RadioBanter - View Single Post

January 23rd 04, 01:16 AM

(N2EY) wrote in message ...
In article ,
(Brian Kelly) writes:

order" crappola. Call 'em "Tech IIs", call 'em anything which doesn't
infer that a 30 year Novice is just a newbie getting his feet wet in
ham radio.

Asinine.

Yep, that's what arguing over the name really is.

As long as they don't tag you as a "Novice"eh? . . the word outta HQ
is that they're gonna change it anyway so we'll see what they come up
with.

All Advanced (currently about 82,000) would get a free pass to

Extra.

Another very bad idea.

WHY??

Because if they want the privs, let 'em take the tests.

Heck, any Advanced who wants an Extra need only take Element 4.
Is it *really* that hard? Heck, the old Extra was earned by an 8 year old
in 3rd grade. Obviously a bright kid, but c'mon - how hard can the test
really be?

Has nothing to do with it. The point of the propsal is to simplify the
license structure, the testing process and the record keeping. There
are little to no differences in the levels of difficulty between the
Extra and Advanced writtens and they both cover the same general
material in the same depth. Both have passed at least 5 wpm code
tests. All of which has clearly rendered the Advanced redundant today
so it should be done away with if we expect any significant
streamlining of the regs. If it takes a one-shot giveaway to clean up
the mess fine, do it.

It's obvious, at least to me, that one major bottom line intent of the
proposal is to foster more activity on the HF phone bands.

Why? Do they need it?

Who is "they"?

Why not foster activity on *all* bands and modes?

The new entry-level ticket should do a good job of just that. Give 'em
a taste of HF phone beyond just 10M and the activity level ought to go
up. Particularly since we're on the downside of the spots count curve.
The other bands and modes will take care of themselves. The
restrictions on the entry-level ticket provide realistic incentives to
upgrade. I like it.

Besides, the problem ain't the license. Plenty of folks with the license but
no station set up. I mean, look how complicated and difficult it can be
for some folks to put up an end-fed wire...

Yeah, the tests can't filter out the Brainiacs but that's not a
regulatory issue.

If the
proposal is adopted I expect that objective might be met so I support
the basics of the proposal.

What parts don't you support?

I'm not convinced that leaving 20M completely out of the picture is a
good idea. They shoved the "Novices" pretty far up the phone bands
which will severly limit their opportunities to get into contests
and/or chase DX. And I'm a bit cool to the concept of expanding the
phone bands down into the old Novice bands.

James I fail miserably to understand why you're so adamantly opposed
to the free passes.

Because there's no reason for 'em. Is giving all Advanceds a few more kHz on
80/40/20/15 going to get many more of them on the air? I don't think so.

Again that's not the point. The overriding point is getting rid of the
Advanced class license, has nothing to do with activity levels. The
only "losers" would be the entrenched Extras who would suddenly have
to share their exclusive spaces with the dayum low-born new "givaway"
Extras. Pore babies. .

The problem is that the freebies say that there's nothing essential about the
General and Extra writtens.

That's just plain BS. Let 'em eat cake.

And it's unfair to those who come after
GiveAwayDay.

Yeah, yeah, and we had to walk uphill both ways in a blizzard to take
our 20wpm code tests. And now they're giving 'em away for a lousy 5
wpm. "That ain't fair!" Pfft.

Those who miss "giveaway day" will be faced with some specific much
more rational regime or another just like those who came before them
have faced all sorts of different regimes over the years. And they'll
deal with it as usual. So pfft on them too.

Nope. Not if ya expect HF newbies to even try CW. If newbies don't try
it we might as well drive a stake in the mode now and get the pain over
with.

You misunderstand. 20 per would be for Extra only, not for all classes.

20 wpm worked when the steps to get there were 5, 13 then 20w wpm.
Going from zip directly to 20 would be another whole story and I
expect the results would be dismal. Not to mention the waivers
problem. I would really go for changing the 5 wpm code test to at
least one minute solid copy or take it again.

IAM THE ARRL!!!

So am I.

I wasn't for a few days again and beat 'em out of another free book
for rejoining.

I remember..

That was last year. I just done it again.

Of course, the fact that ARRL put those ideas in a proposal may be the kiss of
death for
them.

Heh.

They haven't had much success in license restructuring proposalsin the
past few years!

They gotta keep thowing stuff at the wall or none of it will stick.

73 de Jim, N2EY

w3rv