"Dee Flint" wrote in message
. ..

wrote in message

[snip]


1. Who won the pool?

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Dee, N8UZE


Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

Dee, N8UZE

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
. ..

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
. ..

wrote in message

[snip]


1. Who won the pool?

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Dee, N8UZE


Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

An interesting question, but I am going to guess that it may have a positive
impact - simply because folks that aren't licensed will hear that there is
no more cw requirement. There are, I suspect, a fair number out there that
haven't bothered simply because a tech license limits you to above 30 MHz
and they want to work the world - without cw.

We should have the answer to the question in the next year or so. Like you,
I suspect a fairly large number of upgrades; unlike you, I suspect there
will be a modest impact in the growth of amateur radio.

Many don't understand the implications of learning something about
electronics. A few years ago, I was given a Leslie speaker (rotating
speaker used on Hammond organs) that was not compatable with my organs. It
was obvious that not only would the socket have to be re-wired, but the new
Leslie needed control via 110 volts ac. My control was high-impedance dc
(about 90 volts dc).

I called the service guy. The estimate was 8 hours of labor (at $70.00 per
hour), plus a new relay, tube, and other components.

After looking the situation over, I spent less than $5.00 in components,
rewired the socket, isolated the dc with an interstage transformer, fed the
dc to a big VFET through a 1 megohm resistor and zener to ground (to limit
the voltage applied to the gate). The VFET switched 400 volts dc through a
100 k resistor to a solid state relay to the existing relay. The 110 volts
was already present in the Leslie.

It has worked flawlessly for a few years now. 2 hours work and 5 bucks
spent vs probably over $600.00.

Amateur radio was my background; hey, ya never know :P


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
. ..

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
. ..

wrote in message

[snip]


1. Who won the pool?

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Dee, N8UZE


Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

An interesting question, but I am going to guess that it may have a
positive
impact - simply because folks that aren't licensed will hear that there is
no more cw requirement. There are, I suspect, a fair number out there
that
haven't bothered simply because a tech license limits you to above 30 MHz
and they want to work the world - without cw.

We should have the answer to the question in the next year or so. Like
you,
I suspect a fairly large number of upgrades; unlike you, I suspect there
will be a modest impact in the growth of amateur radio.


It will be interesting to see if this proves true. I know of many people
who have no idea what the requirements are to get a ham license. Matter of
fact most have no idea that ham radio exists. Therefore the code
requirement was not a factor. I have yet to meet anyone who said that they
had an interest but did not pursue it because of the code requirement.

Many don't understand the implications of learning something about
electronics. A few years ago, I was given a Leslie speaker (rotating
speaker used on Hammond organs) that was not compatable with my organs.
It
was obvious that not only would the socket have to be re-wired, but the
new
Leslie needed control via 110 volts ac. My control was high-impedance dc
(about 90 volts dc).

I called the service guy. The estimate was 8 hours of labor (at $70.00
per
hour), plus a new relay, tube, and other components.

After looking the situation over, I spent less than $5.00 in components,
rewired the socket, isolated the dc with an interstage transformer, fed
the
dc to a big VFET through a 1 megohm resistor and zener to ground (to limit
the voltage applied to the gate). The VFET switched 400 volts dc through
a
100 k resistor to a solid state relay to the existing relay. The 110
volts
was already present in the Leslie.

It has worked flawlessly for a few years now. 2 hours work and 5 bucks
spent vs probably over $600.00.

Amateur radio was my background; hey, ya never know :P


While some of the hams I know could and would do the same, the majority have
chosen not to explore electronics beyond what they had to do for the test.
That isn't sufficient to enble them to venture into this type of activity.


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA



Dee, N8UZE

Dee Flint wrote:

1. Who won the pool?

See new thread on that subject.

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

I intend to report all current, unexpired FCC amateur radio licenses
held by individuals, sorted by license class. I also intend to include
the May 14, 2000 numbers and the numbers from the effective date of the
R&O.

Three sets of numbers, but only one set will change.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

We'll see. For a few years after the 2000 restructuring we saw growth,
but since then we have seen more decline.

