wrote in
ups.com:

These are the numbers of current, unexpired
amateur radio licenses held by individuals
on the stated dates, and the percentage of
the total number of active licenses that
class contains:

As of May 14, 2000:

Novice - 49,329 (7.3%)
Technician - 205,394 (30.4%)
Technician Plus - 128,860 (19.1%)
General - 112,677 (16.7%)
Advanced - 99,782 (14.8%)
Extra - 78,750 (11.7%)

Total Tech/TechPlus - 334,254 (49.5%)

Total General/Advanced/Extra - 291,209 (43.2%)

Total all classes - 674,792


As of May 15, 2006:

Novice - 25,182 (3.8%) [decrease of 24,147]
Technician - 280,160 (42.6%) [increase of 74,766]
Technician Plus - 39,130 (6.0%) [decrease of 89,730]
General - 133,240 (20.2%) [increase of 20,563]
Advanced - 72,315 (11.0%) [decrease of 27,467]
Extra - 108,005 (16.4%) [increase of 29,255]

Total Tech/TechPlus - 319,290 (48.6%) [decrease of 14,964]

Total General/Advanced/Extra - 313,560 (47.6%) [increase of 22,351]

Total all classes - 658,032 (decrease of 16,760)



That's what happens when you dumb things down. Having a license doesn't
mean anything and they leave. Technology certainly didn't keep them in
the service.

Dumbing things down more will just let retards on HF.

SC

Slow Code wrote:
wrote in
ups.com:

These are the numbers of current, unexpired

Total all classes - 658,032 (decrease of 16,760)



That's what happens when you dumb things down. Having a license doesn't
mean anything and they leave. Technology certainly didn't keep them in
the service.

Dumbing things down more will just let retards on HF.

well your "plan" would simply kill off the ARS

SC

No, it's what happens when give people tests that are irrelevant to the
state of the service and the world today. It's what happens when old
timers keep the impression alive that ham radio is about code, tubes and
other worthless old "technologies". It's what happens when we try to
gate people out by making them pass the same worthless crap we had to
pass because, "well I had to do it so they should have to do it" mentality.

We already have a bunch of "retards" on HF and have for the thirty plus
years that I can remember. Testing didn't keep the low-lifes out then,
and it is not going to do it now.

Learn to face reality. The old tests are what has brought on the
problems - especially the worthless code tests.

It's not about "dumbing down" the testing. It's about the need to
modernize the testing, and our hanging onto the old and outdated for far
too long, that has caused the problems we face today.

Blow Code wrote:

That's what happens when you dumb things down. Having a license doesn't
mean anything and they leave. Technology certainly didn't keep them in
the service.

Dumbing things down more will just let retards on HF.

BC