On Mon, Dec 18, 2006 at 09:01:04AM -0600, Peter Laws wrote: > As you may have seen, the FCC has announced its intention to drop the > Element 1 Morse telegraphy test from all license classes. No date for > the change has been published yet. I just sent a request to the "additional information" contact named in the R&O; I expect that his mailbox has been full since Friday afternoon, and that his phone has been ringing all weekend. I'll share his response. > It appears, from early tea-leaf reading, that Technicians will > automatically become Tech Pluses, meaning CW/Data/Phone on the "Novice" > portion of 10m and CW on General portions of 15, 40, and 80 m. The R&O has that effect, though it's worded a bit differently: "Therefore the FCC, in today's action, afforded Technician and Technician Plus Licensees identical operating privileges." > To upgrade to General, and get phone (and everything else) on the rest > of HF, you need only pass the Element 3 General written. > If you have an unexpired CSCE from passing the General and hadn't gotten > around to taking the code, you may be able to use that CSCE for a "paper > upgrade" assuming that the CSCE hasn't expired by the time the new rules > take effect. That's what I expect, too, though ICBW. > Again, this is all from tea-leaf reading, so check arrl.org for updates. > > Also note that SCARS will likely be having an extra test session or two > to handle the anticipated demand. Nor would this surprise me. Technicians: Welcome to the HF bands, once this R&O becomes effective. Play nice, now! -- Mike Andrews, W5EGO [log in to unmask] Tired old sysadmin