I passed two US licence exams!

**G6NHU** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 19:51

At the RSGB convention this weekend I sat and passed the US Technician and General exams

More details in my blog entry here.

**2e0sql** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 19:56

Well done Keith!

**M6PAP** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 20:10

Originally Posted by G6NHU

At the RSGB convention this weekend I sat and passed the US Technician and General exams

Smart Arse!!

Well done mate, what it is to be young!!

**kd0bik** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 20:11

Hey Keith,

I read your blog posting lastnight regarding passing the US tech and general exams. Congrats OM.

Jerry

**G6NHU** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 20:16

Originally Posted by M6PAP

Smart Arse!!

Well done mate, what it is to be young!!

Young? I did my RAE over twenty nine years ago and I've had my callsign just two days short of twenty nine years (it was delivered on 12th Oct 1982). I'm not young any more!

Originally Posted by 2e0sql

Well done Keith!

Thanks Pete. Advanced?

Originally Posted by kd0bik

Hey Keith,

I read your blog posting lastnight regarding passing the US tech and general exams. Congrats OM.

Jerry

Cheers Jerry. I'm going for Extra next but I see the question pool changes in June next year so I'm not sure whether to try before then or wait. Is there much change in the syllabus when the pool changes?

**kd0bik** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 20:21

Hi Keith,

The general pool changed this year and I'm in the process of recording the pool in a flash card type training exercise. I did this for the tech pool last year and will hopefully do this for extra next year when it changes. But, the general pool only changed slightly. My guess is there will be some slight changes, but nothing drastic. If you know the material, then you should be fine and it sounds like you do based on the limited amount of studying you did.

Jerry

**M6PAP** · Mon 10th Oct 2011, 21:01

Originally Posted by G6NHU

Young? I did my RAE over twenty nine years ago and I've had my callsign just two days short of twenty nine years (it was delivered on 12th Oct 1982). I'm not young any more!

1982 is when I was doing it for the first time and even learning Morse, but the rest of my life took over but stayed with SWL side of things plus using radio for work.
But last year had the time (health issues) and money so went for it at long last, so that's how this OM (as in 64) got here!

**techiesteve** · Tue 11th Oct 2011, 06:33

Congratulations Keith. I took a few Technician Class web exam papers last year and passed once I'd checked on the regs and not guessed. I thought about taking them too, but then realised I needed a USA address and let it drop.

**G6NHU** · Tue 11th Oct 2011, 07:51

I only heard a week or so before the RSGB Convention that I might need a USA address and had it confirmed by the ARRL guy at the Newark Hamfest a week ago. I emailed a friend of mine in Maryland and asked if I could use his address and that's when I started studying! I've heard since that there are many US radio amateurs who are happy for people to use their details as a mailing address just for this purpose.

**AB3NK** · Tue 18th Oct 2011, 01:55

I passed three of them and became a Volunteer Examiner.

Legally you have to maintain a residence and receive mail at that residence for you to use a USA address for your call sign.

The USA did drop the requirement of two different call signs for when a person had two residences in two different zones in the country.
At the same time, with the Vanity Call Sign program, a person no longer has to have a call sign with the number for the area of the country for which they reside.

In order to get a US exam legally, you have to produce two forms of identification - birth certificate, drivers license, Social Security card.
Out of country drivers license would not be legal and you would not have a US Social Security card if you were a alien.

Your license is determined by the issuance of a FRN number - which is dependent on your social security number and travels with you for life.
If your license has been suspended or if you were found in violation of any rules in another country, you would have a real hard time getting a USA Amateur Radio License - if they discovered that you had been in trouble before.

This is the reason why I am saying this.
There is a lot of people in this world who has had their license suspended or revoked which might think that all they have to do to get a new license is go someplace else.

**G6NHU** · Tue 18th Oct 2011, 07:56

Just a tiny bit of clarification to the post above.

Yes, the US license is determined by the issue of an FRN number but that's not dependent on a social security number. The candidate simply writes "FOREIGN" in the SSAN section of the form 605 and an FRN will be issued without needing a social security number. Also, any form of photo-ID is acceptable (at the examiners discretion), it doesn't have to be a driving license.

I took some time investigating this before I sat the exams to ensure that I wasn't wasting my time.

I will also add that I've never had my ticket suspended or revoked