Bill Sohl wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
Dick Bash disagreed with you then and he disagrees with you now.
How? Dick Bash did not see the actual exams except by taking them.
Then he published them.
And FCC did nothing about it.
Some in the FCC wanted to prosecute,
but the higher ups didn't allow it.
Phil Kane has told about it first-hand -
he was working in the office where Bash
did his thing at the time.
The only thing that can be derive or concluded
from that is the probable fact that there was
disagreement within the FCC as to the ability to
pursue and win any case against Bash.
Or any of the other reasons. All it takes is one!
Whether Bash broke the letter of the law or not isn't
clear, but it *is* clear that he broke the spirit of the law.
I never met anyone convicted of breaking the spirit
of any law.
BINGO!!!
There's also "innocent until proven guilty".
The other issue that would be in play is
the legality of the law itself on constitutional grounds.
Possibly, but I find it hard to believe that the FCC would
have lost on those grounds. Doing so would set a
precedent that *no* license exam contents could be kept
out of the public view.
Still, FCC may have thought it better not to take that chance.
If, back then, FCC had thought
it was OK for people to see the actual exams,
they would have been published
(as they are now) rather than going
through the additional work of making
up study guides.
That's in your opinion anyway.
It's also common sense. FCC made up study guides consisting
of essay questions that indicated the general areas of knowledge
that would be on the test. Those guides were published - ARRL
reproduced them in their License Manuals (they specifically
mention that fact in the Manual). Why would FCC go through
the trouble to make up those guides if it were OK for non-FCC
people to see the actual exam?
Still, unless there existed specific regulations about divulging
and publishing the exam contents, FCC's case agains Bash
might have been very weak.
The Commercial license was still more difficult
than the amateur...NOT because I took any, but because the
Commercial license covered a LOT more EM territory, a LOT more
modes in Commercial radio then.
But you don't really know because you didn't take both. Some of
those
who *did* take both say the Extra written was "harder".
It's important that you should work harder for a hobby endeavor than
for a commercial endeavor.
Wasn't too hard for a 16 year old between 10th and 11th grade. In fact,
I'd have gotten it more than a year earlier except for the 2 year
waiting period.
"The Man" still keeping you down?
Not at all. Experience was part of the requirement back then. It was
and is a good idea.
I really have no problem with an experience criteria
(e.g.a time interval between General and Extra).
Nor I, but it would make more work for FCC. Right now
anyone can go from any license class or no license at all
to Extra in one exam session. An experience requirement
would mean that many hams would need at least two exam
sessions and two FCC paperwork cycles to get to Extra.
More admin work = not something FCC would like.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to all, I thank the
Lord for all the great and wonderful people and things
in my life.
Well said, Bill! I wish the same to all this fine day.
73 de Jim, N2EY