• Classes And Exams (H)

    From Daryl Stout@HURRICAN/TBOLT to All on Tue Nov 7 00:05:19 2017
    (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MESSAGE)

    Other Notes on NCVEC Form 605 (page 2):
    =======================================

    Details on each license class, plus exam accomodations for disabled examinees, are noted elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread. Other
    items on the form include:

    1) Contacting The FCC:

    Should you have questions, you can contact the FCC, toll free, at 1-877-480-3201 (Monday through Friday, except for Federal Holidays,
    during regular business hours, U.S. Eastern Time), or visit the FCC
    website at www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/ amateur-radio-service (this URL is all on one line)

    2) The FCC Form 605 Versus the NCVEC Form 605:

    The FCC Form 605 is NOT used at a license exam session...one MUST
    use the NCVEC Form 605. Also, one may NOT apply for a vanity callsign
    at a license exam session...this is done at the FCC ULS website...see
    elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread for details.

    3) FCC Basic Qualification Question:

    Effective August 21, 2017, all applicants MUST answer YES or NO to
    whether or not they have been convicted of a felony in a State or
    Federal Court.

    This item enables the FCC to determine whether an applicant is
    eligible under §§ 310(d) and 308(b) of the Communications Act of
    1934, as amended, to hold or have ownership interest in a station
    license.

    Applications are required to answer the question only if:

    A) They are filing NCVEC or FCC form 605 for one of the following
    purposes -- New, Amendment, Modification (Upgrade or Callsign
    Change), or Renewal/Modification), and

    B) The answer has changed from the answer previously provided (it
    was originally NO, but is now YES).

    Applicants using NCVEC or FCC Form 605 for any other purpose are
    NOT required to answer the question. Again, note that the FCC form 605
    is NOT used at a license exam session.

    3) FCC Basic Qualification Question Instructions and Procedures
    when answering "YES":

    If the answer to this question is YES, the applicant MUST submit to
    the FCC, within 14 days of submitting the application, an exhibit, a
    statement explaining the circumstances, and a statement explaining why
    the applicant beleives that grant of the license application would be
    in the publlic interest, notwithstanding the actual or alleged
    misconduct.

    If the applicant responds YES to this question, and has PREVIOUSLY
    provided a statement and explanation regarding the circumstances as
    an attachment to a prior application filed in the FCC ULS, and the
    facts and circumstances are UNCHANGED, the applicant may refer to the
    previous application, by identifying the application file number, and indicating the disposition of the prior application. You can find your
    FCC Application File Number at:

    http://wireless2.fcc.gov/ULSApp/ApplicationSearch/searchAppl.jsp

    Applicants can send the explanation and the application file number
    via email to attach605@fcc.gov (recommended for quicker delivery), or
    via Postal Mail to FCC, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettsyburg, PA 17325-7245.

    If the applicant fails to provide such data within 14 days of the
    submission of the license application, it will be dismissed without
    action (as if they never did take the license exam). The applicant
    MUST submit this to the FCC -- and NOT to the VE Team, or to the VEC.

    The applicant MUST provide sufficient information for the FCC to
    determine whether there exists any material and substantial question of
    fact, regarding whether the applicant has the character qualifications
    to be a Commission licensee.

    There is no "checklist" of items, but useful information includes:

    * A detailed description of the conduct that resulted in the conviction
    or guilty plea, including time and place.

    * The date of the conviction or guilty plea.

    * The punishment that was imposed, and whether the sentence has been
    completed; or the applicant is still under any restriction or
    condition, resulting from the conviction or guilty plea.

    * Any efforts taken to remedy the wrongs committed, and ensure that the
    applicant will not engage in such conduct in the future.

    The applicant may request CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT, so that the
    explanation is NOT publicly viewable in the FCC ULS. However, in
    order to seek CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT, the request must contain a
    statement of the reasons for the request, and identify the portion(s)
    of the response, for which CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT is requested. It is
    NOT SUFFICIENT to simply mark a document as CONFIDENTIAL.

    All attachments, confidental or non-confidential, should be
    accompanied by an application file number, to ensure that the
    explanation is attached to the proper filing.

    Note that if the applicant commits perjury (lies under the oath from
    their signature on the form) about "the felony question", they are
    likely to be in worse shape with the FCC, than if they had been truthful
    the first time.

    A "YES" response is NOT an automatic dismissal of the license grant application. The FCC will make the decision on whether or not the
    felony conviction gives the applicant "a character issue". While ham
    radio operators are "self-policing", we obviously don't want or need
    certain individuals to be licensed.

