Dee Flint wrote:

Based on everything that I have read, the object of having a
series of license classes was so that people could take the journey in
smaller, more manageable steps. It does not seem like it was intended that
people would only go part way and say "good enough".

I have recently elmered a woman to her Extra class license. She had no
technical background and little to no experience in amateur radio even
though she had a license (she never really got active). She passed with
flying colors. So any one can do it if they so choose. By the way she is
now quite active in the club, is getting on the air, and she will be joining
me to participate in the November Sweeps. While we will try for the Clean
Sweep, our main goal is to get all states so she can apply for WAS.

All good stuff - but that's not really the issue.

I'm all for multiple license classes, incentives, increasing
privileges, etc.

But I think the problem K0HB is pointing out has to do with how those
incentives are generated.

It's one thing to generate incentive by offering more privileges than
you have now.

It's a very different thing to generate incentive by taking away some
privileges, then requiring an upgrade to get them back.

Right now all Generals and Advanceds (something like 200,000 amateurs)
can use 3600-3750 for CW/data. After the new rules, they will not be
able to use those freqs at all.

Yes, they gain 3800-3850, but that's a gain of 50 kHz phone/image for a
loss of 150.kHz CW/data.

Or look at it percentagewise. Right now, Generals have access to
3525-3750 and 3850-4000. That's 375 kHz total - 75% of the total band.
They have access to 90% of the non-phone bandspace and 60% of the
'phone bandspace.

After the change, Generals will have access to 3525-3600 and 3800-4000.
That's 275 kHz total - 55% of the total band. They will have access to
75% of the non-phone bandspace and 50% of the 'phone bandspace.

Back in the 1960s, the thing that ticked off some hams was not that the
idea of upgrading. It was the idea that the "incentive" to upgrade came
from having existing privileges taken away, rather than new ones added.


History repeats.

73 de Jim, N2EY