RadioBanter - View Single Post - Can anyone explain why Technicians should be upgraded to General?

May 8th 04, 09:49 PM

(stewart) wrote in message . com...
(Jason Hsu) wrote in message . com...
... But insisting on meeting all
three of these goals requires that Technician licensees be
automatically upgraded to General. If it's that essential that there
only be 3 license classes, then why not keep the Technician license
and upgrade the current Novices to Technician?

Because we need to bring back the eliminated entry-level license!

The entry-level license now is the Technician. It has been obtained by
preschoolers, so it cannot be "too hard".

The old Novice license class required a simple written test and 5 wpm
code. Started many thousands of hams on their way.

If a new entry-level
license is necessary, then what's wrong with having 4 license classes
instead of 3?

Because it is UNNECESSARY... the General, Technician, and TechPlus
tests are/were virtually identical - ergo, MERGE 'EM ALL!

The Tech Plus and Tech writtens are indeed identical, but the General
(after March 21, 1987) is quite different.

And what is proposed by ARRL and NCVEC is to allow hundreds of
thousands of Techs and Tech Pluses to upgrade without any test at all.

What's wrong with compromising on #1 or #2?

Forget it... NO MORE COMPROMISING!

OK, fine.

No more compromising on code tests - all license classes to require at
least 5 wpm.

No more compromising on written tests - no free upgrades.

It has been attempted over the
years, and all these foot-draggers want to do is pull us back to
December 6, 1941... 'aint gonna happen McGee... It is 2004, and we
have Cell Phones, the Internet, 125 Channels on TV, etc., etc., etc...
time for US Ham Radio to join the 21st century.

What, exactly, are you talking about?

Morse Code will now officially be IRRELEVANT (at least as far as
Novice and General Classes are concerned). LIVE WITH IT.

Most of what's in the theory exams is also "irrelevant" if all someone
wants to do is use manufactured ham gear.

The ARRL proposal is PERFECT... time to MOVE ON!

Please explain why Techs should get a free upgrade to General, and
Advanceds a free upgrade to Extra, without taking the tests for those
licenses.

73 de Jim, N2EY