I received my renewal copy of my Amateur Radio License today. Those must
be renewed every 10 years.
There are actually two copies printed on the same sheet of paper. One is
a form that can be folded in half and then laminated to provide a
two-sided wallet copy. The other is a form that can be framed and posted
at the operating station, per FCC requirements.
The latter measures 130 mm by 175 mm. Nominally one might look at it and
think of that size as 5 in by 7 in, but it is not exactly so; it's more
like 5.1 in by 6.9 in. My measurements are precise enough for me to
confidently state that the metric sizes are the intended ones! Of
course, non-metric users could use a "5x7" picture frame and come close,
but the black borders would indicate the discrepancies.
My operator and station call signs are WE4SI, which I applied for
roughly 10 years ago. A luck-of-the-draw application would have gotten
me something in the WB series for my region (4) but I applied for a
vanity call instead. You probably can discern why I asked for that
particular call sign!
To answer the obvious question some might raise, I have "Advanced"
privileges. I'm too lazy to try to upgrade to "Extra" and would not take
advantage of the additional bands that would open up to me. No, I have
not yet set up my HF station at my new abode! But with 100 ha of land on
my farm, I should be able to find a place for an antenna farm someday.
73,
Jim Frysinger