The Novice class, IMHO, consists of three groups:

1) A small number of active hams

2) An unknown number of inactive hams who haven't got the word yet,
haven't gotten around to upgrading, or who are waiting for a no-test
upgrade.

3) An unknown number of totally inactive hams who will disappear from
the database once their licenses expire.

While 2) may seem unrealistic, even today I encounter hams who either
don't know about or don't understand the 2000 restructuring. I also
encounter amateurs who think that their Advanced will soon be
auto-upgraded to Extra, or their Tech Plus to General, even though FCC
has repeatedly denied proposals to do such things.

73 de Jim, N2EY

wrote in message
ups.com...

Dee Flint wrote:

1. Who won the pool?

See new thread on that subject.

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

I intend to report all current, unexpired FCC amateur radio licenses
held by individuals, sorted by license class. I also intend to include
the May 14, 2000 numbers and the numbers from the effective date of the
R&O.

Three sets of numbers, but only one set will change.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

We'll see. For a few years after the 2000 restructuring we saw growth,
but since then we have seen more decline.

The Novice class, IMHO, consists of three groups:

1) A small number of active hams

2) An unknown number of inactive hams who haven't got the word yet,
haven't gotten around to upgrading, or who are waiting for a no-test
upgrade.

3) An unknown number of totally inactive hams who will disappear from
the database once their licenses expire.

While 2) may seem unrealistic, even today I encounter hams who either
don't know about or don't understand the 2000 restructuring. I also
encounter amateurs who think that their Advanced will soon be
auto-upgraded to Extra, or their Tech Plus to General, even though FCC
has repeatedly denied proposals to do such things.

73 de Jim, N2EY


You could be right. It's simply my opinion that 3) represents the vast
majority of Novice licensees. I've met no Novice operators on the bands and
our club roster has no Novice licensees.

Dee, N8UZE

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...

Dee Flint wrote:

1. Who won the pool?

See new thread on that subject.

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license
class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

I intend to report all current, unexpired FCC amateur radio licenses
held by individuals, sorted by license class. I also intend to include
the May 14, 2000 numbers and the numbers from the effective date of the
R&O.

Three sets of numbers, but only one set will change.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to
no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

We'll see. For a few years after the 2000 restructuring we saw growth,
but since then we have seen more decline.

The Novice class, IMHO, consists of three groups:

1) A small number of active hams

2) An unknown number of inactive hams who haven't got the word yet,
haven't gotten around to upgrading, or who are waiting for a no-test
upgrade.

3) An unknown number of totally inactive hams who will disappear from
the database once their licenses expire.

While 2) may seem unrealistic, even today I encounter hams who either
don't know about or don't understand the 2000 restructuring. I also
encounter amateurs who think that their Advanced will soon be
auto-upgraded to Extra, or their Tech Plus to General, even though FCC
has repeatedly denied proposals to do such things.

73 de Jim, N2EY


You could be right. It's simply my opinion that 3) represents the vast
majority of Novice licensees. I've met no Novice operators on the bands
and
our club roster has no Novice licensees.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

I swear I am going to apply for WN2CJV, my first license. I still have the
license.

Then set the keyer to 45 words per minute and have some fun


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...

Dee Flint wrote:

1. Who won the pool?

See new thread on that subject.

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license
class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline of
amateur radio anymore.

Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

I intend to report all current, unexpired FCC amateur radio licenses
held by individuals, sorted by license class. I also intend to include
the May 14, 2000 numbers and the numbers from the effective date of the
R&O.

Three sets of numbers, but only one set will change.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little to
no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

We'll see. For a few years after the 2000 restructuring we saw growth,
but since then we have seen more decline.

The Novice class, IMHO, consists of three groups:

1) A small number of active hams

2) An unknown number of inactive hams who haven't got the word yet,
haven't gotten around to upgrading, or who are waiting for a no-test
upgrade.

3) An unknown number of totally inactive hams who will disappear from
the database once their licenses expire.

