Roy...   
      
    RW@> When were VECs authorized to issue a HAM license? i.e. in the days of   
    RW@> testing at a FCC field office, you still had to wait 30 days for the   
    RW@> FCC home office to issue a license.   
      
     You are correct. While the VE Teams in the field issue a CSCE when an   
   examinee passes the exam, it's up to the VEC to key in the data, then   
   forward it to the FCC for final processing.   
      
     Now, if there is an issue, such as an "unpaid government debt" (Debt   
   Collection Act of 1996) or a "character issue", I believe the FCC can   
   act as if a CSCE never existed. I do know that in the case of a vanity   
   callsign, if the applicant doesn't pay the fee when it's requested, the   
   vanity callsign request is likely to be dismissed. When I applied for   
   WX1DER, it was like "show me the money"...they sure didn't wait to ask   
   for that.    
      
     As for "waiting on the license", when I was first licensed in 1991,   
   even though I took and passed the Novice and Technician written on   
   Field Day Weekend, it was almost 7 weeks later before I got the paper   
   copy. Back then, you had to have it "in hand" before you could operate.   
   Now, as soon as it's in the FCC ULS, one can get on the air. The fastest   
   time I saw was with an examinee who passed his Technician, General, and   
   Amateur Extra in one session. The test results were mailed from Arkansas   
   on Monday, and his callsign was in the database on Wednesday!!   
      
   Daryl, WX1DER   
      
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