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  • From Daryl Stout@HURRICAN to All on Tue Oct 13 00:07:06 2020
    (CONTINUED FROM LAST MESSAGE)

    Original License Documents and Identification Required
    ======================================================

    The VE team is REQUIRED to personally VERIFY THE IDENTITY of EVERY
    CANDIDATE wishing to test. This is why you need to have the ORIGINAL of
    your photo ID, ham radio license, and/or CSCE, if applicable. If the VE
    team suspects that ANY of these have been ALTERED or FORGED, they will
    make copies of such documents, and report them to the proper authorities.

    In the case of an altered/forged state government issued ID, ham radio license or CSCE, you could face heavy fines and prison time; (fines for unauthorized operation range from $7500 to $10,000, if not more).

    Believe me, it's NOT worth the risk. If the FCC determines you have a "character issue", you could be stripped of your amateur radio license
    FOR LIFE...or DENIED one in the first place (with "The felony Question",
    noted above).

    The PHOTOCOPY of the license and CSCE's will be sent off with the license application and exam data...the ORIGINAL ID documents will be RETURNED to
    their respective owners IMMEDIATELY after the VE Team has verified their identities.

    Some, BUT NOT ALL, exam sites will have the capability to make the
    photocopy of the identification and license documents for you, but it's
    wise to check with the contact person for the exam session, to see if
    that is the case.

    While your name, address, callsign, and license class, are public domain
    on the FCC ULS, QRZ, or other callsign data websites...other personal data (such as date of birth, home phone, email address, Social Security Number, etc.) are kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. On the QRZ website, one must actually
    be "logged in" to view an email, if the person has entered the data.

    As noted above, your FRN takes the place of your Social Security Number
    on your amateur radio license...and your SSN (or your exam score...let
    alone how many times it took you to pass the exam(s)) will NOT show up on
    any of the callsign database servers. Also, eventually all examinees will
    be REQUIRED to have an FRN assigned BEFORE going to a license exam session,
    as the SSN will no longer be accepted on the NCVEC Form 605.

    Prior Exam Credit and Upgrading Examples
    ========================================

    Once you pass an exam element, and have either the ORIGINAL of your
    license and/or valid CSCE to prove such, you won't have to take that
    element again; as long as your license is unexpired, or is within the 2
    year grace period of renewal after expiration.

    As noted above, neither Novice or Advanced Class licenses are issued
    anymore, as of April 15, 2000...and, Morse Code is NO LONGER REQUIRED for
    any U.S. amateur radio license exam, as of Feb. 23, 2007. Novice and
    Advanced class licensees may continue to use their privileges, as long
    as their licenses aren't expired. However, they have different "exam
    credit" toward upgrading, as noted below:

    Item presented for license exam credit: Elements: ======================================= =========

    Novice license (unexpired or expired) NONE

    Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (expired >2 years) NONE
    Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (expired <2 years) 2 ONLY Technician license March 21, 1987 or later (unexpired) 2 ONLY Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (expired >2 years) 3 ONLY Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (expired <2 years) 2 and 3 Technician license March 20, 1987 or before (unexpired) 2 and 3

    General or Advanced license (expired >2 years) 3 ONLY
    General or Advanced license (unexpired, or expired <2 years) 2 and 3

    Amateur Extra (expired >2 years) 3 and 4
    Amateur Extra (unexpired, or expired <2 years) 2, 3, and 4

    Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) See Note

    Note: A CSCE for "element credit" by itself, without any kind of ham radio license is NOT valid for "on the air operations". You MUST already have
    been issued a valid FCC Ham Radio license to legally "get on the air". If
    you have been issued a CSCE within the last 365 days for the indicated
    license element credit, you have credit for that element as well.

    You MUST pass, or otherwise have credit for, all lower amateur radio
    license classes to upgrade to a higher license class. If you are missing
    one of these lower class elements, in effect, you have NO LICENSE.

    Once the CSCE is older than 365 days, it is WORTHLESS. In a non-leap
    year, a CSCE issued on July 1, expires at 12 midnight local time on June
    30 of the following year. Using a leap year example, the expiration of
    the CSCE is 12 midnight local time, June 29, of the following year.

    If you fail to bring the ORIGINAL of your current license, and the
    ORIGINAL of applicable CSCE's, you may be REQUIRED to take those elements AGAIN...even though you already have taken and passed them before.

    If your current amateur radio license reflects the same type of license
    class noted on the CSCE, you can either discard the CSCE, or keep it as
    a novelty.

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