In this section, two questions were added about the changes to Part 97.505 that deal with what exam credits are available to people whose licenses have expired and are now outside the renewal grace period (two years). I must admit that I hadn’t really paid much attention to this rule change when it was announced, and at first, these questions made no sense to me. I almost e-mailed the committee about the questions.
Then, I read Part 97.505. I now understand the question, but the logic of the rules escapes me. Before the rules change, if you let your license expire and waited more than two years to renew the license, you had to take all of the tests again. Now, however, you only need to take the Tech exam. If you held an Extra Class license, and pass the Tech exam, they give you a new Extra Class license.
This makes no sense to me, but if anyone wants to try to explain this to me, I’m all ears.
Back in the old days (when I got my amateur radio license), you had to visit an FCC office to take the General Class license test. Now, a corps of Volunteer Examiners (VEs)administer the tests and transmit the test results to the FCC.
Volunteer Examiners are accredited by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. (G1D07) For a non-U.S. citizen to be an accredited Volunteer Examiner, the person must hold a U.S. Amateur Radio license of General Class or above. (G1D08) There is an age limit, too. 18 years is the minimum age that one must be to qualify as an accredited Volunteer Examiner. (G1D10)
When you are an accredited VE holding a General Class operator license, you may only administer the Technician examination. (G1D02) An FCC General Class or higher license and VEC accreditation is sufficient for you to be an administering VE for a Technician Class operator license examination. (G1D05)
There are a bunch of rules that govern how Volunteer Examiners and Volunteer Examiner Coordinators are to operate. A requirement for administering a Technician Class operator examination is that at least three VEC accredited General Class or higher VEs must be present. (G1D04) Having three Volunteer Examiners present helps ensure that the tests are administered properly and fairly.
When an applicant passes the General Class license examination, he or she is issued a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination. A Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) is valid for exam element credit for 365 days. (G1D09)
You may operate on any General or Technician Class band segment if you are a Technician Class operator and have a CSCE for General Class privileges. (G1D03)
Whenever you operate using General Class frequency privileges, you must add the special identifier “AG” after your call sign if you are a Technician Class licensee and have a CSCE for General Class operator privileges, but the FCC has not yet posted your upgrade on its Web site. (G1D06)
Recently, the FCC changed the rules as to what happens when an amateur radio license expires. It used to be that if your license expired, and you were beyond the renewal grace period, you had to re-take the tests. If you wanted a Technician Class license, you had to take the Technician Class written exam (Element 2). If you wanted a General Class exam, you had to take the Technician and General Class exams (Elements 2 and 3), and if you wanted an Amateur Extra Class license, you had to take all three written exams (Elements 2, 3, and 4).
Now, however, any person who can demonstrate that they once held an FCC issued General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra class license that was not revoked by the FCC may receive credit for the elements represented by an expired amateur radio license. (G1D01) This does not include the Technician Class written exam (Element 2), though. If a person has an expired FCC issued amateur radio license of General Class or higher, the applicant must pass the current element 2 exam before they can receive a new license. (G1D11)
When they do pass the Element 2 exam, the FCC will issue an Amateur Extra Class license to applicants that previously held an Amateur Extra Class license and a General Class license to applicants that previously held either a General Class or an Advanced Class license. If this makes no sense to you, you’re not alone. It makes no sense to me, either.
Bob, KG6AF says
The “pass the Tech, get your old General or Extra back” rationale goes something like this. When the FCC asked for comments on a proposal to allow those with expired General or Extra licenses to apply for new licenses without re-examination, some folks pointed out that the hobby has changed considerably in the last twenty to thirty years, and the FCC might end up giving licenses to those who had no familiarity with present-day amateur radio. The FCC considered this, and decided to require that anyone applying to swap an expired license for a new one take the Tech exam first, the idea being that applicants would have to learn at least a bare minimum of today’s regs to pass the Tech.
This might not be the greatest idea in the world, but it’s not a terrible one, either.
Dan KB6NU says
I think that this fits into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category. What was wrong with requiring those that failed to renew within the grace period to pass all of the applicable tests? If they passed them once, they can certainly pass them again.