RadioBanter - View Single Post - OK...So What Are YOU Going To DO About It...?!?!

January 26th 04, 03:17 PM

(Steve Robeson, K4CAP) wrote in message . com...
There's a lot of negativism in this group about the ARRL proposal.

Also a lot of positivism.

While not as verbose about it, I agree that this "proposal" was
poorly thought out and does not meet any "obvious" need within Amateur
Radio. It's a W5YI-ian like effort to create something new for the
sake of sales/membership.

I disagree! I think it has some good ideas and some bad ideas.

For example, even before 1991 the Tech was essentially the "entry
level" license - which was never the intent of that license class.
Because the
privileges focus so much on VHF/UHF, the entry path for many new hams
shifted from HF to VHF/UHF. And to many new hams, ham radio became
more
locally-oriented than regionally-, nationally- or
internationally-oriented.

Also, since homebrewing VHF/UHF gear can be more difficult than HF
gear, even more newcomers went with manufactured equipment from Day 1
rather than kit of homebrew gear.

If the newcomer passes Element 1, all he/she gets in additional privs
is a few tiny CW-only slices of three HF ham band, plus some 10 meter
SSB and CW. While lots of great stuff can be done with a simple setup
on 10 when the band is open, it becomes more like a VHF band when the
band isn't open.

On top of all this, the Tech written (Element 2) is full of arcane
stuff like RF exposure calculations, which displaces more basic stuff
that would serve a newcomer better.

The retooling of the old Novice license is an attempt to equalize
HF-VHF-UHF in the entry-level license. And that's a good idea, I
think.

My "answer" is a letter to the ARRL suggesting that this was NOT
a wise idea and COULD have been made less of a surprise to the Amateur
Community by discussing it first. I'll "cc" that letter to my SM.

What about your Director and Vice Director - or better yet, the entire
BoD? And let 'em know exactly what's good and bad, and why.

Other than hurl epithets and insults, is anyone else going to do
anything remotely constructive?

I've already let the BoD know what I think of their proposal. Plus
some ideas of my own. In fact, I did that before the BoD meeeting.

If/when the proposal becomes an RM, it'll be comment time......

73 de Jim, N2EY