In article , Robert Casey
writes:

Back in the olden days before Bash published his books, I imagine that
some ham clubs
had compiled remembered questions from FCC tests.

Beginning in the early 1950s there were several hardcover
"Q & A" books published on ALL the FCC license exams
plus several other areas of licensing exams by other
agencies. Those had "typical" exam questions in them
including some "typical" schematics required to be drawn
during FCC exams.

A bookstore in my home town had amateur radio Q&A books
but not the Commercial radio license variety back in 1956.
I skimmed through one a friend had, saw enough to decide
that the theory part wasn't needed and didn't buy one. I
borrowed the loose-leaf-bound FCC rules from a nice person
at a broadcast station over a weekend and crammed,
memorizing the regulatory parts which were new to me.
Not a problem. Passed the two-hour test in one sitting
at the Chicago FCC field office. Four written examination
parts in successive order, a general sort of test first for
FCC organization and scope (rather short), followed by
successive parts for Third, Second, and finally First
Class Radiotelephone (Commercial) Radio Operator.
Radiotelegraph written test was about the same; three
in the office were taking that plus the annoying, audible
code cognition tests in the same room at the same time.

Back then all the FCC regulations came in loose-leaf form
with extra revision-subscriptions, all available from the
Government Printing Office. Took at least a week to get
a surface mail order back from DC. No Internet then, no
"free downloads" from GPO within seconds. No instant
test results forwarded direct to DC either...went by surface
mail from field offices and DC sent licenses back. Slow
movements in all directions.

The Dick Bash printing organization was a late-comer among
the general "Q&A" publishing group (never a large one). The
surname has emotional connotations handy for those who
need to have something, anyone to "bash" due to whatever
frustration those people have. Oddly, no one seems to bash
the ARRL for publishing essentially the same sort of material
long before the Bash company did its thing.

LHA / WMD