w4jle wrote:



(They told me all I had to do to become a ham was to memorize these
questions.)



SNIP That's absolutely TRUE if all you want is to "...become a ham..."

However, if you want to install and operate an efficient short wave
radio station you need to learn quite a bit!

DD, W1MCE

Well said Sir!

Even the "appliance operators" of old had to know how the appliance worked.

Were I the FCC, your first transmitter and receiver would be built from
scratch and a minimum of 25 CW contacts confirmed before the use of a
purchased rig would be allowed.

Next no one would be permitted to apply for extra class without 5 years
experience and 250 confirmed contacts.Also participation in a public
service capacity, (i.e. traffic net, weather warning net, charity races etc)
and have elemered 5 new hams.

I have a friend that has an extra and has never been on the air. He took the
exams at a hamfest just to see if he could pass them. He said he studied the
question pools for a couple of days on-line. He spent 20 years in the Navy
as a Chief Radioman, so the code was a joke for him.

"Dave Shrader" wrote in message
news:XnFJb.49405$I07.151812@attbi_s53...
w4jle wrote:



(They told me all I had to do to become a ham was to memorize these
questions.)



SNIP That's absolutely TRUE if all you want is to "...become a ham..."

However, if you want to install and operate an efficient short wave
radio station you need to learn quite a bit!

DD, W1MCE

"w4jle" W4JLE(remove this to wrote in message
...
Well said Sir!

Even the "appliance operators" of old had to know how the appliance
worked.

Were I the FCC, your first transmitter and receiver would be built from
scratch and a minimum of 25 CW contacts confirmed before the use of a
purchased rig would be allowed.

Careful, one of the local Ham "Channelmasters" will dub you a
CBPlusser for using the term "contact". It's a pet peeve of his.

Harold Burton
KD5SAK

Just like I had some "newby" attempt to chastise me on a 2 meter repeater
for using "handle". He told me that that word was only used on 11 meters.

I had to admit, I did use it on 11 meters when it was a ham band. But thanks
for the lesson Good Buddy!



"Harold Burton" wrote in message
...

"w4jle" W4JLE(remove this to wrote in message
...
Well said Sir!

Even the "appliance operators" of old had to know how the appliance
worked.

Were I the FCC, your first transmitter and receiver would be built from
scratch and a minimum of 25 CW contacts confirmed before the use of a
purchased rig would be allowed.

Careful, one of the local Ham "Channelmasters" will dub you a
CBPlusser for using the term "contact". It's a pet peeve of his.

Harold Burton
KD5SAK

Handle was used on the HF ham bands before most of the readers were born.

Steve

K;9;D;C;I

"w4jle" W4JLE(remove this to wrote in message
...
Just like I had some "newby" attempt to chastise me on a 2 meter repeater
for using "handle". He told me that that word was only used on 11 meters.

I had to admit, I did use it on 11 meters when it was a ham band. But
thanks
for the lesson Good Buddy!

Harold Burton wrote:

SNIP

Careful, one of the local Ham "Channelmasters" will dub you a
CBPlusser for using the term "contact". It's a pet peeve of his.

Harold Burton
KD5SAK



It may be a 'pet peeve' but what do you call:

"T40E 599 TU de W1MCE"

For me it's a contact! It is not a QSO. It is not a Rag Chew. It's the
minimum requirement for a DXCC type CONTACT.

BTW: is it Harold Burton or HALLIBURTON?? Hmmm ... ???