Many amateur radio license exam study materials, including those provided free on this web site, have not yet been updates for recent changes in the amateur service rules, or the early Technician class question pool update which took effect in summer 2006. This web page is created to provide assistance to those studying for new licenses who are faced with this dilemma. If you have any questions, feel free to email Nick Luther at <luthern at msoe dot edu>.

Morse Code Requirement Elimination

The requirement to take a Morse Code exam, element 1, for HF access was eliminated by FCC's Report & Order in WT Docket 05-235, which became effective on 23 February 2007. A summary of the effects of this R&O is presented below:

• Exam element 1 ceases to exist. Remaining are 2, 3, and 4.
• The Technician w/HF license ceases to exist. All Technician licensees now enjoy all of the Technician w/HF priviledges, and only element 2 is required for these priviledges
• Anyone having passed elements 2 and 3 but not element 1 can now upgrade to General without further examination. Anyone having passed elements 2, 3, and 4 can now upgrade to Extra without further examination
• Summarizing the license class situation, the following classes continue to be issued: Technician, General, Amateur Extra. Also, old licenses of the following classes are still held by some amateurs: Novice, Advanced. These old licenses earn no new priviledges.

15 Nov. 2006 FCC Omnibus R&O

In its Report and Order in WT Docket 04-140 (FCC 06-149), the FCC made several revisions to Part 97 of its regulations, the rules for the US Amateur Radio Service. The most important changes to understand are some changes to operative priviledges and authorized modes on the 80, 40, 15, 10, 1.25, and 2 meter bands. Before trying to memorize any operating priviledges, check the latest ARRL band chart for changes and also verify that the question on the exam hasn't been dropped. Relevant links are provided below:
ARRL Band Chart
ARRL WT 04-140 FAQ
ARRL WT 04-140 News
WT 04-140 Dropped Questions
Official NCVEC Question Pools

Question Pool Changes

Many changes have been made to the Technician question pool (element 2), but the content is still the same. Note especially that the new question pool includes no graphics. The best way to address this change in studying is to study with an up-to-date practice exam generator, such as the one available from QRZ (see link below).

Links

MSOE VE Team & Study Materials
QRZ Practice Tests
W8MHB Practice Tests - Includes single subelement feature
ARRL WT 05-235 Summary - Morse Code elimination