The dropped the Becan test along with the morse. .... .. .... ..

Good going, Herb. I don't know if they've made it any easier, but I know it used to require a fair amount of preparation to pass the test.
 
Long ago I had a 1st-class FCC license, the so-called "first phone". I was the guy they sent to your house to check out your gear after your neighbors complained about you talking over their TV or making their garage doors open. Actually, 99% of my calls were to CB-ers, as ham operators tend to know how to stay legal or at least avoid detection if they're bending the rules.
 
Back then, the FCC required somebody with a 1st Class license to be present in a TV or radio station at all times. That meant in order to become a radio disk jockey you had to have the license in order to work the graveyard shift. So every radio personality got one. But few had even rudimentary technical chops, so they all attended a special "class" where the test questions were given to them, along with the answers. A buddy of mine did that, and scored almost as high as I did. Afterward, he asked me "so what's a capacitor, anyway?"
 
 

Good show Herb!Welcome to ham(not HAM) radio<thats a whole nother story>
 
There are some tin foil theories about the demise of code, mostly to swell the ranks and sell more gear, but we are 700,000 or so in the US now.
 
It is a great hobby, dont get too tied into vhf and repeaters, they are fun to socialize but the whole HF spectrum is a playground for antenna theory, reg chewing, contesting and the like.Also digital modes like digital tv, packet and the subsets, rtty, etc, even digital voice. All of these using just a PC with a soundcard sand freeware software!Not to discount vhf/uhf tropo weak signal, moonbounce, etc!
 
I have been licensed since 1976 and have seen lots of changes to the hobby. The biggest is the rude behavour, jamming, cursing and juvenile behavour on the bands, ususally from extra class ops!
 
Anyway keep us in the loop when you receive your call and maybe we can set up some skeds when you build your station!
 
73 OM
de Joe 

Bit .... yeah.... I knew several 1st class phone guys..... engineers at radio stations and into ham....as well as the instructor in the electronics class I was taking. Smart guys that knew what they were doing.
 
I did lots of prep, plus my background helped considerably. I already knew what XL and XC were are where they were located on polar charts so that was just a matter of knock off the rust. I was surprised at the LACK of math and calculations on the test. maybe I just got one that was lacking those random questions.  But many of the other questions needed prep and understanding. Just for grins, before I really got started studying for any of the levels, I took the simulated tests as a base/reference so I could track progress...... low to mid 40's on those first ones.....
 
MM ... I'm guessing 2 meter is kinda like CB to one degree or another since it appears to be the easiest to get gear and get going with.   I was into CB back when it was fun and as it was growing in popularity. Once the FCC dropped the license it went to hell in a handbasket as the saying goes...... loudmouths, vulgar language, unruly behavior...... so I stopped using it. I guess it's natural that this would find it's way into ham.... so far though, listening to the local repeater, it's all good and very lightly used.

I go away for a couple of years and Herb gets his license - good show. What did you go for - Tech, General or Extra? Had my Tech license since 1991; the FCC had dropped the code for Techs back then. Took longer for them to drop it for everyone. Love the VHF and up bands - 6 meters to daylight. Got quite the collection of code keys - 2 dozen and counting.
 
de N2MPU Jack

jackn2mpu
I go away for a couple of years and Herb gets his license - good show. What did you go for - Tech, General or Extra?
 
de N2MPU Jack

 
Well, I started with the simple intention of doing the Tech license so I could talk on my new 2 meter radio. However, with me, nothings ever that cut and dry, simple or easy.  As I started to look into it, I realized I could test for the next license "up" if I passed the lower one.   Since I was going to take one.... why not get the next one up?  General.   So I found an online course and started to study. In a few days to a week, I was moving through the material in the  2 levels and getting good scores on the practice tests so.... with 2 weeks to go until the test..... I started to think, well..... if I'm already there and pass the General, I can take a shot at the Extra....and if I do, I want to have a reasonable chance of passing it...so I started to study for the extra...and I found a phone app with all 3 levels in it. So I crammed and studied and took the practice tests and pulled out my old electronics math books and studied some more.
 
I sat for the test and passed them all.  T=94%  G=97%  X=94%  So I was a happy camper at around 11am Saturday.

Herb,  what do you guys gain extra for having the higher level licenses?  In UK it's moar powah!!    (Output power that is..  we don't get special privs or anything)

Guitarhacker

jackn2mpu
I go away for a couple of years and Herb gets his license - good show. What did you go for - Tech, General or Extra?
 
de N2MPU Jack

 
Well, I started with the simple intention of doing the Tech license so I could talk on my new 2 meter radio. However, with me, nothings ever that cut and dry, simple or easy.  As I started to look into it, I realized I could test for the next license "up" if I passed the lower one.   Since I was going to take one.... why not get the next one up?  General.   So I found an online course and started to study. In a few days to a week, I was moving through the material in the  2 levels and getting good scores on the practice tests so.... with 2 weeks to go until the test..... I started to think, well..... if I'm already there and pass the General, I can take a shot at the Extra....and if I do, I want to have a reasonable chance of passing it...so I started to study for the extra...and I found a phone app with all 3 levels in it. So I crammed and studied and took the practice tests and pulled out my old electronics math books and studied some more.
 
I sat for the test and passed them all.  T=94%  G=97%  X=94%  So I was a happy camper at around 11am Saturday.

Well done my friend, well done. And welcome to the community. Any thoughts about joining the ARRL?
Cool you found a VE team that scored each test and let you take the others at the same session. I could sit for beyond Tech but living in the city getting on HF bands isn't all that doable as I have limited space for the big antennas necessary. The technical part is easy for me (my day job for 25+ years was as an EE) it's just the FCC laws I have to bone up on.
 
Karyn:
The licenses beyond the basic Tech get access to HF bands (below 30 MHz) on both phone and CW. Techs have limited access to phone on 10 meters and also have access to CW below 30 MHz. General Class gets most of that and Extra gets extra little slivers of band space.
 
It's funny - I took the test when the FCC dropped CW for Techs because even though I am a musician I had this mental block against it. Since then I've become very much interested in CW and like I mentioned I have quite the collection of keys. Straight keys, Iambic paddles, Vibroplex bugs. Everything from a very small straight key that's less than 2 inches long to one that's over a foot long.

Like most people that try to learn CW I also have that mental block on receiving.  There is a trick to learning it,  but it's mostly (as with everything) down to practise

Karyn
Like most people that try to learn CW I also have that mental block on receiving.  There is a trick to learning it,  but it's mostly (as with everything) down to practise

Once I got into it I found I can copy faster code (30+ wpm) than slow 5 wpm code. WPM= words per minute for those that don't know. And even though I'm a right handed I send with my left hand just like Rafael Nadal is a natural righty but plays tennis leftie. Had to have my bugs made special left-handed (don't laugh - they exist) though.