Cecil Moore wrote:

wrote:
How they compare to the current exams is a matter of opinion. IMHO
the old exams covered fewer subjects but covered them in much more
detail.

Having received a pink ticket from the FCC as a teenager in 1959 for the
spurious emissions of a homebrew HF transmitter I think I was more dangerous in
those days, even after having passed that 'more detailed' technical General
test.

That's probably true. So do "we" want new hams to
have a broad-shallow knowledge or a narrow-deep
knowledge?

Does it make a difference? Virtually everyone now is running commercially built
relatively foolproof equipment (appliances). Chances are way better these days
that the stuff is clean even when operated by a non-technical person (most
hams).

I suggest the former would be more valuable

Memorizing the regulations makes sense, but having to memorize the engineering
stuff is just plain silly. Especially with no real understanding behind it.
Course I'm still operating under a license obtained under Bash... 8-O

to the "service".

Service? This is a hobby that on average probably has less technical people than
those in the RC model aircraft crowd.