The NCVEC Question Pool Committee has released the latest errata for
the 2018 - 2022 Technician, Element 2, question pool, which goes into
effect on July 1, 2018. These changes are reflected in new download
files dated February 12, 2018.

T1B06 (B) - Modified distractors B, C, and D.

T1B06 (B) - On which HF bands does a Technician class operator have
phone privileges?

B. 10 meter band only

C. 80 meter, 40 meter, 15 meter, and 10 meter bands

D. 30 meter band only

T1B07 - Modified question: changed "frequencies" to "frequency ranges"

T1B10 - Modified all distractors:

A. 10 meter, 12 meter, 17 meter, and 40 meter bands

B. 10 meter, 15 meter, 40 meter, and 80 meter bands

C. 30 meter band only

D. 10 meter band only

T1B12 - Distractor C: should read "500 watts"

T1E02 - Distractor A and C: should be "Amateur Extra Class"

T1E09 - Distractor D: corrected to "All of these choices are correct"

T2A01 - Distractors A and D: "Mhz" corrected to "MHz" in both

T2A03 - Distractors A and D: "Mhz" corrected to "MHz" in both

T2A11 - Modified question: new wording

T2A11 - What term describes an amateur station that is transmitting
and receiving on the same frequency?

T2B06 - Modified distractor C: changed "Echolink" to "C. EchoLink"

T2C07 - Distractor D: corrected to "All of these choices are correct"

T3A07 - Distactor D: changed to "Ferromagnetic"

T3A12 - Modified question: "How might fog and light rain affect radio
range on the 10 meter and 6 meter bands?"

Distractor D: should read "Fog and Rain"

T3C06 - Correct answer modified: A. tropospheric ducting

T3C06 - Modified B. removed hyphen in D layer

T3C06 - Modified C. removed hyphen in F2 layer

T3C07 - Modified all distractors

A. 10 meter band

B. 6 meter band

C. 2 meter band

D. 70 centimeter band

T3C10 - Modified distractor A, B, and C.

A. 6 or 10 meter bands

B. 23 centimeter band

C. 70 centimeter or 1.25 meter bands

T4A01 - Modified question wording: "transceiver," removed

T4A01 - Distractor D: corrected to "All of these choices are correct"

T4A06 - Distractor D: capitalized "DC"

T4B - Modified syllabus topics: removed repeater offsets, added
"transceiver operation"

T4B11 - DELETED question. Renumbered last 3 questions in section T4B:

T4B12 to T4B11; T4B13 to T4B12, and T4B14 to T4B13

T5C13 - Modified question: "What is a unit of impedance?"

T5D06 - Distractor D: changed "8 Ohms" to "8 ohms"

T8B04 - Question wording and all distractors modified to:

T8B04 (D) What mode of transmission is commonly used by amateur radio satellites?

A. SSB

B. FM

C. CW/data

D. All of these choices are correct

T8C10 - Global modified term "Echolink" to "EchoLink" in question and
all distractors

T8D07 - Modified question: removed "or Digital Migration Radio"

T0B02 - Distractor D: removed "the" before the word "these"

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With stormy weather across much of the U.S. lately, if you are
planning to attend a license exam session, call or email the VE
Team Contact Person at least a day or two before the exam...to be
sure the exam session is still scheduled.

In some areas, flooded roads may keep you from getting to the
exam site, or the exam site may have been damaged by the storms.

It's best to not waste a trip, let alone put yourself at risk,
when stormy weather is, or has been, in the area. This is especially
true, as the southern part of the U.S. enters its Tornado Season.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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I've posted this before...but for prospective ham radio operators
in the U.S. and its territories, Saturday, June 30, is the FINAL DAY
to take the Technician Class license exams, from the July, 2014
Technician Class Question Pool. A *NEW* Question Pool, and resulting
exams take effect on Sunday, July 1.

While there isn't much of a difference in the old and new pools, it
could be enough of a difference, where if one studies the wrong exam
material, it could make the difference between passing and failing
the exam!!

From a central Arkansas standpoint, I have UPDATED the bulletin on
the BBS, concerning ham radio license exams in Benton, Sherwood, and Jacksonville, and have posted it below, for users convenience. Walk-ins
Are Welcome until 30 minutes after the start of the exam session.

For a list of items to bring to the exam session, go to:

http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session

***

1) Esther D. Nixon Library, 703 West Main Street, Jacksonville.
This Saturday, June 30 -- 12pm to 2pm
July 28, Aug. 25, Sept. 29, and Nov. 24 -- 1pm to 3pm

2) UALR Benton Center, 410 River Street, Benton.
July 7, and October 20 -- all sessions start at 9am.

3) Amy Sanders Library, 10200 Johnson Drive, Sherwood.
October 20 -- 2pm to 4pm
July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 8, Oct. 27, and Nov. 10 -- 12pm to 2pm

The Oct. 27 session will be run by Steven, K9ADF...because of
location issues, the Jacksonville testing has to move to Sherwood
that day. As noted above, yours truly, runs the Benton and Sherwood
sessions.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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I forgot to update the files listing for the Ham Radio Exams File
Area om the BBS with the Technician Class Question Pool change that
took place earlier today, July 1, 2018.

With being so busy with things for my elderly Mom, who's back in
the hospital, and being down sick with a migraine headache much of
today, it just hit me that I forgot to REMOVE the EXPIRED 2014 U.S.
Technician Class Question Pool files...they have now been removed
from the BBS.

