Why not give it a shot now? What's the worst that can happen (besides losing $15)?

I was in the same situation when upgrading to Extra - to wait for the new question pool or take it now (the current question pool was the "new" one back then). I was motivated because I had a deadline: instead of "when I get around to studying and upgrading" I went to "well, I don't want to purchase a new book for $20, so I'll spend $15 on the exam for the current book I already have."

I'll never forget when the VE came back after grading the exam (I was at a hamfest and there was a lot going on) and said, "so how do you think you did?" I looked at him and said "well, it doesn't matter how I think I did - it matters how you think I did." He laughed, shook my hand and told me I should get used to signing /AE until the ULS is updated.

If you have the book, and set aside some time every night to do some practice questions and reading you should be able to do just fine before June.

KJ6TJX,
I respectfully disagree. The government, whether Congress (state or federal) or the courts, have declared certain CC&Rs invalid for decades. In the South, CC&Rs were used to discriminate against certain races or religions, thus prohibiting individuals from purchasing homes in certain neighborhoods. Should these be enforced because they are private contractual agreements?

Secondly, due to families, work and financial reasons, many people cannot simply pick up and move to Montana or Louisiana. My wife and I spent two (2) years looking for a CC&R and HOA-free house in the greater Baltimore area. In some places, HOAs and CC&Rs are very difficult to avoid.

By "agreeing to" you mean accepting the adhesion contract as written with absolutely no negotiating power? Granted, a person may move elsewhere outside of an HOA, but the fact is some areas of the country close to family and employment have very little HOA-free property left.

Lastly, the FCC could most certainly make the law retroactive. Nothing prevented the government from making race and religion CC&R prohibitions retroactive. Nothing prevented the FCC from making the Over the Air Reception Devices ("OTARD") rule apply retroactively to HOAs (and thus private contracts).

If the government has been declaring CC&Rs invalid for years, are we really giving the government more power over private affairs?

When in doubt, choose "all of the above" it's usually the right answer.

I've heard Betty Ford was an avid CBer?  Supposedly her handle was "First Mamma."  I don't know if it's true or just a rumor though.

KB2YAN is correct.

An Amateur Radio license isn't exempt from the fees: the FCC has decided that the fee itself is zero ($0).

In other words, your license isn't exempt from any FCC fees, you have to pay the fee of $0.

This is exactly what I was looking for!!  Thank you so much!

Has anyone used one of these?  It looks like some sort of plate/adapter is required to mount the radio head on to the ball.  I see that Pro-Fit offers a T-Amps adapter that looks like it will work, but the remote separation kit for the '857 is on backorder, so I can't compare the screw positions.

Thanks for the wonderful responses.  I'm looking at a 2010/2011 Outback.  The only cupholders are in the center console near the shifter.

I was planning to mount the radio itself in the back of the vehicle and the head somewhere up front.  It seems that newer cars just don't have any spare room to install anything these days!

So you wouldn't recommend a cup holder for just the FT-857 head?

Does anyone know where to get a cupholder mount to mount the head of an FT-857 in a cupholder?

I would like to install an FT-857 in a Subaru Outback but the dash/console leaves very little room to install anything without it "being in the way."

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

73 de AB3HJ

You are 100% correct.  I don't know how I missed that his license expired over 10 years ago.  I shouldn't post until I've had my morning coffee.

Congrats on passing Bill!!

You can operate in the General portions of the bands now if you want by using /AG after your callsign.

Nearly three years after the FCC dropped Morse Code and it's still being debated?

Seems a lot like beating a dead horse with a stick.

So the student wants to get a US license from Nepal?  Not a problem!  All (s)he needs is a US mailing address and successful completion of the FCC exams.

Does the student want you to administer a test or provide an address so (s)he is eligable for a US license?

I know an Italian ham who passed his FCC exams in Germany and he holds an American extra-class license.

1. Check with your local zoning ordinances.

2. Is there a HOA involved?  If so, check there.

3. If there are not any zoning orginances or HOA restrictions, are there any restrictions in your deed?  Some developers put restrictions into the chain of deeds themselves (such as no livestock) without creating a Homeowner's Association.

4. If there are not any local zoning ordinances, HOA regulations, or deed restrictions, then you are good to go unless you have to apply for a zoning variance to put up an antenna.

As you can see, there is a lot to look into for this.  A good place to start is the zoning office for the local municipality in which you live.  I'm lucky because there are no incorporated towns/cities in Baltimore County (Maryland) and they permit ham radio antenna towers as of right up to 100'.

Send me an e-mail if you need help in getting started with your search.

73 de AB3HJ

Thank you all for your input.

The tower appears to be bolted to a cement pad.  I last saw it last week but haven't paid much thought to it.  It's a short sale we've been trying to get since November (there's nothing "short" about the sale in terms of time).

I just wanted to know what my options were with the tower, I'll need to take a good look at it.  I might be able to use it to support an inverted V or something at the least.

It looks like it was professionally installed, not a DIY type of deal.

Anything in particular I should look for on it?

My wife and I will probably be moving soon and one of the houses we are looking at has a TV antenna tower mounted in the ground, but attached to the house for vertical support (the tower is planted in the ground, but rests against the house so no guy wires are needed).  It's not attached to the chimney, just a large, brick wall.

The first thing I thought was "this will make my life so much easier by taking the TV antenna off and putting a nice multi-band beam up there."  Is there any way (other than trial-and error) to determine the proper antenna for the tower?  I really would like to use the existing tower if at all possible, but I also want to have everything set up properly.

Zoning, neighbors, and power lines are not anything I need to worry about.

Any thoughts?