG, and new Extra Class use /AE.

Are there any other ways to get credit for the Morse code test?

You betcha. In addition to the examples in the question above, you can get credit for Element 1 if:

You have a current Novice, Tech Plus, General, or Advanced license. General, Advanced, or Extra class licenses that are expired AND beyond the 2-year graced period are not acceptable.

You present proof of holding a current FCC issued Commercial Radio teleGRAPH license, or one that has expired within the 5 year grace period.

You present a CSCE for Morse code passed within the past 365 days

You present proof that between February 14, 1991 and June 1994 that you passed a Morse code exam. During this time period the VEC's maintained a seperate database of Techs who passed the code test. In June 1994 the FCC took this information and used it to flag the appropriate licenses in their own database as "Tech Plus". A few people were never entered into the VEC database, so have never received code credit. If you have an original CSCE for Morse code issued between the dates above you'll get credit for passing the exam. This is the ONLY way you can use an expired CSCE for element credit.

You show proof that in the FCC database you were formerly a Tech Plus licensee, by having a "P" in the field for "previous license class"

Technicians who passed their Morse code test on or after April 15, 2001 have Novice/Tech subband HF operating priveleges as long as their license is valid. However, the CSCE showing the Morse code credit is only good for 365 days , so once the CSCE expires, you have to take the Morse test over again if you want to upgrade.

What's it mean to be "grandfathered" for the CW test?

If you were licensed as a Technician before 3/21/87 you you don't have to take the Morse code test. In fact, you already qualify as a General under the new license structure. Just provide proof to any VE team, fill out an FCC form 605, pay the fee, and that's it. Now just to make it interesting, there's this to consider: if you were EVER licensed as a Novice, you have a "lifetime credit" for Element 1, even if your Novice license is expired. Those of you who were licensed as a Technician on or after 3/21/87 but before 2/14/91 don't have to take the code test either, but you do have to take the General written test in order to upgrade. Everybody got that? Good

Acceptable forms of proof include for Element 1 credit include:

An original OR a copy of your Novice license, whether it's expired or not.

An original OR a copy of your Technician license, whether it's expired or not

Applicants potentially can have taken the Element 3 written test up through midnight March 20, 1987, which would not have resulted in a license issuance until July 15, 1987. For ARRL/VEC purposes, VE teams will accept a Technician license issued before July 15, 1987, to be eligible for the Element 1 and Element 3 credit.

An original CSCE for Element 3 issued prior to that date.

An FCC verification letter of having held a Technician license prior to March 21, 1987, or stating that you once held a Novice license (1).

A document from the FCC's contractor, ITS, Inc., stating the items in the bullet above(2).

A Callbook listing dated prior to March 21, 1987, indicating your license class as Technician. The Radio Amateur Callbook company will, for a $10 fee, provide a notarized "Proof of Licensing" document which will serve your credit proof requirements.

A Callbook listing showing your license class as Novice, whether expired or not(3).

(1) To seek an FCC verification letter, write to the FCC, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, 1270 Fairfield Rd., Gettysburg, PA, 17325. Provide them with your name, address, and current call sign as well as all details of your licensing. They may be able to verify in writing that you held a Technician license prior to 3/21/87.

(2) You may also contact ITS Inc. at http://www.itsdocs.com/ . For a fee, ITS will research prior FCC records and should be able to provide you with the needed documentary proof.

(3) If you know a member of the Quarter Century Wireless Club, contact them. Some chapters have many back issues of the "Flying Horse" Callbook and may be willing to let you make a copy of the page with your listing on it. Be sure the year of publication is shown on the copy.

Can I just copy down the dots and dashes during the CW test?

Nope. Sorry. Our group's policy is that you must write down the actual letters and numbers at the time the code is being sent, unless you have a handicap or disability. Don't forget, if you don't answer 70% of the test questions right we'll need to use your copy sheet to try and pass you by looking for a certain amount of "straight copy". You don't want to rule out this second chance to pass, do you? Also (now admit it), the other way would be cheating, wouldn't it? Hhhmmm? Disclaimer: This is the policy of the Corunna ARRL/VEC Team.

What's the policy on retesting?

You can take whatever test elements your heart desires at a test session. Take just a single element, or take the whole shebang in one sitting - three written tests and a morse code test - the price is the same. If you don't quite pass your test the first time you may be allowed to retest using a different test version. Unfortunately, we have to charge you again for re-taking the same test element. The decision to allow a retest is up to the VE team. The required test elements for each license class are on the Hints page.

Why do you need my Social Security number?

Hey, our lips are sealed - we never discuss any of your personal information or test results with anyone. It's the FCC that requires your Social Security number. Mere minutes (seriously) after the test session, we forward your application by US Postal Service Priority Mail to the ARRL for processing, so your Social Security number is no longer available to us anyway. But if you'd still rather not divulge your number, you can use an FCC assigned "licensee ID number" instead . To get one you need to register with the ULS on the FCC's web site. If you want to go with the Licensee ID number, that's fine and dandy with us, but you need to get one before you come to the test session. We just won't accept any license applications without one of those two numbers. We're not trying to be nasty; if we tried to slip one by the FCC, they'd just return the application to you as "incomplete - no action taken". Then you'd be peeved at us. We don't want that.

FCC 610? NCVEC 605? FCC610? What's the heck's the difference, anyway?

The old FCC 610 has gone away. Its replacement, FCC 605, is used for several different radio services, so it's pretty long - 10 pages including the instructions - and lots of it doesn't apply to Amateurs. Oh, and hams need to attach the 3 page FCC 605 Schedule D to it too. Yeesh. Or, you can go to any ARRL sponsored VE team and fill out their SINGLE PAGE NCVEC 605 and they'll send it in for you. The NCVEC 605 is just about identical to the old 610 except now you have to supply your Social Security number and birth date. Unfortunately, you can't go to your local VE team, get the one page form, and send it in yourself like you used to be able to. The NCVEC 605 has to go through a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator like the ARRL or W5YI. If you have "administrative changes" like address changes or renewals, and you are an ARRL member, we'll send the 605 in for you for nothing. Just bring it to one of our test sessions. Download NCVEC605 from our home page. If you prefer to mail the form in on your own you have to use the excruciating 13 page 605/Schedule D packet.