The current dates and Question Pools for the U.S. Ham Radio License
Exams are:

Technician: July, 2018 -- valid through June 30, 2022
General: July, 2015 -- valid through June 30, 2019
Amateur Extra: July, 2016 -- valid through June 30, 2020

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio VE Team Liaison

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Even though the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms, right
now, I am hoping and planning to conduct a ham radio license exam
session this coming Saturday, August 18, 2018, at 12 Noon, at the Amy
Sanders Library in Sherwood.

The library is located at 10200 Johnson Drive, which is the 3rd traffic
light north of the intersection of Kiehl Avenue (Highway 176) and JFK
Blvd. (Highway 107). At the light, at the Mapco Gas Station/Convenience
Store, turn right...go past the Mapco, then take the first left...you'll
enter the library parking lot.

Then, next Saturday, August 25, the ADF ARC will be doing a license exam session at 1pm, at the Esther Nixon Library, 703 West Main Street, in Jacksonville, across the street from Wendy's.

Walk-ins are welcome for both sessions until 30 minutes after the session
start time.

For what to bring to the session, go to:

http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session

Examinees who want to take the exam(s), or currently accredited ARRL/VEC Volunteer Examiners (VE's) would like to serve, please email me OFF LIST
to wx1der at gmail dot com -- and we'll get you on the list.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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Due to a large number of amateur radio operators (many of them also
Volunteer Examiners) who will be attending the Mena Hamfest on Sept.
7 and 8, 2018...I have decided to CANCEL the previously scheduled
licensed exam session in Sherwood.

Also, due to impending hip surgery for yours truly this fall...and
because we've either had not enough VE's show up...or no examinees
show up...I have CHANGED the exam sessions in Sherwood on October
20 and November 10 to NO WALK-INS -- call or email beforehand. It
makes no sense to work to try to get enough VE's if no examinees
will show up.

Depending on when I have to do my hip surgery, I may CANCEL the
November 10 session...but I still have plenty of time to decide
that. Once I have the surgery, I will be in the hospital for at
least 3 days...will NOT be able to drive for at least 3 to 4
weeks, will NOT be able to lift heavy items, and will have to use
a walker for 4 months.

As of now, I personally do NOT look to be testing during the winter
months (December through February)...especially considering that
some long range outlooks from the WeatherBell.Com website
(specifically, The Pioneer Model), are showing a snowy, icy, and
cold winter for much of the southeast U.S. If that verifies, several
sessions will be cancelled, due to treacherous road conditions.
Besides, I will NOT be able to book any exam sessions for either
Benton or Sherwood until possibly December...and I'm looking at only
testing 4 times a year in both locations...as it has been too hard
to get enough VE's to serve.

For what to bring to the session, go to:

http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session

Examinees who want to take the exam(s), or currently accredited ARRL/VEC Volunteer Examiners (VE's) would like to serve, please email me OFF LIST
to wx1der at gmail dot com -- and we'll get you on the list.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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With either having Volunteer Examiners (VE's) and no examinees...or
vice versa...at test sessions in 2018, I am making CHANGES..in truth, REDUCTIONS...to the ham radio license exam sessions that I have been
doing in Benton and Sherwood, Arkansas, on selected Saturdays. These
changes will be as follows:

1) The tests will begin at 10am Central Time. Pre-Registration will be
REQUIRED (no walk-ins). The registration deadline is 10am on the Thursday before the test session. If no one contacts me by then, the session will
be CANCELLED...and I will contact the facility and the VE Team, to release
it and them for the day. The early start time allows VE's and examinees to
have the rest of their Saturday, once testing is completed...which should
be by 11am.

2) Testing will alternate with the even months at one location, and the
odd months at the other. Testing will NOT be done from November through February, due to the holidays, and both winter weather and severe weather potential (sometimes, the spring Tornado Season in Arkansas starts early).

Unfortunately, I can NOT schedule the testing in Sherwood until sometime
in December, 2018. And, I don't know what testing I can do in Benton,
although the facility (the University Of Arkansas At Little Rock (UALR)
Benton Center) doesn't have "competition" for events on Saturday, as does
the Amy Sanders Library in Sherwood. If I can't get the Amy Sanders Library
for sessions (all of them fill up fast), I'll try another Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) location...but if all of them are filled up as well, testing in Sherwood will end. I do NOT want to have to go to a place where there is an exhorbitant fee for just maybe a 1 to 2 hour usage window.

On a personal note, with my elderly Mom in a nursing home in Lonoke,
Arkansas (about an hour east of Little Rock), my involvement with ham
radio, and my other hobbies, has been curtailed a bit. But, if I can get
some sort of monetary settlement after she dies (she's 92, and not doing
well), then I may try to plan one final trip to a big hamfest...but, at
this time, I can NOT make any such plans, due to the following "red flags":

1) Money. You can't travel if you don't have the funds. As Robert Heinlein noted, "TANSTAFFL" -- there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

2) Health Concerns. I never know when I'll have another kidney stone or
other illness attack...and I'd like to be near home to get care quickly,
if needed.

3) Security. Even with an ADT Alarm System, and a Neighborhood Watch
Program, if I go out of the area, I can't just "drop what I'm doing"
to get home quickly, if something happens.

