In article , Robert Casey
writes:

Nobody was tested "by mail".

They were tested by volunteer examiners (as are virtually ALL of todays
applicants --- what goes around, comes around) who just happened to
obtain the test material through the postal service.

I think the distinction was that the proctor wans't supposed to look
at the test itself, but just watch the candidate take the test and
attest that he didn't cheat, then have the candidate put the answered
test back in the envelope and the proctor signs off on the envelope or
some such.

That's pretty much how it worked for the written test.

It went like this:

First the volunteer examiner gave you the code test - receiving and sending.
S/he certified that you got the required number of consecutive correct
characters at the designated speed, and could send at that speed as well.

Volunteer examiner then sent a letter to FCC requesting written exam. I think a
Form 610 was used for the purpose.

FCC processed the application and sent an exam package to the volunteer
examiner. Inside the package were instructions, return envelopes and the test
in its own sealed envelope.

The sealed envelope with the test and answer sheet inside was not to be opened
until the actual test began. The prospective ham did the test, put all the
sheets in another provided envelope which was sealed up. Whole mess went back
to FCC for grading and processing.

In theory, the volunteer examiner wasn't even supposed to look at the exam. No
copies were to be made, nor its contents divulged to anyone.

Of course there was nothing to stop people from deviating from the prescribed
path other than their own honesty and the possiblity of being turned in to the
FCC.

I think FCC was between a rock and a hard place on the whole issue. On the one
hand, they were tasked with making licensing accessible to the US population -
all of it, not just those who lived near big cities. On the other, they could
not have an exam point convenient to everyone.

Before 1954, the Conditional distance was 125 miles "air-line" - and this was
before most of the interstate highway system existed. Back then, all hams
closer than the distance had to go to FCC office - even Novices.

In 1954 the distance became 75 miles and Novices and Technicians went to
"by-mail" exams, same as Conditional. But the Novice and Tech "by-mail" thing
was regardless of distance! It is my understanding that this was done to reduce
the workload on FCC exam points, which were being inundated by prospective
hams.

In 1965 the distance went from 75 to 175 miles and the number of applications
for Conditional dropped dramatically.

The proctor wasn't supposed to grade it or anything, and
the appicant wouldn't know if he passed untill some weeks later by mail.

Yep - the old "thin envelope" was what you were looking fo, because it
contained only the license. The dreaded "thick envelope" contained paperwork to
start the whole process all over again. No credit for the code tests - you had
to do the whole song-and-dance from scratch.

I'd call that "testing by mail". Today, the VEs give the tests, grades
them, tells you if you passed or not, and then tells the FCC that you
passed everything to get whatever level of ham license.

Not only that, the VEs *make up* the tests from the pool.

Really a sharp move by FCC - they get unpaid volunteers to do almost all of the
grunt work, from coming up with questions for the pool to verifying CSCEs. Yet
FCC retains all the authority and dictates procedure and the fees VEs can
collect to reimburse their expenses.

73 de Jim, N2EY