How long it take to recieve ham license after test

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WQWG712

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So i decided to give people some helpful information i was given by the FCC about how long to expect your ham license after testing.

I was told by FCC, After you test...Normally the next day or within 2 days after you test... the trusty handing-filing, submits your info to the FCC so you can get your License.
If the trusty submits your info to FCC, Your license is granted automatically and the FCC grants/Posts your license to your FRN number Automotive system not a individual. The FCC website refreshes every hour so depending on when they filed to the hour it refreshes it can refresh a minute or up to 60 minutes later... Your license will be posted online.

I have been waiting going on 3 weeks and still nothing, So i decided to call and ask.

I was told by FCC that 90 Percent of time Your license will Post 1-4 business days after your test depending on when the trusty decides to file online.

She said if your on day 7 or more waiting... Then they did two things

1. The trusty still hasnt filed your Info online
2. The trusty has mailed your info by mail and can take up to 20 days for license to be granted.
If your license was sent by mail, it also has to be manually posted to your FRN.

I hope this information helps people!

If you dont agree with this can you please explain futher more... thanks
 

KevinC

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I moved your thread here from the New User forum since you've been a member for over 2 years with 50 posts so I wouldn't consider you "new".
 

KC4RAF

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My license was posted less than 48 hours after the test was completed.
Why the "trustee" use snail mail is just unbelievable. The VEC can transmit the results of the test directly to the FCC website, thus saving money, (snail mail cost what ~.40?), and long period of waiting.
 

k6cpo

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This is possibly the biggest flaw in the current VEC system of license testing. The problem lies in the method the VE team that administered the examination uses to get the paperwork to their particular Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC.) The larger of the 14 VECs, such as ARRL and W5YI, have their teams send the paperwork in via Priority Mail. Even under the best of conditions, this can take a couple of days, then the VEC has to get the information together, prepare the batch file and send that to the FCC. If there's a weekend in there that just adds a couple more days to the process.

In this electronic age, there is no earthly reason why this should happen. It is possible to get the exam results into the hands of the VEC the same day the exam was administered. Even though the VEC I work with is small (four exam locations) and we can hand-deliver exam results to the VEC, we have adopted a scan and e-mail approach. When I conduct an examination, I scan the results to a PDF the same and then e-mail the results to the VEC. He then prepares the batch file and sends that to the FCC. In most cases, call signs are posted the Monday morning following a Saturday examination. Not too long ago, we conducted a special exam session on a Friday morning and the results were in the ULS before the close of business the same day.
 

k6cpo

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So i decided to give people some helpful information i was given by the FCC about how long to expect your ham license after testing.

I was told by FCC, After you test...Normally the next day or within 2 days after you test... the trusty handing-filing, submits your info to the FCC so you can get your License.
If the trusty submits your info to FCC, Your license is granted automatically and the FCC grants/Posts your license to your FRN number Automotive system not a individual. The FCC website refreshes every hour so depending on when they filed to the hour it refreshes it can refresh a minute or up to 60 minutes later... Your license will be posted online.

I have been waiting going on 3 weeks and still nothing, So i decided to call and ask.

I was told by FCC that 90 Percent of time Your license will Post 1-4 business days after your test depending on when the trusty decides to file online.

She said if your on day 7 or more waiting... Then they did two things

1. The trusty still hasnt filed your Info online
2. The trusty has mailed your info by mail and can take up to 20 days for license to be granted.
If your license was sent by mail, it also has to be manually posted to your FRN.

I hope this information helps people!

If you dont agree with this can you please explain futher more... thanks

You're talking to the wrong people. As I laid out in my previous post, the fault doesn't lie with the FCC but with the administering VEC. You should be talking to the VE team that administered your examination.
 

AK9R

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The term "trustee" is used in amateur radio in various ways:

1. To the FCC, a trustee is the person responsible for a club callsign.
2. To a club, a trustee may be the person in #1 above or it may be the person responsible for the club's amateur radio station.
3. To a repeater owner, which may be a club or an individual, a trustee is the person responsible for operation of the repeater.

None of these definitions has anything to do with amateur radio licensing.

As K6CPO explains, amateur radio license tests in the U.S. are administered by a team of Volunteer Examiners. These VEs report to a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. The VEC is responsible for certifying that you passed the test and for electronically transmitting your information to the FCC so that your license can be issued or upgraded. As K6CPO explains, the method of getting the test session results from the VE team to the VEC varies depending on the VEC.