4) Holding Mail. Numerous times in past years, the Postal Service has
IGNORED the "Hold Mail" request. I don't want mail sitting in the
mailbox, giving the impression that "no one is here".

5) Logistics. No matter the mode of travel, one also has to consider
how one will get from the airport, train station, or bus depot, to the
hotels, then to/from the event venue...and lastly, reversing the process
on the way home.

6) Bedbugs. Unfortunately, this pest is becoming more and more common in hotels, etc. The ONLY way to get rid of them is INTENSE HEAT...by either washing EVERYTHING you have in hot water, or burning them up with fire.

So, there's a possibility that my travel days outside of central
Arkansas, are over. However, I hope the same does not apply for my
doing ham radio license exams...especially considering for every 3
out of 4 years, one of the ham radio licens class question pools, and
resulting exams, changes.

I hope to post an update sometime before Christmas, 2018.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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I have scheduled my 2019 license exams in Sherwood, Arkansas, at the
Amy Sanders Library. At this time, I do NOT know what dates I will
set up for Benton, Arkansas. But, since I have another VE Team for
Benton, those dates might be on the dates when I don't test in
Sherwood...yet those dates aren't guaranteed as yet.

For what to bring to the exam session, go to:

http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session

The changes this year for Sherwood are as follows:

1) For those unaware, the Amy Sanders Library is now at 10200 Johnson
Drive. Do NOT go the former location on Shelby Drive off of Kiehl
Avenue...as the Sherwood Police Department now uses that building.
Johnson Drive is the 3rd traffic light north of the intersection of
JFK Boulevard (Highway 107) and Kiehl Avenue (Highway 176). At the 3rd
traffic light, there is a MAPCO gas station and convenience store on
your right. Turn RIGHT at the light at the gas station, but drive past
the gas station entrance. The first left ahead is the entrance to the
library. Handicapped Parking is in the front, just to the right of the entrance. Note that a DISABLED PERMIT (license plate or hangtag) is
required.

2) If we are not in the front meeting room, we will be in the
"playground room" toward the back right (the room behind the glass
with a green wall). While it's smaller, they're not doing anything in
that room at that hour...and we didn't have many examinees at past
sessions anyway. Four tables will still be available for our use. Just
ask the staff at the desk which room the testing will be located in.
I will be there at least 30 minutes prior to the session (if it's not cancelled, as noted below) to set up.

3) The exam time will be at 10am, on the first Saturday of the months
noted. This allows the VE's and examinees to have their afternoons
free. There will be six (6) opportunities to test at Sherwood in 2019.

If these dates and times are not convenient for you to test, you can go
to:

http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

Enter ARKANSAS in the State Criteria (if looking in Arkansas) and click
SEARCH.

Then call, write, or email the contact person noted.

I figured I had better book the dates now, or I might not have aad opportunities to test!!

4) Pre-Registration will be REQUIRED no later than 48 hours prior to the session. Walk-ins will NOT be accepted, UNLESS the test session goes on
(at least 2 people have signed up to test). This Contact will be via
voice mail to 501-476-2545, or email to wx1der at gmail dot com -- if
either is received PRIOR to the 48 hour deadline noted below, you will
be called or emailed that afternoon. This ensures that the VE's don't
make the trip for nothing (no examinees show up).

5) If no one signs up by the deadline (10am Thursday before the 1st
Saturday of the month), the test session that day will be CANCELLED.
Also, if there is a threat of winter weather for the January 5 or
February 2 sessions, those will be cancelled in the interest of safety.
Should cancellation be necessary, I will notify the VE Team, ARRL/VEC,
and the Amy Sanders Library...as well as any examinees who may have pre-registered. If you MISS THE DEADLINE, you will have to register
for the next session, or go test with another VE Team.

Here are the dates and the deadlines, as well as for reasons of
cancellation for the months when I don't test in Sherwood. Those are
either for hamfests in the state, holidays, or public service events,
where a lot of ham radio operators take part.

These dates will be on the ARRL/VEC Exam Calendar as soon as possible.

Jan. 5 at 10am - Register By: Jan. 3 at 10am
Feb. 2 at 10am - Register By: Jan. 31 at 10am

** NO TESTING IN MARCH DUE TO RUSSELLVILLE HAMFEST ON MARCH 2 **
** NO TESTING IN APRIL DUE TO POSSIBLE FORT SMITH HAMFEST ON APRIL 6 **
** THE FORT SMITH HAMFEST IS NOT YET SCHEDULED ON THE CALENDAR **

May 4 at 10am - Register By: May 2 at 10am
June 1 at 10am - Register By: May 30 at 10am

** NO TESTING IN JULY DUE TO THE INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND **

Aug. 3 at 10am - Register By: Aug. 1 at 10am

** NO TESTING IN SEPTEMBER DUE TO THE MENA HAMFEST **
** NO TESTING IN OCTOBER DUE TO THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER 100 **

Nov. 2 at 10am - Register By: Oct. 31 at 10am

** NO TESTING IN DECEMBER DUE TO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS **

Testing will likely be done at the Hoxie Hamfest on Feb. 16...at the Russellville Hamfest on March 2...and the Mena Hamfest on Sept. 7. If
there is a Hamfest in Fort Smith on April 6, they likely will do testing
there as well. For details on those hamfests, go to:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search

Enter ARKANSAS for the state, click on SEARCH, and look for the available links.

