Subj : Classes And Exams (C) To : ALL USERS From : DARYL STOUT Date : Mon Mar 07 2016 12:03 am (CONTINUED FROM LAST MESSAGE) NOTE: On the license application form, you'll be REQUIRED to provide your Social Security number (SSN), if you're not already licensed. If you've previously signed up at the FCC ULS website, or if you're already licensed, an FCC Federal Registration Number (FRN) is used INSTEAD of your SSN on the application. This is also the case if the previously lapsed license had an FRN, you'll use that instead. Otherwise, if the previously lapsed license did NOT have an FRN, the examinee must use their SSN instead. If you don't want to provide your SSN on the form, you can go to the FCC ULS website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls where you can get information, then sign up to obtain a FRN. You will be REQUIRED to provide your SSN on the FCC ULS website to obtain an FRN. If the VE Team can NOT verify or validate your identity...if you do NOT provide either your SSN or an FRN at the test session, or if you don't have proper payment prepared (noted below)...you will NOT be allowed to take the license exam(s). In this case, if you have signed up and pre-paid, your test fee will be refunded. Note that the VE Team does NOT keep the Social Security number data; it's sent off to the appropriate VEC, who sends it to the FCC, who will issue a Federal Registration Number (FRN), with the amateur radio license. Providing the Social Security Number is PROTECTED by the Privacy Act of 1974, and is REQUIRED by the Debt Collection Act of 1996. In the latter case, if you have an outstanding government debt, you likely will be required to make payment arrangements, before processing of your amateur radio license will commence. 3) The ORIGINAL and a PHOTOCOPY of any applicable Certificate Of any Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE), which are valid for 365 days after initial issuance for upgrading. If you take a test on July 1 of a non-leap year, the CSCE expires at midnight on June 30 of the following year. However, if you take a test on July 1, of a leap year, the CSCE expires at midnight on June 29 of the following year. An amateur radio operator who had previously passed the 5 words per minute (wpm) Morse Code test does NOT need to keep the CSCE showing that they passed Element 1, since the FCC removed the Morse Code requirement for any U.S. amateur radio licensee as of Feb. 23, 2007. Further details on CSCE's are later in this bulletin. Once you have a current license that matches what is on the CSCE, you can either keep the CSCE as a "novelty", or you may discard it. The photocopy of the CSCE will be sent off with the exam materials, but you MUST bring the ORIGINAL of the CSCE to obtain proper exam credit. This applies if you have taken, and passed another amateur radio license exam in the time before the current exam session...yet, the results of that previous session have not yet shown up in the FCC ULS database. 4) Cash, or a check payable to the appropriate Volunteer Examination team for the appropriate amount. It's currently $15 for ARRL VE Test Sessions (payable to ARRL/VEC), and it'll remain that way through 2016. The fee may increase in future years, and the exam fee may be different for VEC groups other than the ARRL/VEC. 5) A calculator, with ALL MEMORY FORMULAS CLEARED. You will be REQUIRED to prove to the VE Team that this is the case...and the VE Team will personally inspect the calculator to verify such!! WARNING!! Cheating in ANY form, will NOT be tolerated. This includes bringing a calculator without the formulas cleared, crib notes, using electronic devices (cellphone, iPhone, iPad, Smartphone, Android, etc.). The exams are different colors for each license class (noted below), and each exam booklet has at least five different sets of questions. Some ARRL/VEC VE Teams use the "Exam Maker" software to create a large number, and wide range of tests with possible questions, for even more questions. At MINIMUM, there could be 36 different exams for each license class...with or without graphics/schematic diagrams. So, trying to "copy answers" off of someone elses answer sheet will do you no good. In fact, if it is determined that an examinee is cheating, their exam will be TERMINATED, marked as FAILED, and the examinee will be ordered to leave the premises immediately! Please do NOT put yourself, or the VE Team into an embarassing situation. Cheating on a test could affect your ability to test at a future exam. Again, if it takes you a dozen or more tries to pass an exam...even if just barely...you have as much right to be on the air as someone who made a perfect score the first time. In short, you might as well "take the test legally". If you pass the test "just barely", it's the same as if you made a perfect score. If you fail the test "just barely", it's the same as if you missed every question on the test. You are basically ready to take the test, or you are not. Original License Documents and Identification Required ====================================================== The VE team is REQUIRED to personally VERIFY THE IDENTITY of EVERY CANDIDATE wishing to test. This is why you need to have the ORIGINAL of your photo ID, ham radio license, and/or CSCE, if applicable. If the VE team suspects that ANY of these have been ALTERED or FORGED, they will make copies of such documents, and report them to the proper authorities. In the case of an altered/forged state government issued ID, ham radio license or CSCE, you could face heavy fines and prison time; (fines for unauthorized operation range from $7500 to $10,000, if not more). Believe me, it's NOT worth the risk. If the FCC determines you have a "character issue", you could be stripped of your amateur radio license FOR LIFE...or DENIED one in the first place. The PHOTOCOPY of the license and CSCE's will be sent off with the license application and exam data...the ORIGINAL ID documents will be RETURNED to their respective owners IMMEDIATELY after the VE Team has verified their identities. Some, BUT NOT ALL, exam sites will have the capability to make the photocopy of the identification and license documents for you, but it's wise to check with the contact person for the exam session, to