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. To help members
upgrade.

I never encountered anything like that in any ham club. Closest thing to it was
that some clubs would lend out the ARRL License Manual and Ameco study guides
to members.

And
I suppose someone had snuck a peek at those mail in novice and tech
tests before the FCC
said everyone had to test at a field office (Early 1976 they decreed
that, so I had to test
at the FCC).

I never encountered that, either.

However, having said that, I personally much prefer the ARRL proposal to the
NCVEC one for the following reasons:

2) I don't like the "commercial gear only" part of the NCVEC petition
because it unnecessarily
discourages homebrew and tinkering - something that novices have *always*
been allowed (and
encouraged by 97.1) to do.
3) I don't like the "low voltage" only part of the NCVEC petition, because
it precludes the new
ham from getting a good hamfest deal on an older rig like FT-101,
TS-520/820, etc. for no good
reason (nothing stops them from building power supplies that use 110VAC or
220VAC on the
*primaries*, so what's the sense in this proposal.

A few questions on electrical safety and procedures on the test should
address this issue.
Besides, other than an FCC inspector paying a visit, how could be
enforced? The FCC
doesn't have the budget for that. Output power can be limited to say
100W. Easier to
enforce, as signal strength can be measured remotely (not foolproof,
maybe his beam is
aimed right at you). The power limit would avoid the RF exposure issue.

I agree 100%.

and,
4) I don't like the NCVEC to "put the mark of Cain" on the newbies with a
special, never-used
callsign block that makes them stand out as targets for those who are
disgruntled with ANY change.

The old Novice licensees got WN#XXX callsigns to designate them as
novices.

In some areas WV prefixes were also used. I'm not sure why.

Other than a
few bozos, everyone accepted them as legit hams. When you upgraded to
general, the FCC
replaced the N with A or B in your callsign. The FCC must have had an
internal use only
note as to which you'd get when they issued your novice call.

It was the sequence.

First FCC issued all the W#xxx calls. Novices got WN#xxx or WV#xxx and when
they upgraded the letter was just dropped.

When those were gone, the same sequence was done with K#xxx calls.

Then came WA, WB, etc. Since the license was only good for 1 or 2 years until
the mid 1970s, there was no chance that the entire sequence would be run
through.

Today, you
could get a vanity callsign with the
WN if you want, even if you're an extra. Wonder if WN2ISE was ever
issued? Someone did
have WA2ISE before I was issued it in 1976, as a tech (general written
and 5wpm).

A lot of it has to do with the FCC computer systems and their ability to handle
changes. My info says the ARS callsign database was first computerized in 1964.

73 de Jim, N2EY