EV>Howdy! Daryl,   
      
   Hi, Ed...   
      
   EV>I can't remember but back in 1959 when I took and passed the Technician   
   EV>Exam to keep my Call Sign active, I'm thinking I took a Morse Code Test   
   EV>before I took the written portion of the Exam.   
      
     Correct. When the FCC was administering the exams, you HAD to PASS the   
   CW test FIRST -- or you were dismissed from the session, WITHOUT being   
   allowed to do the written exam.   
      
   EV>I can't remember ever taking a test for a Amateur Radio Operators License   
   EV>without writing some code down first.   
      
     In the U.S. and its territories, the 13 and 20 wpm CW exams...plus the   
   issuing of new Novice and Advanced Class licenses, were STOPPED on April   
   15, 2000. Holders of the Novice and Advanced Class licenses could renew   
   them at the appropriate time. The 5 wpm CW exam (the last one), was   
   eliminated on Feb. 23, 2007. Now, people are learning CW because they   
   *WANT* to...and NOT because they *HAVE* to.   
      
   EV>But I may be wrong, I have - many many many times B4 been wrong.   
   EV>And 60+/- years is a long period so I could be mistaken about the CW test.   
      
     Or like a T-shirt I saw once..."I may not always be right...but, I'm   
   never wrong" (hi hi).   
      
   EV>For someone with a Expired Amateur Extra ticket that Element 2 sounds   
   EV>STUPID (to Me).   
      
     Well, there was concern that with a lapsed license, having to get back   
   on without taking a test, was "stupid". The FCC determined that passing   
   the Technician exam was sufficient enough that they had the basic   
   knowledge of items needed. They now require answering "the basic   
   character qualification question" on the NCVEC Form 605...answering Yes   
   or No, on whether they have been convicted of a felony, in state or   
   federal court. A YES answer is NOT an automatic disqualification...it   
   depends on the circumstances. Yet, the examinee has to send to the FCC,   
   all required documentation, etc. to the FCC within 14 days of the exam   
   session, or the license grant is dismissed...as if they had never taken   
   an exam.   
      
   EV>I Passed the CW portion, Flunked the Written portion, walked out with a   
   EV>Temporary Advance Class License until the F.C.C. sent the License to me   
   EV>in the Mail.   
      
     When I first got my license in 1991, there was no FCC ULS. I took the   
   test on Field Day Weekend, and it was the second week of August before   
   my ticket and callsign arrived in the mail. Now, with the FCC ULS, you   
   can get it in as little as 1 to 2 weeks...although I saw one fast   
   turnaround...the ham passed Elements 2, 3, and 4 (Technician, General,   
   and Amateur Extra) in one session. The exam session was on a   
   Saturday...his callsign was in the database the following Wednesday!!   
      
   EV>There were lots of things in the Amateur Extra exam I took that I had   
   EV>no idea about.   
      
     I learned how to tell where the voltage was leading or lagging the   
   current, and that's all I remember.   
      
   EV>I never took another Ham Exam.   
      
     Every year when I do my rent recertification, they ask me if I'm a   
   student. I reply "the only exams I do now are giving ham radio license   
   exams...and undergoing medical exams and procedures". Along that line,   
   I'm getting a "two-fer"...an EGD (upper GI) and a colonoscopy (lower GI)   
   on Friday the 13th of April. It'll be "lucky" for me, in that:   
      
   1) I'm long overdue for both -- it has been over 3 years.   
      
   2) Since it's part of the "wellness check", Medicare is picking up 100%   
   of the colonoscopy cost.   
      
   3) Since I'm having the EGD done at the same time, I'm getting it for   
   50% off...and Medicate will pay 80% of that. Plus, I only have to pay   
   one anesthesia fee.   
      
     I'll miss the nets on April 12 for the bowel prep, and April 13 (I   
   likely will be asleep, spending that night at my Mom's place). Then,   
   I'll take the weekend off to recover. If "everything comes out all   
   right" (pardon the pun), I won't have to do them again for 3 to 5 years.   
      
   EV>To Me That Organization is NOT of, for, by the amateurs like I think   
   EV>their motto used to say a long long long time ago.   
      
     As noted, I suspect that their new proposal is twofold -- to get new   
   members, and for gear manufacturers to get more customers. So much for   
   pecuniary interest. :P   
      
   EV>And YES I believe I can still pass the CW and Written Test for MY License   
   EV>if needed to.   
      
     There's no way I could now...too many medical issues have developed   
   since I took the exams.   
      
   Daryl, WX1DER   
      
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