Dave Heil wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
From: on Mon, Sep 4 2006 7:40 pm
wrote:
wrote:
From: on Sun, Sep 3 2006 1:49 pm
The fact is that the "incentive licensing" changes were an attempt to
*return* to a system something like that which existed before February
1953. The complexity of the final result was due in large part to it
being pieced together from the numerous non-ARRL proposals mentioned
earlier.
If that is true (and it is not) then there were FIVE classes
of amateur radio licenses prior to "incentive licensing." :-)
Actually, there were six classes of amateur radio licenses in the USA
from 1951 until the mid-1970s. They were Novice, Technician, General,
Conditional, Advanced and Extra.
"Incentive licensing" went into effect in the late 1960s. There were
six classes of license prior to "incentive licensing".
Incentive licensing was implemented in two stages, the first in November
1968 and the second in November 1969.
There were actually three stages, Dave, but only the last two are
usually remembered.
The first stage happened in mid-1967. That was when the Novice license
term was doubled to two years, and the Advanced license was reopened to
new issues. The existing written test for Extra was split into two
elements, with one for Advanced and the other for Extra.
I was one of the first two-year Novices, license dated October 12,
1967.
I was one of those who was
perfectly content with a General Class license until the implementation
of Incentive Licensing. I drove to Dallas and passed the Advanced in
1970. It wasn't until 1977 that I was moved to try for the Extra.
I was lucky enough to be just a subway ride from the Philly FCC office,
with a bit of walking to and from the Market Frankford line (now known
as SEPTA's Blue Line, it is partly elevated, partly underground, and
partly at grade level, yet is usually called "The El").
I figured the FCC wouldn't be making the tests easier in the future, so
I upgraded as soon as possible.
The incentive licening changes of 1967 to 1969 did not create any new
license classes.
That's a plain and simple fact.
Six license classes before and six license classes after, until the
Conditional was eliminated in the mid-1970s.
If he knows, he is certainly keeping it a secret. My guess is that he
is frantically searching the internet for information.
By the time I was graduating from high school, I'd already had an
Amateur Extra class license for two years and had been a licensed radio
amateur for almost five years. Then I went to EE school. Graduated in
four years, having worked all the way through those years.
So you found the time to attend school, do your homework, take care of
the chores, watch TV and still found enough time to obtain an amateur
radio license and to operate?
Yup.
I also worked part time, was active in some extracurricular school
activities, and built much of my amateur radio station from recycled
parts taken from TVs, BC radios and WW2 surplus. Swords into
plowshares, doncha know.
And maintained a high enough academic average to be admitted to every
college/university I applied to. My accomplishments as a radio amateur
figured into my being accepted to EE school.
73 de Jim, N2EY