I have decided NOT to test on July 6, due to the July 4 holiday being
on a Thursday, and some folks may want to take an extended weekend. I
also am NOT testing during the weekend of the Arkansas Traveler 100
in October...a 36 hour event, and many hams take part providing the
emergency communications for that event. And, I've decided NOT to test
on December 7 due to the holidays, and for Skywarn Recognition Day.

Currently accredited ARRL/VEC Volunteer Examiners who would like to serve
can contact me via email to wx1der at gmail dot com -- or contact my
voice mail at 501-476-2545. Email is the preferred method of contact.
You can also reach me on the Amateur Radio Volunteers Examiners Group
on Facebook.

Those who would like to take the exam(s) on the dates noted, should
contact me at the entries noted above, and by the deadlines noted above.

One last item of note...Element 3, the General Class License Exam
Question Pool, will CHANGE on July 1, 2019. Final versions of it from
the National Council Of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) will
probably not be out until sometime next spring. Those wishing to upgrade
to General Class before the Question Pool changes, should get their
studies in high gear. I understand that the new pool will have only one graphic/schematic diagram (as is the case now), and 1 less question in
the pool than there is now. As of Dec. 18, 2018, the new General Class
Question Pool has not yet been released...but I'd wait until the NCVEC
website (www.ncvec.org) notes "FINAL VERSION", before downloading such.
If you plan to take the General Class Exam prior to July 1, 2019, you
will study the pool dated July 1, 2015. Otherwise, you will study the
pool dated July 1, 2019.

You can also contact me if you have any questions.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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From the ARRL website, Dec. 19, 2018:

The FCC has released its Plan for Orderly Shutdown in case funds become unavailable to continue operation.

"If a potential lapse in appropriations is imminent, the FCC will
determine whether, and for how long, prior-year funds are available
to continue agency operations during a lapse," the FCC said in its
plan.

According to the plan, if prior-year funds are available, the FCC
will remain open beyond a lapse. If prior-year funds are unavailable,
or exhausted during the lapse in appropriations, the FCC will commence
a shutdown.

ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said in such situations, the FCC
website goes offline, which includes the Universal Licensing System
(ULS) and the registration system (CORES). "This means all electronic
license transactions would stop," Somma said. "FRN registrations would
be unavailable, and even the search engines would be unavailable."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has introduced a short-term
spending bill to fund the government through February 8, 2019, in an
effort to avert a partial government shutdown this week. The FCC said
that, in general, during such a shutdown, all FCC activities will cease
other than those immediately necessary for the protection of life or
property, performing other excepted activities or those funded through
a source other than lapsed appropriations.

***

Addendum:

According to a story from the Fox News website on Dec. 20, 2018...
President Trump said that he will NOT approve/sign the "Continuing
Resolution", because "it contains no funding for the Border Wall"...which Republicans support, and Democrats oppose.

In other words, Congressional Gridlock (which has been the case for many years...they believe "compromise" is a "dirty word") rules the day again.
All they care about is their political careers, and not about their constituents. And, the President added that basically "Congress is just
kicking the can down the road again".

In short, unless a breakthrough can be made for the President to sign
the Continuing Resolution, the government will "have a partial shutdown", likely until after the new year, when the new Congress is sworn in.
Congress is "going home for the holidays", whether the government stays
open or not.

While the Democrats will then control the House of Representatives, the Republicans will still control the Senate. However, even if they reach
an agreement, if the President refuses to sign the Continuing Resolution,
all their work is basically for nothing.

Those having CSCE's (Certificates Of Successful Completion Of Examination)
from a ham radio license exam session, do NOT get an extension in the
effective time of said CSCE. They are valid ONLY for 365 days from the
date of issuance. Normally, it only takes 2 weeks (sometimes a little
longer) after a license exam session, for the new license or upgrade to
show up in the FCC ULS. Once the new license or upgrade is in the FCC
ULS, the CSCE basically means nothing...and can either be kept as a
novelty, or discarded. The same applies if more than 365 days has elapsed
since the issuance of the CSCE.

For those who pass a license exam before or during a government shutdown,
only those with upgrades (they already had a callsign and license) can
still be on the air, using their new privileges, with the temporary
suffix identifiers. They will continue to do that until either the
government shutdown ends, or the CSCE expires. However, government
shutdowns rarely last more than a month or two at most...as it's
damaging in so many ways, including political. So, it's unlikely that
these upgrades would be lost, and the examinee would have to re-take
the license exam element again...unless the shutdown lasts for more
than a year.

Unfortunately, for those who just passed their first ham radio license
exam, the only way they can get on the air is via "Third Party Traffic",
under the supervision of a currently licensed ham radio operator. With
the government shutdown, the normal wait of 1 to 2 weeks after the exam,
can be 1 to 2 months or longer.

VE Teams can still conduct license exam sessions, but they should advise examinees that "Due to a government shutdown, there will be a delay in processing your new or upgraded license"...adding "this is out of our
hands".

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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FCC to Suspend Most Operations on Jan. 3, if Government Shutdown Continues

If the partial lapse in federal government funding continues, the FCC
will suspend most operations on Thursday, January 3, at mid-day. At
that time, employees will have up to 4 hours to complete an orderly
shutdown of operations. Work required for the protection of life and
property will continue, however, as will any work related to spectrum
auctions, which is funded by auction proceeds. In addition, the Office
of the Inspector General will continue operations until further notice.

ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said in such situations, the FCC
website would go offline, including the Universal Licensing System (ULS)
and the Commission Registration System (CORES). "This means all
electronic license transactions would stop," Somma said. "FRN
registrations would be unavailable, and even the search engines would
be unavailable."

The FCC said it will release a Public Notice on January 1, detailing
the specific effects that a suspension of operations would have,
including the impact on electronic filing and database systems, filing deadlines, regulatory and application fee payments, transaction shot
clocks, and more.

The FCC has released its overall shutdown plan. The resumption of normal operations will also be announced on the FCC's website.

Agencies affected by the shutdown make up about a quarter of that portion
of the federal government funded by Congress. Some 350,000 government
employees have been furloughed since the partial shutdown began on
December 22.

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From the Jan. 4, 2019 release of Amateur Radio Newsline

BREAKING NEWS: FCC SUSPENDS OPERATIONS ON JAN. 3 FOLLOWING GOVT. SHUTDOWN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with breaking news. Newsline went to production on Thursday, January 3rd, just hours after the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., shut many of its operations, becoming one of the many U.S. government agencies to close down in the wake
of the Dec. 22 partial government shutdown. The FCC made its announcement
as deadlock between the president and Congress over funding for the controversial Mexican border wall entered its 14th day. FCC systems to
remain available to the public include the Universal Licensing System, the Commission Online Registration System, the Auction Application System, and
the Auctions Public Reporting System. Spectrum auctions and related
activities are to continue, because the auctions are funded by their own proceeds. The FCC had originally been expected to shut previously, but the agency announced in late December it was able to delay such action for a
little while, because it had come up with available funds to continue its operations. With the partial closure, visitors to the FCC's website will
still be able to get online, but the agency will not be updating any information displayed there, search engines will not work, license
transactions will cease -- and there will be no access to data about
informal complaints filed with the agency. The Office of the Inspector
General is to remain open.

(WIRED, ASSOCIATED PRESS, FCC)

***

As a result, on the BBS, the "HamData Callsign Updates Bulletin", will
NOT be updated after the post on Jan. 4, 2019, until after the partial government shutdown ends, and the FCC can "clear the backlog".

***

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The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC)
Question Pool Committee (QPC) has released the 2019 - 2023 FCC Element
3 General Class Question Pool into the public domain. The 2019 - 2023
General Class (Element 3) Question Pool is available in Word, ASCII
text, and PDF versions. The new Question Pool is effective for Element
3 exams administered on or after July 1, 2019.

The Question Pool Committee also released on January 6 a revised
diagram Figure G7-1 (PDF) (JPG), as part of the new Element 3 Question
Pool.

You can download these at www.ncvec.org

- Thanks to NCVEC Question Pool Committee

***

Note: On The Thunderbolt BBS, in the ham radio license exams file
area, only the PDF versions are noted.

If there are changes between now and July 1, 2019 (when the new pool
takes effect), they will be updated accordingly. In the 12 years I've
been a Volunteer Examiner, I've yet to see a pool that was released
by the NCVEC *NOT* have to have changes, corrections, etc. I would
think that by April, 2019, the final version of the new General Class
Question Pool and the Schematic Diagram, would be in place.

The 2015GEN.PDF (Question Pool), and 2015GENG.PDF (Schematic) files
will be REMOVED from the BBS on July 1, 2019, as they will no longer
be valid.

The NCVEC Question Pool Committee will then invite comments, submissions, changes, etc. from Amateur Extra Class Licensees, to the Amateur Extra
Class Question Pool, set for release in January, 2020 -- taking effect
on July 1, 2020. Then, the pool updates "take the year (2021) off"...with
the cycle beginning again with the Technician Class Question Pool in 2022.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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I've been running ham radio nets since I was first licensed in 1991,
so I ought to know what I'm doing (hi hi). But, with the logs now, I
check the callsign databases, as I'm just entering the callsigns in
a textfile, then I add info for the logs after the nets.

But, the main reasons I check the database are to get name and location information...but more importantly, to check if the license is expired.

Several months ago, on a net that I ran, I asked "Without looking at
your ham radio license, do you know when it expires??". Except for one
other person besides myself, everyone else said "No"...I was shocked!!

Anyway, in prepping the logs for a net last night, I discovered that
one ham's license was due to expire within the next 3 weeks. However,
with the U.S. Government in "partial shutdown", that includes the FCC,
which grants ham radio licenses (new, renewal, upgrade), and callsigns (sequential and vanity)...for both ham radio and other services. There
is no indication on how long the shutdown will last...and there'll be a
huge backlog of callsigns to process, once the government shutdown ends.

The ham radio licenses are good for 10 years, with a 2 year grace
period after expiration to renew without loss of callsign or privileges. However, both of those are LOST if the license is more than 2 years
being expired. At minimum, the individual has to take the Technician
Class exam to get back into ham radio...but it's not like "the old days",
where if you were formerly a 20 wpm Amateur Extra Class ham...you had
to take the Novice, Technician, General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra
Class exams again, plus a 20 wpm Morse Code test (they figured if you
could copy 20 wpm, you could copy 5 wpm and 13 wpm).

Nowadays, if you were a former Novice or Technician Class licensee,
you're "starting over", as if you had never taken a ham radio license
exam. But, if you were previously a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra
Class licensee, partial credit is available...yet you still have to
take and pass the Technician written exam.

