We can't let those lids have access to our bands by making licensing
easier. I don't want to turn on my homebrew rig and hear 11 meters
on 20 meters.

We need to keep the CW requirement to keep some of the lids out.

Tnx, 73, Good luck in the contest.

SC

Rich wrote in
:

On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 01:18:38 GMT, Slow Code wrote:

We can't let those lids have access to our bands by making licensing
easier. I don't want to turn on my homebrew rig and hear 11 meters
on 20 meters.

We need to keep the CW requirement to keep some of the lids out.

Tnx, 73, Good luck in the contest.

SC

ok..i guess i'll feed the troll.

1) if they're operating illegally in the first place then a lil old
exam (written OR code) is not going to keep them off of the ham bands.
witness the 40-meter bootlegging.

2) do you really believe that keeping the code requirement will
produce better hams in terms of on-the-air behavior? why? i've
heard, and i suspect others have also, heard quite a few obnoxious
operators at the upper end of 20 and on 75. looks like the CW
requirement didn't filter out those folks.

3) ever read the FCC enforcement items in any of the ham mags? seems
like many-to-most of those caught up in enforcement actions are
general class or higher. looks like the CW requirement didn't filter
out those folks either.

nobody is seriously suggesting dropping the written exam. nobody is
seriously suggesting eliminating CW as an operating mode or
eliminating the CW portion of the HF bands.

ham radio is on the decline and if we don't start right now making
this service more relevant to younger folks we may see it die. our
frequency allocations are under attack, both directly (re-allocation
of frequencies to other services) and indirectly (BPL).

ham radio has lost its 'gee-whiz' factor. kids are no longer amazed
at being able to communicate around the world using a radio. they do
it all the time using their phones and computers. if we want ham
radio to continue to exist then we had better get about making it
relevant to younger generations. CW is useful but not relevant.

73,
rich, n9dko
13-wpm general class


There are some problems with some operators, but dumbing down the licenses
further will make the problems worse. Then we'll have hams having
shootouts with each other like the CB'ers do, and that just ain't right.

SC