In article , Aaron Jones
writes:

I think the present Extra test is much harder than that General was then as
far
a *technical questions* are concerned.

I disagree!

The old tests required some understanding of the material. The new ones are
like the Susquehanna River - a mile wide and a foot deep.

However the current ham tests are
easier
to memorize and pass without knowing anything. I will admit that as a high
school student I was able to pass the General test in 1958 without knowing
much...

About 1964, the years are blurring together, incentive licensing
degraded my general and I took the Advanced.

Late 1968.

Yep, did the same thing, although somewhat later than you. A guy by the name
of
Bash got me going. Seems he published a book with the *exact* questions and
answers for the exams. Everyone seemed to think that was cheating at the
time.
How things change...

It *was* cheating. Here's why:

At the time, the exams were secret. The exact Q&A were kept locked up by FCC.
"By mail" exams required that the volunteer examiner certify that s/he would
not copy or divulge the contents to anyone. The Advanced and Extra weren't
available by mail at all. You had to wait 30 days to retest because the
question pools weren't very big.

The FCC published a study guide of essay questions that gave a good indication
of the subject matter on the test, but not the exact Q&A.

What Dick Bash did was to ask people coming out of FCC exams what the exact
questions and answers on the test were. He paid for the information.

Some folks in the FCC wanted to prosecute him, but the top dogs said no. A few
years later, FCC turned the whole testing process over to the VECs, saving
themselves a lot of time and money.

But at the time Bash did his thing, it was clearly cheating.

73 de Jim, N2EY

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote:
It [Bash] *was* cheating.

Someone always feels cheated:
Extras when Generals were given their frequencies in 1953.
Generals when their frequencies were later taken away.
The Government when Bash helped get em back with .
Fossil hams when the Government started using Bash test methods.
And you Jim when I have my Extra given to me for sitting on my butt...

In article , Aaron Jones
writes:

(N2EY) wrote:
It [Bash] *was* cheating.

Someone always feels cheated:
Extras when Generals were given their frequencies in 1953.

Advanceds too. "No kids, no lids, no space cadets, Class A operators only..."

Generals when their frequencies were later taken away.

I wuz there, I remember.

The Government when Bash helped get em back with .

With what?

FCC didn't do a thing.

Fossil hams when the Government started using Bash test methods.

I'm only 50 - not quite a fossil yet...

And you Jim when I have my Extra given to me for sitting on my butt...

When's that going to happen?

You have Advanced, right? Which means you've been waiting as much as 36
years.....

Good to hear from ya, "Aaron".

73 de Jim, N2EY

Nice shot Jim !

The advanced: When I sat in front of the FCC examiner way back when, I
thought that was the most technically difficult exam, and still think
so.

Bob
W1CNY

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"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Aaron Jones
writes:

(N2EY) wrote:
It [Bash] *was* cheating.

Someone always feels cheated:
Extras when Generals were given their frequencies in 1953.

Advanceds too. "No kids, no lids, no space cadets, Class A operators
only..."

Generals when their frequencies were later taken away.

I wuz there, I remember.

The Government when Bash helped get em back with .

With what?

FCC didn't do a thing.

Fossil hams when the Government started using Bash test methods.

I'm only 50 - not quite a fossil yet...

And you Jim when I have my Extra given to me for sitting on my
butt...

When's that going to happen?

You have Advanced, right? Which means you've been waiting as much as
36
years.....

Good to hear from ya, "Aaron".

73 de Jim, N2EY

Bob Rinaldi wrote:

Nice shot Jim !

The advanced: When I sat in front of the FCC examiner way back when, I
thought that was the most technically difficult exam, and still think
so.

Bob
W1CNY

Anybody who had to go to Atlanta for their tests in the late 60s and
early 70s will remember the ill-tempered old biddy who dealt with exams.
She had a special place on her list from those of us from the
Charlotte area because we were 'supposed' to go to Norfolk instead of
bothering her.
Passing one of 'her' tests had a bit of added satisfaction.

-Bill M

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote:

In article , Aaron Jones
writes:

The Government when Bash helped get em [General frequencies] back.

With what? FCC didn't do a thing.

If the government wanted to prosecute Bash for corrupting their tests as you say
then they must have felt cheated. Course now that Bash type tests are the norm I
guess they got over it.

Fossil hams when the Government started using Bash test methods.

I'm only 50 - not quite a fossil yet...

I wasn't necessarily meaning you Jim since I'm well over a decade older than
you. I meant Fossil hams as in old thinking. Such as feeling cheated that
someone can memorize the tests (Bash or as currently given) and pass. Or feeling
cheated that their frequencies were taken away (me).

And you Jim when I have my Extra given to me for sitting on my butt...

When's that going to happen?

From what I read, change is now in the works. I hope you won't feel cheated when
it happens Jim...

You have Advanced, right?

Yep. FCC Examiner no less. I should feel cheated about these VE's.
(I don't though).

Which means you've been waiting as much as 36 years.....

Actually no. Shortly after I got the Advanced I went back to all CW ragchewing.
Been doing it every since. I don't even own a mike anymore and haven't needed
those Advanced privileges, so having an Extra probably won't change much. Except
maybe I can wave it around the newsgroups to bring all the fossils out...

(And I can finally get over feeling cheated about losing my frequencies-I'll be
a fossil free ham again.)

Good to hear from ya, "Aaron".

You too Jim, always fun jousting with you...

73 de Jim, N2EY