From: bjahnke%arrlhq.UUCP@uhasun.hartford.edu (Bart Jahnke)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy
Subject: Re: OK ... I'm confused...
Summary: Here's the scoop...
Date: 9 Apr 1992 12:33:51 GMT
Organization: American Radio Relay League - VEC


  >In rec.radio.amateur.policy, cs00jmc@unccvax.uncc.edu (John Covington 
  >WN4BBJ) writes:
  >>In article <571@hsdndev.UUCP> Conrad_Nobili@Harvard.EDU (Conrad C. 
  >>Nobili) writes:
  >>Today I received mail from W5YI-VEC.  It congratulates me
  >... 
  >>So my question is what the heck is W5YI talking about...?  I
  >>mean all I "upgraded" was from Technician to Technician
  >>Plus HF, which we have all heard beaten to death here is not
  >>a real licensing distinction as far as the FCC is concerned....

No doubt the W5YI-VEC offered its' congratulations to you because you've 
recently earned additional operator privileges by passing a Morse 
code examination.

  >The VECs are supposed to send a list of those Technician licensees
  >who have passed a code test to the FCC periodically...

Correct.  We and other VECs are supplying information to a data base being
maintained by the National Conference of VECs (NCVEC); information which is
supplied to the FCC.

  >...and a 
  >separate database is being maintained of these folks so the FCC will have 
  >a record that someone is legal on HF.  

  >...They...

they being the FCC...

  >...are NOT issuing licenses to 
  >reflect this and in their main database there is no such indication of 
  >such, only in the separate database...

True.  The FCC only recognizes one Technician license.  A Technician with a
license begin date after 2/14/91 is considered to be a codeless licensee, 
unless additional privileges are verified and documented through the 
possession of certain items (see "D." below).

  >The ARRL is also keeping track of this information as the mailing labels 
  >they send out have a '+' for Technicians with code, and T for those without 
  >(and N,G,A,E for other license classes).  Those Techs licensed before Feb 
  >1991 appear as '+' on their labels.  I don't know if they are receiving 1A 
  >info from the other VECs or just from their own VEC operation.

We are receiving a courtesy copy of all VEC-supplied Technician w/HF data 
from the NCVEC data base.

  >So I presume that W5YI-VEC really wants your callsign so they can add
  >the fact that you passed 1A to the database, which will eventually be
  >passed to the FCC.

I would suspect that's the case.  Our procedure is:

	A. Someone qualifies as a Technician w/HF privileges at a 
VEC-coordinated test session (either by upgrading from Novice to Technician; 
by upgrading from Technician to Technician w/HF; or by passing a Morse code 
examination plus the Novice and Technician written examinations {in 
conjunction with any currently-valid element credit possessed}).  

	B. The VE Team issues the applicant a CSCE which reflects that
a Morse code examination was passed (plus any written elements, 
if applicable) and that the applicant has now qualified for a "Technician" 
or "Technician w/HF" license EARNED.  That CSCE (if ARRL/VEC issued) 
indicates that the holder is indefinitely permitted Technician w/HF 
operator privileges per Section 97.301(e) of the FCC Rules.

	C. The Form 610 application completed by the applicant (the
FCC requires that each individual who attends an examination apply for an
upgrade by presenting a Form 610 application at each test session) is
forwarded to the applicable VEC with the completed test session materials.
The Form 610 contains necessary information which the VEC input into the 
Technician w/HF privileges data base.  Whether licensed or not, each person 
who earns these privileges is reported to the data base.

	D. Technician's who have earned HF privileges MUST 
indefinitely retain (or retain until an upgrade to General or higher is 
accomplished) a copy of any previous licenses and/or CSCE(s) which 
support the fact that a Morse code examination was passed in order 
to document and permit use of those privileges.

In some class of license references internally used by ARRL, we indicate 
for our own purposes the license class of a Technician who has earned the 
additional HF privileges, with a plus sign "+".  Of course, this information 
is subject to change, and in some cases may be out-of-date by several weeks 
or more.

--Bart J. Jahnke, KB9NM, ARRL/VEC Manager.