General and Advanced Class hams get credit only for Element 3, the
General Class license. Former Advanced Class hams are DOWNGRADED to
General, since both the Novice and Advanced Class licenses were ended
in 2000...but holders of those two can renew them at the appropriate
time. Former Amateur Extra Class hams get credit for Elements 3 and 4.
But, both of these still ahve to take and pass the Technician exam.

With the lapsing of their license, their callsign is also forfeited.
So, if they had a 1x2 or 2x1 callsign as an Extra Class ham, it's very
likely they won't get it back...even though the Vanity Callsign system. Besides, even if one applies, there's still a 21 day waiting period, and
if someone else has applied for that callsign before the original holder
does, the original holder likely won't get it. However, I know many
Extra Class hams who still have their 2x3 Novice type callsign...and
my callsign is a vanity type Novice Callsign...even though I'm an Amateur
Extra Class ham.

In short, if you're in the final days before license expiration, and
if the government shutdown continues for a good awhile, you're going
to be QRT (off the air) in short order...and will remain such until
the shutdown ends, and your license is renewed. Plus, if you're in the
final days of the "2 year grace period", and if the government shutdown continues for a good while, you're going to lose your license and
callsign, and have to "start over".

So, before you press <ENTER> to go to the next message, look in your
ham radio shack, or in your wallet...or go to one of the callsign
databases online (QRZ, HamData, etc.), and look it up. If your license
is expired, you can NOT legally check into a net...let alone get on the air...and Net Controls do NOT have to log you in this case.

Besides, not keeping track of the expiration date of your drivers
license, can end up costing you a huge fine, or sending you to jail.
The same can apply for transmitting on an expired or lapsed ham radio
license.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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Amateur Radio Applications in Limbo as Partial Shutdown Continues

01/10/2019

The FCC is not processing any Amateur Radio applications, as the partial government shutdown approaches its fourth week. The FCC suspended "most operations" at mid-day on Thursday, January 3, although an appearance of activity continues. For radio amateurs, the shutdown means that while the Universal Licensing System (ULS) continues to accept applications for all
valid purposes, the FCC will not review, or act upon them, until the
funding stalemate is resolved. This includes Volunteer Examiner Coordinator test session batch files, as well as modification, renewal, and vanity call sign applications filed by individual licensees. Amateur Radio newcomers
who have passed the required examinations will have to wait until the
shutdown concludes, to receive a call sign and authorization to operate. License upgrades are also on hold.

"Due to a lapse in funding, the operations of the Federal Communications Commission will be limited with no system support. We regret any inconvenience," the FCC says on the ULS home page. This means very
limited human intervention while the shutdown continues, and if a system
breaks down, it may not be repaired until after employees are back on the payroll. At this point, 262 of 1,437 FCC employees (excepting contractors) remain on the job, as are FCC Commissioners.

The Antideficiency Act prohibits FCC and other federal employees from
working until funds are available to pay them; they may not even
volunteer, check their email, or attend meetings. While the law doesn't directly affect FCC automated filing databases, some of these cannot
operate without regular human intervention.

The Commission has emphasized that it will undertake any activities
necessary for the protection of life and property during the funding
lapse. That includes the High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) Center
in Maryland, considered essential.

The FCC website remains up, and the FCC Daily Digest of its activity
continues to be posted, but the website is not being updated, and the
only items in the Daily Digest are those related to spectrum auctions,
activity that is funded through auction proceeds, not government funds.
The Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) also will accept posts, but
filings will not be reviewed or processed until after normal operations
return.

The FCC spelled out the overall impact of the funding lapse in a January
2 Public Notice. Using available funds, the agency was able to maintain
a business-as-usual posture until that date. The FCC released an updated
Plan for Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations
on January 9. The resumption of normal operations will also be announced
on the FCC's website.

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ARRL VE Newsletter January 2019

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN and EXAM MAKER UPDATE

=======================================================================

Inside this VE E-Newsletter:

Government Shutdown Impacts License Applications

CORES/FRN Registration remains available

Exam Maker Software Update

=======================================================================

Summary: Government Shutdown Impacts Amateur Radio License Applications

According to the FCC public notice statement: Aside from a few emergency
and auction filing systems, all other Commission electronic filing systems
will be unavailable to the public until normal agency operations resume.

Therefore, the FCC is not processing any Amateur license applications
during the shutdown, which includes individual, club, and exam session
(new and upgrade) applications.

The FCC CORES registration system is one of the few systems that remains available to the public, and is not affected by the shutdown. Applicants
can still register in CORES, and be assigned an FCC Registration Number
(FRN). https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do

Additionally, information included in the FCC public notice outlined how licenses that will expire while the FCC is closed will be handled. If a
license has just expired, or is about to expire, the ham can file the
renewal application, and continue to operate while the FCC is closed.
The filed application will remain in limbo until the FCC is back to work.

If the Amateur waits until the FCC reopens, then they will have two days
to submit the renewal before their license is considered expired in the
FCC database.

The FCC public notice did not specifically address licenses that had
expired, and were near the end of the 2-year grace period, other than
to state,"We are not automatically extending the deadlines, but we will consider whether it is appropriate to do so, once normal operations
resume."