I participate with VE teams that do things the old, slow way and others that do things the new, fast way. There are pros and cons to each. But, the bottom line is that if the FCC doesn't yet have a record of you being eligible for an amateur radio license, you need to track down the VE team to find out why.
 

cmdrwill

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Yup, depends on the VE submitting the data to the VEC. Some VEC's do not seem to use the Electronic Filing capabilities the FCC has.

Oh, I will see John next week....
 

AK9R

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ALL VECs use electronic filing. That's the only way the FCC will accept the data.

Not all VECs have their VE teams submit the test results to the VEC electronically. That's a decision for the VEC to make.
 

ko6jw_2

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I waited 9 weeks for my first license. How many of these threads do we need complaining about "long" processing times.

One other point. The "V" in VE or VEC stands for volunteer. We are not doing this as a profession. This is not Amazon. No guaranteed overnight shipping. In fact, my VEC (Laurel) forbids VE's from charging for exams.

If you want to help the hobby - get an Extra class license and become a VE.

We freely give our time and I am tired of people who say we are the problem with license processing times.
 

AK9R

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How many of these threads do we need complaining about "long" processing times.
If the complaints ever stop, that might mean that we don't have new people coming into amateur radio--new people who aren't fully versed in how the process works. I can accept the complaints as long as we keep bringing in new people who will actually get on the air and use their licenses.
 

spongella

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Back in the 70's it took about three months for the FCC to send your "ticket" in the mail. That was one long waiting time hi hi.
 

k6cpo

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I waited 9 weeks for my first license. How many of these threads do we need complaining about "long" processing times.

One other point. The "V" in VE or VEC stands for volunteer. We are not doing this as a profession. This is not Amazon. No guaranteed overnight shipping. In fact, my VEC (Laurel) forbids VE's from charging for exams.

If you want to help the hobby - get an Extra class license and become a VE.

We freely give our time and I am tired of people who say we are the problem with license processing times.

As the first point of contact that most people have with amateur radio, VEs should endeavor to give the best possible service and speeding up the processing time for licenses is a way of making a good first impression on new hams. The younger people taking amateur radio exams today are technically savvy and have every right to wonder why it's taking so long for their call signs to appear in the ULS.

Unfortunately, it's attitudes like this that cause many new people to abandon ham radio soon after getting their licenses.
 
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N4GIX

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If you want to help the hobby - get an Extra class license and become a VE.
There's no need to go to that extreme (although it's encouraged)!

One can be a VE and/or VEC with even a lowly General class license... :D

To Submit For:....... Must Hold:
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Element 2 (Technician).....[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]General or higher [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Element 3 (General)..........[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Advanced or higher [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Element 4 (Extra)..............[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Extra [/FONT][/FONT]

Granted a General can only administer Element 2, but still that's the vast majority of folks taking tests currently.

See: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/VE Manual Web FINAL 2014.pdf
 

escortz28

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I would like to share my experiences having obtained my Technician, General, and Extra licenses approximately two weeks apart starting in early March.

The Technician exam was taken 3 March (Saturday) at the NASWA Winterfest in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The VEC was ARRL; $15 fee. My Technician license was posted (FCC website) on 14 March. It should be noted that this weekend is when the Philadelphia area was hit hard with a winter storm that knocked out power for hundred-of-thousands for days. The VEs were local to the general area and could have been affected by the weather (and hence their filing iaw with ARRL VEC).

The General Exam was taken 17 March (Sunday) at the Toledo (OH) Hamfest in Perrysburg. The VEC was ARRL; $15 fee. My General License was posted (FCC website) on 28 March.

The Extra Exam was taken on 14 April (Saturday) at a local amateur radio club. The VEC was Laurel; no fee. Monday 16 April my Extra License was posted (FCC website). The Laurel VEC states they file with the FCC in one business day after the exam completion.

Summarizing my experiences - the VEC makes all the difference in the world. Make sure you understand the process and policy for the VEC you've chosen (some have the information readily available on their website; always can ask the VEs at the exam). I am very impressed with the Laurel VEC - one business day to file with the FCC and no fee! I am thankful to all of the VEs in each of my exams, their time is greatly appreciated.
 

needairtime

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I think that ARRL-VEC, due to the fee, actually has more frequent and more widely distributed testing sessions. However according to their website, they *PREFER* USPS shipment of test documents.

So it's ironic that you likely can get tested sooner with ARRL-VEC but have to wait longer between when you get your CSCE and when you get your license...

I made the wrong assumption that VECs had regional jurisdictions. Thus I probably should have just waited for Laurel to come close by and again, I had missed a prime opportunity by the time I realized I had a radio that I could use for ham (long story, though probably can easily be pieced together from my post history on RR).
 
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