In article , Alun
writes:

I tend to think that a single class of licence would be a good idea,
although many people argue that there should also be a beginner's licence,
and I am not totally opposed to that. I don't see a genuine need for more
than two licences, though.

Then what you'd want, ideally, is a single class of license whose written test
would at least be equivalent to the current written requirements for Extra -
all in one go.

Also, I don't think subband restrictions by
licence class make any sense whatsoever, as the propagation is the same for
the whole band.

They are a good idea because they act as an incentive. Of course if there were
only one class of license, they would no longer exist.

Ideally, I would give an entry level licence very restricted power on the
whole extent of a limited number of bands in different parts of the
spectrum.

How restricted, and which bands?

I think that an ideal entry level license would include parts or all of *all*
HF/MF amateur bands. Here's why:

1) Propagation on the various bands varies widely with time of day, time of
year and sunspot cycle. Having the widest possible selection of bands would
allow an entry-level amateur to use the best band for a given set of conditions
and resources, and also affords an opportunity to learn about the various
bands, propagation, etc.

2) One of the biggest problems facing many amateurs is antenna restrictions.
Another is equipment cost. Often an amateur has to make do with compromise
antennas and equipment which limit the choice of bands. Having the widest
possible selection of bands would allow an entry-level amateur to use the best
band for a given antenna/rig combination, and also affords an incentive to
upgrade so more space on most bands could be earned.

Needless to say, I wouldn't have a code test for any licence. The
problem would be the transition from the present situation to such a
scheme. The vested interests of those currently licenced probably make this
idea impracticable.

Not at all!

All that would be required would be:

1) Existing license classes other than Extra closed off to new licenses after a
certain date. They keep their existing privileges and can renew/modify
indefinitely.

2) Existing license holders could upgrade to Extra by passing the required
written tests.

3) The new entry-level license class has its own privilege set.

4) Existing license holders other than Extra get the combined privileges of
their existing license and the new entry level license.

Eventually everyone in the closed-off license classes will either upgrade or
leave by attrition, and the rules governing them can be removed without an
NPRM. For example, we're down to about 30,000 Novices now, and dropping every
month. When the last Novice is gone from the database, the rules about that
license class can be removed from Part 97.

73 de Jim, N2EY