If you previously held an Amateur Radio license and let it expire you may be in luck.
Part 97 §97.505(a) of the FCC Rules for Amateur Radio service states that the administering Volunteer Examiners (VEs) must give you credit if:
| Operator class | Expired and beyond the renewal grace period |
| (1) Amateur Extra | Elements 3 and 4. |
| (2) Advanced; General; or Technician granted before March 21, 1987 | Element 3. |
| (3) Technician Plus; or Technician granted on or after March 21, 1987 | No credit. |
What does this mean?
(1) If you held an Extra class license you only have to take the current Technician exam and you will be granted an Extra class license.
(2) If you held an Advanced, General or Technician license that was issued prior to March 21st 1987 you will be issued a General class license if you pass the current Technician exam.
What do you need to do?
You will need to provide proof to the VEs that you had a license. This could be:
- a copy of your license from the FCC ULS
- a hard copy of your old license
- a copy from a historical copy of QRZ
If you are not sure contact the VE team that you plan to test with and see what they require.