see if that is the case. While your name, address, callsign, and license class, are public domain on the FCC ULS, QRZ, or other callsign data websites...other personal data (such as date of birth, home phone, email address, Social Security Number, etc.) are kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. On the QRZ website, one must actually be "logged in" to view an email, if the person has entered the data. As noted above, your FRN takes the place of your Social Security Number on your amateur radio license...and your SSN (or your exam score...let alone how many times it took you to pass the exam(s)) will NOT show up on any of the callsign database servers. Prior Exam Credit and Upgrading Examples ======================================== Once you pass an exam element, and have either the ORIGINAL of your license and/or valid CSCE to prove such, you won't have to take that element again; as long as your license is unexpired, or is within the 2 year grace period of renewal after expiration. As noted above, neither Novice or Advanced Class licenses are issued anymore, as of April 15, 2000...and, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for any U.S. amateur radio license exam, as of Feb. 23, 2007. Novice and Advanced class licensees may continue to use their privileges, as long as their licenses aren't expired. However, they have different "exam credit" toward upgrading, as noted below: Item presented for license exam credit: Elements: ======================================= ========= Novice license (unexpired or expired) NONE Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (expired >2 years) NONE Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (expired <2 years) 2 ONLY Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (unexpired) 2 ONLY Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (expired >2 years) 3 ONLY Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (expired <2 years) 2 and 3 Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (unexpired) 2 and 3 General or Advanced license (expired >2 years) 3 ONLY General or Advanced license (unexpired, or expired <2 years) 2 and 3 Amateur Extra (expired >2 years) 3 and 4 Amateur Extra (unexpired, or expired <2 years) 2, 3, and 4 Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) See Note Note: A CSCE for "element credit" by itself, without any kind of ham radio license is NOT valid for "on the air operations". You MUST already have been issued a valid FCC Ham Radio license to legally "get on the air". If you have been issued a CSCE within the last 365 days for the indicated license element credit, you have credit for that element as well. You MUST pass, or otherwise have credit for, all lower amateur radio license classes to upgrade to a higher license class. If you are missing one of these lower class elements, in effect, you have NO LICENSE. Once the CSCE is older than 365 days, it is WORTHLESS. In a non-leap year, a CSCE issued on July 1, expires at 12 midnight local time on June 30 of the following year. Using a leap year example, the expiration of the CSCE is 12 midnight local time, June 29, of the following year. If you fail to bring the ORIGINAL of your current license, and the ORIGINAL of applicable CSCE's, you may be REQUIRED to take those elements AGAIN...even though you already have taken and passed them before. If your current amateur radio license reflects the same type of license class noted on the CSCE, you can either discard the CSCE, or keep it as a novelty. The Exam Session ================ Test materials, answer sheets, scratch paper, pens, pencils, and copies of NCVEC Form 605 will be provided at the session. If you have questions on how to fill out the form(s), the VE Team will gladly instruct you on this. The NCVEC form 605 is ONLY to be used at a VE Test Session by the VE Team. If you submit the form to the FCC, it will be returned to you WITHOUT ACTION...making your effort A WASTE OF TIME, and postage. As noted, when you arrive at the exam session, you basically are either ready to take the exam, or you are not. It is advised that you bring a set of earplugs, if you are distracted by noise. If you have a medical disability, or require special procedures to complete your exam, please notify the VE Team as far in advance of the test session as possible, so accomodations can be made for your disability. MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION MAY BE REQUIRED if your disability is not obvious. These can be exams without graphics, or the VE reading the questions and available answers to the examinee....who tells the VE which answer to mark. The VE is NOT permitted to make any vocal inflections, or give any other "help" or "coaching" to the examinee. As noted above, those who have disabilities can contact Handi-Hams (www.handiham.org on the Internet), as they assist people with disabilities to learn material to obtain their amateur radio license, and helping with the exam itself. Be sure to use the restroom BEFORE you begin the test. Nature "tends to call" at the most inopportune times...so, if you "get the urge to go" during the test...BEFORE GOING TO THE RESTROOM...you MUST turn in your test, whether or not you've finished it. Basically, "if you can't hold it", you will have to turn your test in BEFORE leaving the room...and will have to START OVER with a NEW TEST (and pay a new fee) when you return...if you FAILED the test you were working on...whether you finished it or not. For the exam itself, you will mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET, and NOT in the test booklet itself. You will either bubble in the desired letter, or make an "X" through it...do NOT just CIRCLE the letter. If you are at an exam session adminstered by an ARRL/VEC VE Team, when you're given the test booklet and answer sheet, examine them to make sure they have the right number of questions, as follows: License Exam: Exam Color: Questions: Pages: Technician Goldenrod 35 4 General Yellow 35 4 Amateur Extra Pink 50 5-6 If the VE Team is using the Exam Maker software, the Technician and General exams have 10 pages, and the Amateur Extra exam has 15 pages. (CONTINUED NEXT MESSAGE) --- BgNet 1.0a12 - The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org Little Rock, AR .