In re: the $15 I suggest checking if there's a Laurel VEC test in your area first: https://www.laurelvec.com/ https://www.laurelvec.com/ They're free and the

In re: the $15 I suggest checking if there's a Laurel VEC test in your area first: https://www.laurelvec.com/ https://www.laurelvec.com/ They're free and they submit results digitally to the FCC rather than mailing them off to ARRL HQ, so you'll get your ticket in a day or 2 rather than 2 weeks.