"Dr.Death" wrote in message
...
"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...
Snipped
It was more fun taking the test in front of an FCC examiner and passing
both
the commercial telegraph and amateur extra the same day .... in 1966.
Yep,
and radar endorsement too ... the 1st phone was taken another week that
year. I needed it for my job at WROC-TV in Rochester, NY.

After going qrt in 1972, I let my tickets lapse.

In 1993, I decided to get 'em back. No study. No QRZ.com. No Morse
since
1969.

Sunuvagun! Amateur extra (20 words per minute) and found out the test
was
in 5 hours when I called to see who or what was giving the test - right
after I decided to get back in. No study, no pain, no sweat. ))

Didn't bother with the telegraph ticket as I knew the end was coming in
a
few years. Why pay the price for the exam? Of what use would it be?
But
I
did retrieve what was left of the 1st phone - the GROL (rough equivalent
of
the 2nd phone years ago).

Still haven't been on cw. I tried a Java translator and found I can't
do
the 40 I used to be able to put on paper with perfect copy. 30 would be
about it and pushing real hard unless I got on the air for a week or so.
20, however, sounded slow.

This old fart, however, wouldn't have any problems at any time. The
only
time I had to retest was in 1964 on the general as I had done the stupid
thing of learning dots and dashes. It was tough converting to sound,
but
I
managed and passed every exam since. The real exams.

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

That IS something to be proud of. My hat off to ya.


Now if I could find a good job requiring Morse code, I'd have it made LOL.

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim