Nah! Getting a First ticket was a piece of cake. All you needed was a yellow
pencil!

When I was in radio, in the late 60's and 70's, we were disk jockeys, but we
were also, in most cases, "transmitter operators" (some stations employed
separate transmitter operators, generally known as "engineers").

There were two applicable classes of licenses: Third Class Radiotelephone
Certificate with Broadcast Endorsement (or similar title), commonly known as
a Third Ticket, and the First Class Radiotelephone Certificate (or similar
title), commonly known as a First Ticket.

With a Third Ticket, you were allowed to operate transmitters of less than
10 KW (if I remember correctly), with non-directional antennas. Your tasks
were limited to turning the transmitter on and off, and keeping it operating
within the proper parameters by monitoring various meters and making minor
adjustments. And that was pretty much all you could do.

If you wanted to operate a transmitter of greater than 10 KW or with a
directional antenna, you had to have a First Ticket. The First Ticket
allowed you to do major maintenance and repairs to a transmitter, install a
new transmitter, or even build your own transmitter from the ground up. You
could pretty much do anything with a radio station, within the confines of
the station's license.

Note, the above restrictions applied to AM broadcast stations; FM stations
had similar requirements but FM isn't really germane to this discussion.

The problem for the poor DJ with a Third Ticket, was that there were
numerous radio stations in small towns and rural areas that were more than
10 KW or had directional antennas, which required a First Ticket operator,
but that could not afford separate First Ticket operators. Obviously, if a
DJ also had a First Ticket the market for their talents expanded markedly.

Thus was born what was known as a "combo man": a very talented DJ who also
had a First Ticket. Most of them could barely change a light bulb, much less
work on a transmitter, but they had the "paper" and that was all that
counted.

Soon, there were schools all across the country turning out combo men. They
taught students everything they needed to know to pass the First Ticket
test, and that was all they taught. No theory, no practical knowledge; just
enough to get the paper. So, for something like $1,200.00 or so and two
weeks of time, a DJ could walk away with that First Ticket, and work
anywhere he wanted to.

But some people had neither $1,200.00 or two weeks. So, some enterprising
folks did a little bit of research. The First Ticket test was primarily
multiple choice, but you were required to make a couple of rough drawings
and things like that. IIRC, these guys then figured out that if you made a
high enough score on the multiple choice, the drawings didn't matter.

Now, most people couldn't memorize all of the answers, and they couldn't
very well walk into the testing center with an answer sheet in their hand.
So what could an applicant take into the test room without arousing
suspicion? How about an ordinary yellow pencil?

But these weren't "ordinary yellow pencils"! In fact, they had the answers
to all of the First Ticket test questions imprinted on their sides. All a DJ
had to do was drop down $500.00, spend a couple of hours in the testing
room, and voila! Instant combo man. And the world was his oyster...





"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
news:ySxwc.20875$aM1.17686@fed1read02...
"Bill Zaleski" wrote in message
...
I had a "first phone" for about 25 years, until they renewed it and
called it a "general" ticket, good for life. Yes, a 3rd class
suffices for the permit.



Hi Bill,

I figured the FCC 3rd class would suffice.

The broadcasting program I went through in college (Central Mich U)
eliminated the requirement to take the "First Phone" test about a year or
so
before I graduated. From what I understand, it was a stone cold b*tch if
you weren't headed for an EE degree or similar.

Jay B in AZ