The wait is killing me

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pianotech

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Is there anything that requires more patience than waiting for your call sign to appear in the ULS database?! Passed my Technician's test last Saturday (4/7). The VE's told me probably Wednesday or Thursday I would be in the database, but as of Friday morning it's still not there.

Does it usually take this long? How long did it take you guys before your calls appeared?

Thanks!

73

--Loren
 

LtDoc

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On an average, give it a week to 10 days before getting really 'antsy'/worried. That's not a guarantee by any means, just a rough average.
And then, back in the "good old days" when the snail carried the mail, and you had to have that piece of paper in your hands before being able to use the bands, a three month wait wasn't unusual. Those 'antsy' thingys got to be the size of dogs and cats! :)
- 'Doc
 

pianotech

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Haha 'Doc, I bet! Ok, thanks for the info. Since I'm brand new to this, I really didn't have an idea how long it would take, but being that it hasn't even been a week yet, I guess, I can give the 'antsy' thing a rest!

Looking forward to getting the ticket, though! This is a great forum and resource. I found out about RadioReference through an iPhone app I got for listening to live feeds. The more I heard, the more interested I got, so I went and took the Technician's test and passed it. They let me try the General test while I was there, but I bombed it! I'm in the process of studying for the upgrade, though, and look forward to working up to Extra.

What do you like to operate? I'm finding myself drawn to QRP. I'll probably tackle CW too.

Thanks again!

Pianotech
 

LtDoc

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Good!
Keep studying, it's worth it.
Now you get to make up some phonetics for that call, that get's interesting too.
Have fun.
- 'Doc
 

pianotech

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So all said and done, it was 6 calendar days from passing the exam to showing up in the database. Not a bad turnaround, considering the test was on a Saturday. That means it was about 4 1/2 business days. I can't imagine what it must have been like back when people used to wait for months.
 

n4yek

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Congrats to you on your new ham ticket. I must say 6 days is nothing compared to what I had to wait, almost 2 months. Way back when, before the internet, you sent it in through the postal service and you got it back the same way. That gave you plenty of time to monitor your local repeaters and see how the etiquette was handled before you jumped on there with guns a blazin' :)
 

pianotech

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Congrats to you on your new ham ticket. I must say 6 days is nothing compared to what I had to wait, almost 2 months. Way back when, before the internet, you sent it in through the postal service and you got it back the same way. That gave you plenty of time to monitor your local repeaters and see how the etiquette was handled before you jumped on there with guns a blazin' :)

That's for sure! When I was taking my test, a lot of the VE's there were also lamenting the lack of having to know CW for the test. They felt it was better when you had to be able to have some basic code skills before getting your ticket.
 

k3cfc

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Feb 27, 2011
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Beavertown Pa.
Is there anything that requires more patience than waiting for your call sign to appear in the ULS database?! Passed my Technician's test last Saturday (4/7). The VE's told me probably Wednesday or Thursday I would be in the database, but as of Friday morning it's still not there.

Does it usually take this long? How long did it take you guys before your calls appeared?

Thanks!

73

--Loren

AA9PW FCC Exam Practice is the place to test test and test some more. i did this for some time till i had everything down pat and took my test for general class and passed the first time. BTW i passed on 11/22 /2010 and have not keyed up one time on HF. i just listen a lot. congrats on passing your tech.

K3CFC
 
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n4yek

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They felt it was better when you had to be able to have some basic code skills before getting your ticket.

I don't know if I would say it was better, you still had lots of jerks around. It did give you a discipline, something to achieve, that made you want to push yourself to get that higher level ticket.
While I am old school with ham radio, 20 wpm code, I don't use it. I grab a mic just like everyone else. :)
 
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