Former Amateur Radio Operators.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Everyone,
If you were an amateur radio operator in a past life but let your license lapse, the FCC made a change this past summer that affects you. From the November QST, "It Seems To Us" editorial...
"Of particular significance to many former radio amateurs is an
amendment to §97.505(a). This rule now instructs Volunteer
Examiners to give credit for Elements 3 and 4 to an examinee
holding an expired Amateur Extra class license, and credit for
Element 3 to an examinee holding an expired Advanced or
General class license. A longstanding provision that gave
Element 3 credit to holders of “old” Technician licenses
issued before March 21, 1987, when the Technician and
General licenses had the same written exam, has been
retained.
This change means that the FCC will issue a General license
to someone who passes Element 2 (the current Technician
exam) and demonstrates that they previously held an
Advanced or General license without requiring that they
retake and pass the Element 3 exam. Similarly, former Extras
can regain their full-privilege licenses simply by passing
Element 2."

So if you had a license and have been thinking about reentering the amateur community, this ruling combined with the "no code" rules makes your entry even easier. So check out the various training materials and get working. Several jurisdictions have winter hamfests (and therefore license testing) coming in the next few weeks that would allow you to get back into the hobby. I have been running digital mode on PSK31 almost exclusively as of late using 2.5 watts to work the world. This past weekend was a 10 meter contest and I hear the band was wide open. (I was working FTC events so I can't speak from experience.) No excuses, you have more than two weeks before kickoff.