N2EY wrote:
In article , Mike Coslo writes:


N2EY wrote:

In article , Mike Coslo writes:



But even if that is the case, it would seem to me to make more sense to
us a limit that is easily handled by virtue of equipment that will
handle the limit already on the market.



Exisitng equipment could still be used by LP licensees - they just have to
turn it down by 3 dB.

Yes, of course.


So what's the problem?

It's more of a problem than having a maximum of 100 watts, which just
happens to be what is the standard now.

I've gone over what I think are possible problems, such as the
likelihood of a ham to simply crank up the power if he or she is having
trouble getting through, or simply wanting to.

It's the apparent lack of Technicians being harmed by their allowed
power levels.

It's that the newly licensed class A will find their rig won't drive a
number of linear amps to full power.

I think that the rationale behind the lower limit, based on some rf
safety report, is not correct. If RF safety is important, and it is,
Then that should be the first thing taught to the prospective amateur.

I think that no amateur should be allowed to "mash that PTT" button
unless the testing authority is pretty darn sure that they are educated
enough that they can safely operate a 100 watt station.

I think that people can find creative ways to harm themselves.

I think allowing them 50 watts output without proper RF safety
instruction is irresponsible.

I think that once you have enough RF safety savvy to operate 50 watts,
you have enough RF safety savvy to run 100 watts.

I think all these things argue toward testing more for RF safety, and
since the new amateur would then have some knowledge of RF safety, the
new amateur would be qualified to run 100 watts, which just happens to
be the level that most HF rigs are already putting out.

I think you disagree.


No argument with any of your points, Jim. But that isn't today. Today
the standard HF rig puts out 100 watts.


My point is simply that when the new license appeared, the manufacturers
quickly came up with rigs that matched the privileges of the license.

How much time do you think it would take Ikensu to come up with 40-50 watt
versions of their rigs? Heck, they already make 10 watt versions for their
domestic market.

Why should they, if all you have to do is turn down the output power?
Don't you trust these people? 8^)


And the rationale for the reduction of power needs to be proven to me
anyway. How many Technicians have been hurt by using more than 50 watts
power?

Under Hans' plan, no existing hams would lose any privileges. So they don't
have to worry.

But that isn't answering my question. Perhaps I should phrase it
better. If technicians, who are allowed to toy with 1500 Watts, are not
being harmed by their hobby, then what is the reason for limiting their
power? More on this in a minute


One reason is to simplify the test. If the power level is kept low enough, many
of the RF exposure questions can be eliminated from the test.

And My opinion is that eliminating *those* questions is
counterproductive and not the most responsible thing to do. And you
already know what I think about simplifying the tests.


And do you think that the prospective ham should not know about RF
safety until they reach the equivalent of an Extra? This plan seems to
advocate that.

Until a few years ago there were no questions about RF exposure at all in
the pools.

Are you arguing for or against this, Jim? If there were no questions on


RF exposure, and hams did okay, but we should limit new hams to 50 watts
because of safety concerns - it just isn't a good argument to me.


The hazards of RF exposure, even at relatively low levels, are better
understood now than before. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
Meanwhile, it makes sense to reduce exposure when possible.

And this ties right into the part of my last post that you snipped.
Maybe in the interests of RF safety, and among people who think that it
makes sense to reduce exposure, it might seem like a good idea to limit
*all* hams maximum power. Let that dog sleep!

The idea is no more outlandish than the idea that the tests could be
getting simplified bit by bit to the point of giving up on testing
altogether.


sooooo...

People could be trotted out to expound on their QRP exploits around the
world. The success of 60 meters and it's lowered power limits are
another arguing point. I can hear it now: "After seeing the successful
operation of Amateur Radio operators under these circumstances, and the
general safety problems which Amateurs concede is a problem, it is only
prudent, sensible and reasonable to reduce transmitter power to 50 Watts
or perhaps less. This is in line with published tests dealing with RF
Safety. Coupled with these lowered and safer power limits, we can now
eliminate the regulatory morass of Amateur Radio testing altogether, and
turn our Amateur spectrum into a service that can be accessed safely by
all Americans."

Oh frabjous day!


snippage

- Mike KB3EIA -