RadioBanter - View Single Post - Let's debate: Should Amateur Radio be made a free for all?

May 8th 04, 04:29 PM

(Steve Robeson K4CAP) wrote in
:

Subject: Let's debate: Should Amateur Radio be made a free for all?
From: Alun
Date: 5/8/2004 9:38 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

(Brian Kelly) wrote in
. com:

I had no particular interest in the topics covered by probably half
the courses I had to pass to get a degree. But I did pass 'em
(grousing all the way) and the priveleges flowed. The philosophy
behind volume of work invested in learning = volume of privs goes
back at least to the guilds of the early Renaissance.

You would have thought we would have learnt since then, rather than
aping the practices of hundreds of years ago.

Nope.

You can refer to almost any current career college degree program
and
still find curricula loaded with irrelevant and inconsequential "fluff"
courses, no doubt "mandated" for the purpose of keeping the paying
student paying.

What's your point?

My point is that we need to recruit people into the hobby.

If one reflects back on the history and demograpics of the Amateur
Radio
Service, there have been those who obtained licensure for a myriad of
reasons, but those who really get in it and stick with it have
recurring central interests...Two types come to mind. First are those
who are facinated by radio for radio's sake...Gadgets.

I don't think I've ever got over my facination with how radio waves bridge
huge distances. It still seems like magic even though I have studied how it
works.

The other are those who see Amateur Radio as a further means to an
end...public service, emergency services, etc.

Then there are always those "others", ie: husband-wife licensee's
who just
want a cheap honey-do connection and nothing else.

Most of the "active" folks are the gadget operators and ES types,
so let's
go to where they are rather than wait for them to find us..."Popular
Science" and "Popular Mechanics" magazine..."Journal of Emergency
Medical Services", "Emergency Medical Services", etc etc etc.

Agreed. Mind you, ads in Popular Mecanics are incredibly expensive

I never understood why we put the number of "basic" licensing
course ads
we do in Amateur Radio magazines...Most folks who read them are ALREADY
licensed!

Ham radio license tests should be reduced to
passing a test on mouse operations in order for ham radio to compete
with the Internet? Passing a one-button mouse test garners a Tech
ticket, two gets a General and two plus a scroller wheel gets the
examinee an Extra?

Where do you get that from? I don't think we should reduce theory
standards atall. I just think we need to abolish the code test.

Code test-schmode test...If you want to re-establish some validity
of the
Amateur Radio Service's credibility as a breeding ground for
technically competent licensees, close the written test pools.

That will never happen, however, for one very prominent reason if
no
other...Truth be known that MOST people would never get an Amateur
license because of the WRITTEN test...In it's raw form, it requires
that the applicant actually KNOW something. That requires REAL
learning, not just rote memorization, which is exactly what learning
Morse Code is, and is exactly what the written tests are now.

Element 1 only adds access to about 2.5% of all Amateur
allocations.
Those that really wanted HF priviledges only saw the Code test as a
hurdle...Not a brick wall.

73

Steve, K4YZ

My recollection of hurdles in school sports is mostly of falling over the
bl**dy things, HI!

Alun, N3KIP