Web News Story: Amateur Radio Applications in Limbo as Partial Shutdown Continues

The FCC is not processing any Amateur Radio applications as the partial government shutdown approaches its fourth week. The FCC suspended "most operations" at mid-day on Thursday, January 3, although an appearance of activity continues. For radio amateurs, the shutdown means that, while
the Universal Licensing System (ULS) continues to accept applications
for all valid purposes, the FCC will not review, or act upon them, until
the funding stalemate is resolved. This includes Volunteer Examiner
Coordinator test session batch files, as well as modification, renewal,
and vanity call sign applications, filed by individual licensees. Amateur
Radio newcomers who have passed the required examinations will have to
wait until the shutdown concludes, to receive a call sign, and
authorization to operate. License upgrades are also on hold.

"Due to a lapse in funding, the operations of the Federal Communications Commission will be limited, with no system support. We regret any inconvenience," the FCC says on the ULS home page. This means very
limited human intervention, while the shutdown continues, and if a
system breaks down, it will not be repaired until after employees are
back on the payroll. At this point, 262 of 1,437 FCC employees
(excepting contractors) remain on the job, as are FCC Commissioners.

The Antideficiency Act prohibits FCC and other federal employees from
working until funds are available to pay them; they may not even
volunteer, check their email, or attend meetings. While the law doesn't directly affect FCC automated filing databases, some of these cannot
operate without regular human intervention.

The Commission has emphasized that it will undertake any activities
necessary for the protection of life and property during the funding
lapse. That includes the High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) Center
in Maryland, considered essential.

The FCC website remains up, and the FCC Daily Digest of its activity
continues to be posted, but the website is not being updated, and the
only items it contains are those related to spectrum auctions, activity
that is funded through auction proceeds, not government funds. The
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) will also accept posts, but
filings will not be reviewed or processed, until after normal operations return.

The FCC spelled out the overall impact of the funding lapse in a January
2 Public Notice. Using available funds, the agency was able to maintain
a business-as-usual posture until that date. The FCC released an updated
Plan for Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations
on January 9. The resumption of normal operations will also be announced
on the FCC's website.

For further information, please see the ARRL news items on the website:

01/10/2019

http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-applications-in-limbo-as-partial- shutdown-continues

(above URL all on one line)

01/02/2019

http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-outlines-impact-on-its-operations-of- potential-funding-lapse

(above URL all on one line)

=======================================================================

Exam Maker Software Update

We've corrected an issue within the program where a few of the Technician questions were transposed.

To update existing question pools that have been modified, current users
must manually download the entire exam database to fix the problem.

Unfortunately, the "update exam data" command does not pick up on the
minor changes when we fix them.

The database will say it is "up to date" even though the question pool
database has changed slightly.

To fix the issue with the Tech questions, all VEs that utilize the
software must "Initialize Database" and the program will have to
completely reload all of the questions pools again. Previously printed
Exam Maker Technician exams should be tossed.

1. Click "Update" then "Initialize Database".

2. A pop-up window will state: "This will reload the complete set of
question pools. Continue?" Click OK.

3. Then enter your user name and password and click "Execute".

4. The window will state: "Initializing Exam Database. Please wait...".

When completed the window will state: "Exam Database Initialized".

NEW USERS: Use the "Download and Install" instructions on the VE Exam
Maker Software web page www.arrl.org/ve-exam-maker-software.

=======================================================================

Thank you for your support in the field!

=======================================================================

The ARRL VEC Staff is Ready to Serve You!

As always, the dedicated VEC staff are here to answer any questions
you may have.

ARRL VEC: (860) 594-0300 (8am to 5pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday)

Address: ARRL VEC, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111

Email: VEC@arrl.org

Web: www.arrl.org/volunteer-examiners

ARRL VEC Fax: 860-594-0339

Maria Somma, AB1FM, Manager

Amanda Grimaldi, N1NHL, Assistant Manager

Stephanie Borden W2MAU, Service Representative

Ann Brinius, Service Representative

Lisa Riendeau, Service Representative

Joshua Nance, Service Representative

We thank you for your efforts and interest in the ARRL VEC program.

=======================================================================

ARRL VEC VE Newsletter is published by the American Radio Relay League,
Inc. - the national association for Amateur Radio (R).

Material from the ARRL VE E-Newsletter may be republished or reproduced
in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit
must be given to The American Radio Relay League VEC.

ARRL VEC
225 Main Street
Newington CT 06111 USA

Sincerely,

Maria Somma, AB1FM - VEC Manager / Editor

ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio (R)

225 Main Street

Newington, CT 06111 USA

msomma@arrl.org

=======================================================================

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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From Maria Somma, AB1FM, at ARRL/VEC:

As per the message from the ARRL/VEC VE Newsletter, concerning the
re-printing of the Technician exams, they only have to be re-printed if
the following 4 questions that were printed.

T3A13

T3B01

T5A04

T5A05

If any of the questions are on the exams, simply affix a replacement
sticker with a substitute question over the incorrect question on the
exam.

The replacement question must be from within the subelement the problem question is from (ie: question T5A04 must be replaced with a question
from the T5A subelement).

Also, if your exams are aligned to a specific overlay grading template,
then it is very important that the answer position of the CORRECT answer
will not change.

The new question's correct answer must continue to match up with the
Overlay Grading Template and Exam Answer Key.

