From: bjahnke%arrlhq.UUCP@uhasun.hartford.edu (Bart Jahnke) 
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy 
Subject: Acceptable evidence of Element Credit held & Technicians w/HF privileges 
Message-ID: <332@arrlhq.UUCP> 
Date: 3 Dec 91 12:17:43 GMT 
Sender: uhasun.hartford.edu!arrlhq!bjahnke (Bart Jahnke) 
Organization: American Radio Relay League 
Lines: 139 
 
 
Many of you have shared your concerns in this newsgroup regarding  
what is considered acceptable evidence of Element Credit  
held/possessed toward any upgrade(s) you are seeking; and how 
will/does the FCC know the difference between the two types 
of Technician licensees.   
 
Since we work with closely with the FCC, here's what the FCC requires  
of us--the ARRL/VEC. 
 
 
ELEMENT CREDIT 
 
As provided in Section 97.505 of the FCC Rules, VEs must give credit to an 
examinee holding any of the following documents: 
 
1. An unexpired (or expired but within the grace period [there is a 5  
year grace period for 5-year licenses and a 2 year grace period for  
10-year licenses]) FCC-issued amateur operator license: The least  
elements required for the license held. For a Technician class operator  
license issued BEFORE March 21, 1987, credit must also be given for  
Element 3(B) [the 25 question General class written examination]. 
 
2. A CSCE: Each element the CSCE indicates the examinee passed within the 
previous 365 days. 
 
3. A photocopy of an FCC Form 610 which was submitted to the FCC  
indicating that the examinee qualified for a Novice class operator license 
within the previous 365 days: Elements 1A and 2. 
 
4. An unexpired (or expired less than 5 years) FCC-issued commercial  
RadioteleGRAPH operator license or permit: Element 1(C). 
 
5. A current, or expired but within the grace period for renewal,  
Novice, Technician plus a CSCE indicating that the person passed  
Element 1(A) or 1(B).  Technician issued before February 14, 1991.   
General, or Advanced Class operator license, and a Form 610  
containing: 
   (i) A physician's certification stating that because the person is  
an individual with a severe handicap, the duration of which extends for  
more than 365 days beyond the date of certification, the person is  
unable to pass a 13 or 20 words per minute telegraphy examination; and  
   (ii) A release signed by the person permitting disclosure to the FCC  
of medical information pertaining to the person's handicap: Element 1(C). 
 
Also, per instruction 5 on the Instructions To Form 610 for Technician,  
General, Advanced and Amateur Extra class to examiners: Element 1A or 2  
credit is acceptable for 365 days as documented on an ORIGINAL Form 610 
for an unsuccessful Novice operator examination indicating either 
Element 1A or Element 2 was passed (see also November 1991 QST--Exam Info). 
 
 
DOCUMENTATION 
 
Lost Licenses 
 
The FCC currently will not allow VECs to submit upgrade applications  
to them without attaching a copy of the applicant's current FCC-issued  
license held.  
 
For those who have lost their original license, and have no copy, 
a replacement license or FCC Form 1010-B license verification letter 
must be obtained by the applicant and presented to the VE Team at the  
test session (or to the VEC after the session) in order for the upgrade 
application to be forwarded to the FCC.  The Form 1010-B verification 
letter serves as a valid FCC license for operating or upgrading purposes-- 
and will arrive in about two weeks.  The replacement license will take 
closer to four weeks for receipt.  The Form 1010-B verification of license 
letter can be requested by calling the FCC at (717) 337-1212. 
 
Licenses Which Convey Element Credit 
 
As described in Item 1 (Element Credit) above, Technician licensees who  
have passed the old Element 3 Technician/General examination prior to  
March 21, 1987, must present the original or a copy of the Technician  
license carrying the pre-3/21/87 begin date to the VE Team in order to  
received credit for the current Element 3(B) General class written 
examination. 
 
If the original (or copy of) a pre-3/21/87 license has been lost or  
thrown away, then a suitable verification must be obtained from the FCC. 
In order to receive the necessary verification document from the 
FCC, write them at 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245,  
and request a letter of VERIFICATION OF TECHNICIAN CLASS LICENSE  
HELD PRIOR TO 3/21/87.  That letter may be a special letter 
carrying the signature of an FCC Staff member, or it can be a Form 
1010-B Verification Letter. 
 
Although some VECs, including the ARRL/VEC, do have access to a copy of  
the FCC's data base which includes licensing data prior to 3/21/87, 
as we have gotten farther away from that date, verifications 
have become nearly impossible for us to accomplish.  The FCC, on the  
other hand, will make their verifications from their permanent  
archives--and not from their current (active) data base. 
 
 
TECHNICIANS WHO HAVE HF PRIVILEGES 
 
Although the FCC has chosen not to identify or distinguish codeless  
Technicians differently from Technicians who have HF privileges,  
the FCC does know who is who. 
 
A data base of Technician class licensees who have earned HF privileges  
is being maintained by the National Conference of VECs, and information 
on each Technician licensee with HF privileges is being made  
available to the FCC. 
 
Of course, any Technician class licensee who was licensed prior to 
February 14, 1991, does have HF privileges--and the VEC Conference  
data base reflects this.  New Technicians licensed after that  
date who subsequently pass a Morse code examination at a VEC-coordinated 
examination--as documented on a VE Team-issued Certificate of Successful  
Completion of Examination (CSCE); or a Novice licensee who have  
upgraded to Technician; have also been added to the Technician  
w/HF privileges data base. 
 
Although perhaps not immediately, the FCC does have access to Technician 
w/HF privileges licensee information and is able to determine 
which Technicians do, or do not, have HF privileges--and are able to  
conduct enforcement where necessary.   
 
 
Should you have any further questions regarding examination or upgrade 
requirements, please feel free to contact me at the ARRL/VEC at: 
 
       bjahnke%arrlhq.UUCP@uhasun.hartford.edu  
 
Or at: 
 
ARRL/VEC, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111   
 
Tel: (203) 666-1541 
 
 
73, 
 
Bart J. Jahnke, KB9NM 
Manager 
ARRL/VEC