Old Ham, just curious

MSHappyCampers · 07-30-2011, 10:58 AM

I was a Ham operator back when I was in high school in the late 50ies and had a Conditional license. What would a person have to do to get active again after 55 years?

TXiceman · 07-30-2011, 11:18 AM

There are now just three classes, Technician, General and Extra and none require a code test.

You can get study guides on American Radio Relay League | ARRL - The national association for AMATEUR RADIO. There is also a link to find ham clubs in your area for help and online practice test.

Go to a local club meeting and get all of the help you want.

Ken

wa8yxm · 07-31-2011, 12:59 PM

Contact the local club (Link in TX's post) and find out when they are testing.

Current license classes are Techniican, General and Extra, no code required, simple 20 (I think) or 50 question test (Ok, Simple = I knew the answers, or at least 48 of 'em)

I got my Tech in 1968, General (paper only upgrade) in 2006 (Since back in 68 the written test was the same for both Tech and General, only code speed differed and in 2006 that difference no longer existed) and then in the fall, I wrote the Extra test.

A had gotten the What's his name (Gordon West?) study guide and hit ye-old-stone wall very quickly.. Local club offered a class using the ARRL license guide.. Said wall was quickly smashed and the instructor took out all the rough rubble, ground it up, mised some stuff with it poured it back out and .. Very smooth road.. I completed 2/3 of the class and due to scheduling conflicts tested out.. Missed 2.

I won't tell you how much time I spent with one study guide in one hand, and the other one in the other hand. and/or on QRZ.COM Callsign Database taking sample tests.. But I will say I expected to miss between 5 and 10 questions, not 2. Very happy with instructor!

Doug13589 · 08-12-2011, 07:54 PM

There 35 questions from a pool of about 200 for the tech and 35 for the general. there are a few q&a sites you can check,qrz.com,and arrl.com along with aa9pw.com for practice if you want to see what you have to study.
you have very few circuit drawing to check and don't have to draw any.
there is no code any more with the test.
GL hope this helps you out

Doug13589 · 08-12-2011, 07:55 PM

anyone going to Gordon ,WI for the RV Radionetwork rally in Sept?

Wayne M · 08-12-2011, 08:25 PM

Hmmm! My Advanced Class License is still good for a few more years. What will I get when I renew. I have not been keeping up with that aspect of it.

GreatWhite · 08-12-2011, 09:37 PM

Ha.. shows you what I know.. I'm Advanced.. for a couple more years. Then what? Reverse back to General? or forward to Extra? Guess I ought to find out.

TXiceman · 08-13-2011, 06:59 AM

I think your renewal will still be Advanced. The new licenses are issued as Tech, General and Extra.

ken

dons2346 · 08-13-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Hmmm! My Advanced Class License is still good for a few more years. What will I get when I renew. I have not been keeping up with that aspect of it.

You will renew as an Advanced with the same privileges you have now.

wa8yxm · 08-13-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Hmmm! My Advanced Class License is still good for a few more years. What will I get when I renew. I have not been keeping up with that aspect of it.

Advanced, IF you have a license class other than

Technician
Technician Plus
General
Extra

You renew at the same class you have, at least till you upgrade. So you can remain "Advanced" till you.... Advance to the next plane of existence.
(Reference to Johanathan Livingston Seagull sound track)

My instructor was an Advanced, ask him whey he does not upgrade (Since he teaches Extra) and he said he takes pride in being a no longer issued class. Can't fault him there.

For those who don't knwo, Difference betwen Tech and Tech + Morse code, though no longer required, it once was, So I was a technician for so many years, then when they started isuing "No-Code" technicians I became a Technician Plus (Since I'd passed a code test) and then I paper upgraded to "General" (Since when I took it the written test was the same for Tech as general, All I had to do was apply and show I had a Tech license before 198 something) Then I took Tutor Tommie's class and passed the Extra.

Wayne M · 08-13-2011, 03:57 PM

Ah! I figure that advanced is just above General, but not snotty enough to be Extra.

I took my General license in 1974. They took the people that were getting there Extra license into the code room first. The rest of us stood outside the glass door, but we could hear the Morse code real well. I asked if anyone had a "stick," got one, stood at the counter with a piece of paper and copied the 20 wpm. I was asked why I didn't go for the Extra and I replied, "I'm not smart enough." A few months later I went down and took the Advanced test, passed, and here I am today.

As background, I was still in the military. I started out as a Morse Code Radio operator, 2533 MOS. Ended up getting a Speed Key Certificate from ComPhibPac which required 30 wpm send and receive.

When taking the General test, I was waiting my turn to take the code test. Back then you had to send and receive 13 wpm for General and Advanced. The first time we were able to touch the key for sending was at that time. The tester looked at me and said, "Your turn." I asked if I could adjust the key, since it had about a 1/4" gap and he said "Sure." He watch me intently as I adjusted the key to about a double paper width gap, sent a series of V's, and he said, "Military huh? You passed."

Wayne M · 08-13-2011, 04:02 PM

Ah! I figure that advanced is just above General, but not snotty enough to be Extra.

I took my General license in 1974. They took the people that were getting there Extra license into the code room first. The rest of us stood outside the glass door, but we could hear the Morse code real well. I asked if anyone had a "stick," got one, stood at the counter with a piece of paper and copied the 20 wpm. I was asked why I didn't go for the Extra and I replied, "I'm not smart enough." A few months later I went down and took the Advanced test, passed, and here I am today.

As background, I was still in the military. I started out as a Morse Code Radio operator, 2533 MOS. Ended up getting a Speed Key Certificate from ComPhibPac which required 30 wpm send and receive.

When taking the General test, I was waiting my turn to take the code test. Back then you had to send and receive 13 wpm for General and Advanced. The first time we were able to touch the key for sending was at that time. The tester looked at me and said, "Your turn." I asked if I could adjust the key, since it had about a 1/4" gap and he said "Sure." He watch me intently as I adjusted the key to about a double paper width gap, sent a series of V's, and he said, "Military huh? You passed."

Some information is missing if you look up my call sign.
First call sign was WB4FVA
Went to Okinawa, Japan, and it was required that you changed your call sign, so as an Advance class holder I was assigned KA5KJD. All military on Oki were assigned KA5 CS's. When I got back to Texas I applied for the Advanced call sign and got stuck with KE5QG. I used to say "Kiss Every 5 Quick Girls." Can you think of some other phonetics?

Wayne M · 08-13-2011, 08:33 PM

Oh! p.s. I was working high speed navy networks since 1962, and 1961-1962 just those little grunt radios called AN/GRC-9. The ones you had to have someone crank the Dyno to get juice to it. Those were the days "in-the-field."