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Amateur Radio Applications Piling Up as Partial Government Shutdown
Continues

01/23/2019

Volunteer Examiner Coordinators across the US are continuing to receive paperwork from Amateur Radio exam sessions held during the partial
government shutdown. While it's still possible to access the Universal Licensing System (ULS) and file applications, the FCC is not processing individual, club, and exam session - new and upgrade - Amateur Radio applications. The FCC closed most operations on January 3, when available funding ran out. According to the FCC public notice, aside from a few
emergency and auction-filing systems, all other Commission electronic
filing systems will be unavailable to the public until normal agency
operations resume.

"Nothing's moving until the FCC reopens," said ARRL VEC Manager Maria
Somma, AB1FM. "ARRL VEC continues to enter exam session, individual, and
club license data into the system, while we wait for the FCC to reopen,
and normal agency operations to resume. We have approximately 1,600 applications, and 125 exam sessions, waiting in the queue to be
processed. Everything's in there ready to go."

Somma stressed that, although license upgrade applications are still on
hold, current FCC Amateur Radio licensees who have successfully upgraded,
and hold a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE),
may operate, temporarily using the privileges of their new license class,
until their new licenses are granted.

Even though it's not possible for the FCC to grant a new license, a
license upgrade, a change of address, or other modification, or a vanity
call sign application, the Commission Registration System (CORES) remains functional to allow critical radio services to obtain FRNs, and file applications during the shutdown. Registering a user name, and logging
into CORES is required to apply for, and receive an FCC Registration
Number (FRN). An FRN is a unique 10-digit identifier necessary to conduct business with the FCC, and to manage existing FRNs. The FCC said that
starting in March, users who already have an FRN from the legacy
Commission Registration System will need to create a user name to continue managing their FRNs.

If an Amateur Radio license recently has expired, or is about to expire,
the licensee can apply for license renewal via the ULS, and continue to
operate while the FCC is closed. The filed application will remain in
limbo until the FCC is back to work. Licensee who wait until the FCC
reopens to apply, then will have 2 days to submit a renewal application
before the license is considered to have expired in the FCC database.

The FCC has said it would not automatically extend deadlines in cases
where the license has expired, and the 2-year grace period has expired,
but said it would "consider whether it is appropriate to do so, once
normal operations resume."

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According to FoxNews on Jan. 25, 2019, there has been an agreement to
end the government shut down (at least for now). However, we may be
right back at square one on Feb. 15, 2019, three weeks from now, with
another "government shutdown".

Now that the shutdown is over (at least for now), there is a huge amount
of a backlog of data to get into the FCC ULS, from the various VEC's. I
just hope the FCC's computers don't crash with all the influx of exam
session data!!

***

If you, as an amateur radio operator do NOT know when your ham radio
license is to expire, YOU NEED TO STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, AND FIND OUT
NOW!!

If your license lapsed (was expired more than 2 years from Dec. 22,
2018 until now), you are going to have to "start over"...as you have LOST
your license and callsign...and will have to, AT MINIMUM, take the
Technician Class exam.

You will get a new callsign about 1 to 2 weeks AFTER the exam session... unless another government shutdown has taken hold. Then, you will have to
WAIT EVEN LONGER to get back on the air. Plus, if you had a "highly sought after callsign", it's likely that someone else will have snatched it up
through the Vanity Callsign system, and you will NOT be able to get it
back. In short, you have no one to blame but yourself, for not keeping
track of when your ham radio license expired or lapsed.

***

Amateur Radio Operators, prospective and current, are asked to be
patient, due to the delay in license processing.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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According to the ARRL website as of Jan. 29, 2019, "The FCC is back in business". It should start processing the backlog of license renewals,
and exam session results from the VEC's sometime today. However, I am
going to WAIT until Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, to post an updated callsign bulletin...since data on the hamdata.com website is delayed by a day.

***

If you, as an amateur radio operator do NOT know when your ham radio
license is to expire, YOU NEED TO STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, AND FIND OUT
NOW!!

If your license lapsed (was expired more than 2 years from Dec. 22,
2018 until now), you are going to have to "start over"...as you have LOST
your license and callsign...and will have to, AT MINIMUM, take the
Technician Class exam.

You will get a new callsign about 1 to 2 weeks AFTER the exam session... unless another government shutdown has taken hold. Then, you will have to
WAIT EVEN LONGER to get back on the air. Plus, if you had a "highly sought after callsign", it's likely that someone else will have snatched it up
through the Vanity Callsign system, and you will NOT be able to get it
back. In short, you have no one to blame but yourself, for not keeping
track of when your ham radio license expired or lapsed.

***

Amateur Radio Operators, prospective and current, are asked to be
patient, due to the delay in license processing.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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FCC Now Processing Amateur Radio Applications - 01/30/2019

The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator said today that the FCC has begun processing Amateur Radio applications for the first time since early
January, when it shut down because of the lapse in funding.

"The FCC worked through its backlog very quickly, and started processing
our files about noon today," Assistant ARRL VEC Manager Amanda Grimaldi,
N1NHL, said on Wednesday. "We're slowly submitting the files we have in
queue - we don't want to bombard them! Assuming there are no hiccups,
everyone should see their applications processed by the close of business
on Thursday."

The ARRL VEC had piled up some 2,700 pending Amateur Radio applications,
many of them from 425 ARRL VEC examination sessions that took place
during the shutdown, or immediately prior to it. These do not include
files that the other 13 VECs may have ready to upload to the FCC.

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