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Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!!

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On 5/19/2017 3:00 PM, Dave Platt wrote:
> In article <ofnjch$9ca$1@dont-email.me>,
> Don Y  <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
>
>> As to fees, I think the exam here (USA) is typically free (or close to it)
>> as it is typically administered by local clubs.
>
> The Volunteer Examiners are permitted (but not required) to charge a
> test fee to reimburse the VEs for their costs in carrying out the exam
> (mileage to drive to the test site, room rental if necessary, and so
> forth).
>
> The FCC doesn't set the fee... the VE group does.  The ARRL's VE
> coordinating group charge $15 "for one attempt at all three license
> elements" - if you pass the test for Technician you take the General
> test the same day at no extra charge, and if you pass General you can
> test for Amateur Extra.  Other VE groups seem to have similar prices
> and "take all three for the same fee" policies.
>
> Nothing forbids a VE from offering tests for free.  I believe that
> they do, sometimes... e.g. in schools.

There are at least three different groups offering regular (as in
"frequent") testing here -- i.e., at least three different times
(and places), each month, to take the test.  Some charge a nominal
fee; others are free.  Some require pre-registration; others will
accept walk-ins.  I'd considered it (see below) when the Code
requirement was dropped...

>>                                               I'm not sure what the
>> license *fee* is after having passed the appropriate exam (to determine
>> your operating license class)
>
> For most hams, $0.00.  The 10-year license is free, as are renewals.
>
> You do pay a fee if you apply for, and are granted a "vanity" call of
> your choice, and you pay the vanity fee again each time you renew.
>
>> You don't *memorize* the answers; you *know* them.  And/or can *deduce*
>> the correct answers from the information given.
>
> For some of the questions (e.g. frequency ranges, mode authorizations
> by frequency or amateur-radio license class), memorization of the
> information is the only way you can go, because the rules are
> historical and rather arbitrary.  For the electronics part, true
> knowledge and logic are the way to go.
>
> A fair number of hams do get their first Technician license following
> a "ham cram" - they spend a full day going over the current question
> pool, drilling on and memorizing the answers, and then take the test
> and try to score the required 85%.
>
> I do not personally recommend this approach.  A lot of people who pass
> the test this way, never seem to actually get "on the air", since they
> don't really understand what's going on... I think this leads to a
> serious lack of confidence.

I inherited a 2m rig for my BoB and thought of getting licensed.
But, as I have *zero* interest in "casual use" -- or in any "club
activities" (wanting the license only to be "legal" in the event
of a natural disaster) -- I figured it was a skillset that would see
little/no use.  Instead, rely on the rig as an information *source*
(if ever needed) and ignore the overhead of being able to key the
transmitter!

> I think it's better to take a couple of weeks, read through a study
> guide (such as the ARRL's Ham Radio License Manual, replacement for
> the old "Now You're Talking" book), and learn more of the "why" about
> each of the questions in the pool (which are included at the back of
> the book).
>
> Seems to me that about half of the questions in the Tech pool are,
> fundamentally, about "Here's how you can use your radio without
> being a nuisance, causing problems, and getting yourself in trouble."
> That's pretty important in amateur radio, since (almost by definition)
> _you_ as the ham, rather than the equipment manufacturer, have the
> primary responsibility for seeing that it's operating correctly and is
> being used legally.

Yes, but much of that is also pretty intuitive -- if you *think*
about it.

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[OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-16 13:49 -0500
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-05-16 11:55 -0700
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-16 15:13 -0500
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-16 17:18 -0500
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Steve Wilson <no@spam.com> - 2017-05-16 19:04 +0000
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-16 12:14 -0700
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-16 14:41 -0500
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-16 14:01 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2017-05-16 14:42 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-16 17:09 -0500
          Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-16 16:42 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Clifford Heath <clifford.heath@gmail.com> - 2017-05-17 09:00 +1000
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! tabbypurr@gmail.com - 2017-05-16 13:40 -0700
  [OT] I got a JOB!!! bulegoge@columbus.rr.com - 2017-05-16 12:27 -0700
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! eric.jacobsen@ieee.org - 2017-05-16 20:17 +0000
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-16 15:24 -0500
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-16 22:05 +0100
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-16 17:11 -0500
          Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-16 23:51 +0100
            Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-16 18:32 -0500
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Clifford Heath <clifford.heath@gmail.com> - 2017-05-17 09:41 +1000
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 09:35 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Clifford Heath <no.spam@please.net> - 2017-05-17 19:03 +1000
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 10:31 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Clifford Heath <no.spam@please.net> - 2017-05-17 23:07 +1000
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 09:41 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Paul <paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 10:10 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 10:34 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Paul <paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 15:59 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:04 +0100
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:02 +0100
            Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-16 17:56 -0700
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 09:42 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Reinhardt Behm <rbehm@hushmail.com> - 2017-05-17 16:57 +0800
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! "billbowden" <bperryb@bowdenshobbycircuits.info> - 2017-05-16 15:04 -0700
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-16 15:30 -0700
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! "billbowden" <bperryb@bowdenshobbycircuits.info> - 2017-05-18 16:00 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-18 16:18 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-18 19:14 -0500
          Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! "billbowden" <bperryb@bowdenshobbycircuits.info> - 2017-05-18 21:40 -0700
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Martin Riddle <martin_ridd@verizon.net> - 2017-05-16 20:02 -0400
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! krw@notreal.com - 2017-05-16 20:40 -0400
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Randy Yates <randyy@garnerundergroundinc.com> - 2017-05-17 09:12 -0400
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-17 10:02 -0500
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:11 +0100
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-17 12:21 -0500
          Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:36 +0100
            Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-17 12:43 -0500
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:55 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 18:57 +0100
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <seemywebsite@myfooter.really> - 2017-05-17 13:28 -0500
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-17 20:08 +0100
  Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! boB K7IQ <boB@everett.wa> - 2017-05-17 21:30 -0700
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-18 00:03 -0500
    Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-05-18 08:18 +0100
      Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! boB K7IQ <boB@everett.wa> - 2017-05-18 22:56 -0700
        Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Vassilis Spiliopoulos <vassilis@vask1lux.de> - 2017-05-19 14:31 +0300
          Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.really> - 2017-05-19 10:39 -0500
            Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Vassilis Spiliopoulos <vassilis@vask1lux.de> - 2017-05-19 23:02 +0300
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-19 13:12 -0700
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! dplatt@coop.radagast.org (Dave Platt) - 2017-05-19 15:00 -0700
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-05-19 16:05 -0700
              Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! boB K7IQ <boB@everett.wa> - 2017-05-21 01:46 -0700
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! Vassilis Spiliopoulos <vassilis@vask1lux.de> - 2017-05-21 17:31 +0300
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! John S <Sophi.2@invalid.org> - 2017-05-21 13:31 -0500
                Re: [OT] I got a JOB!!! krw@notreal.com - 2017-05-21 16:47 -0400

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