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<H1>2009 sees surge of new USA Amateur Radio licensees</H1>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>This past year was a banner year for new Amateur Radio
licensees.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>According to ARRL VEC Manager <STRONG>Maria Somma,
AB1FM</STRONG>, the FCC issued more than 30,000 new ham radio
licenses.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"In 2009, the demand for Amateur Radio exam sessions
remained elevated and is still running at a higher rate than before the FCC's
restructuring of the license requirements in 2007," Somma said. "This high level
of exam session activity has produced an elevated influx of new applications,
far outpacing recent years."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>A total of 30,144 new licenses were granted in 2009, an
increase of almost 7.5 percent from 2008. In 2005, 16,368 new hams joined
Amateur Radio's ranks; just five years later, that number had increased by
almost 14,000 -- a whopping 84 percent! The ARRL VEC is one of 14 VECs who
administer Amateur Radio license exams. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Read the full ARRL story at<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/01/06/11278/?nc=1"
target=_blank><FONT
face=Tahoma>http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/01/06/11278/?nc=1</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>AH0A - Amateur Radio Licensing Statistics<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.ah0a.org/" target=_blank><FONT
face=Tahoma>http://www.ah0a.org/</FONT></A><BR></P></BODY></HTML>