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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 the FCC already has a Social Security Number on file for the examinee,
and they submit it again, their license application will be bounced back.
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
2017. 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. This includes trying to "bribe" the VE
Team" into certifying your exam falsely.
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 license exam, 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.
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Posted by VPost v1.7.081019