While 2) may seem unrealistic, even today I encounter hams who either
don't know about or don't understand the 2000 restructuring. I also
encounter amateurs who think that their Advanced will soon be
auto-upgraded to Extra, or their Tech Plus to General, even though FCC
has repeatedly denied proposals to do such things.

73 de Jim, N2EY


You could be right. It's simply my opinion that 3) represents the vast
majority of Novice licensees. I've met no Novice operators on the bands
and
our club roster has no Novice licensees.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

I swear I am going to apply for WN2CJV, my first license. I still have
the
license.

Then set the keyer to 45 words per minute and have some fun


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

Well anyone with internet access could instantly see through your game plan.

Dee, N8UZE

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...

Dee Flint wrote:

1. Who won the pool?

See new thread on that subject.

2. It will be interesting to follow the numbers on the licenses.
Please give consideration to either excluding the Novice license
class
entirely or reporting it as a separate item. This puts a
different
light
on the so-called decline of amateur radio. This group is almost
entirely
inactive, not renewing, and not relevant to the growth or decline
of
amateur radio anymore.

Also it might be interesting if you post three sets of numbers:

1. As of May 2000 as you have been doing.
2. As of the effective date of the implementation of no-code
testing.
3. The current number of licensees.

I intend to report all current, unexpired FCC amateur radio licenses
held by individuals, sorted by license class. I also intend to
include
the May 14, 2000 numbers and the numbers from the effective date of
the
R&O.

Three sets of numbers, but only one set will change.

My predictions are that there will be numerous upgrades but little
to
no
impact on the overall growth of ham radio.

We'll see. For a few years after the 2000 restructuring we saw
growth,
but since then we have seen more decline.

The Novice class, IMHO, consists of three groups:

1) A small number of active hams

2) An unknown number of inactive hams who haven't got the word yet,
haven't gotten around to upgrading, or who are waiting for a no-test
upgrade.

3) An unknown number of totally inactive hams who will disappear from
the database once their licenses expire.

While 2) may seem unrealistic, even today I encounter hams who either
don't know about or don't understand the 2000 restructuring. I also
encounter amateurs who think that their Advanced will soon be
auto-upgraded to Extra, or their Tech Plus to General, even though
FCC
has repeatedly denied proposals to do such things.

73 de Jim, N2EY


You could be right. It's simply my opinion that 3) represents the vast
majority of Novice licensees. I've met no Novice operators on the
bands
and
our club roster has no Novice licensees.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

I swear I am going to apply for WN2CJV, my first license. I still have
the
license.

Then set the keyer to 45 words per minute and have some fun


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

Well anyone with internet access could instantly see through your game
plan.

Dee, N8UZE


Hello Dee,

No game plan; I've gone back to 5 wpm before. I used to have a lot of fun
when I was on Guam. We had a 40 meter vertical that couldn't be beat. A
tower section 30 feet high on an insulator.

I used to go down into the novice band. It was a lot of fun. One guy
called me from New Jersey. He called "W2AAY de WN2***". I corrected him on
the call. His fist got shakey. "W6AAY de WN2***". Finally I told him he
had the call wrong. DE GUAM ISLAND, KG6AAY". You've never heard a fist get
that bad in a hurry as he was so nervous. It was a lot of fun, however. At
five words per minute.

When one has a Collins S-Line into a Henry 2K amp into a vertical over salt
water ..... no measurable reflected power ... and running maximum legal
power ... and a 200 Hz crystal filter .... I could hear him just fine and
the big rig simply pushed a signal through everything ...

Well, we had a lot of fun

Seriously, I do enjoy cw contacts with newcomers. I also have the ability
to deal with the folks that are hard-core cw folks. We had one guy on a 440
MHz repeater that was complaining that CW was the only way to go.
Fortunately, the owner of the repeater was in the group. I've known him
since 1963. I simply asked for permission to use F-2 modulation.

After receiving permission, I hit the guy with 40 words per minute CW. Case
made, case closed. Tim, WB2KAO, the repeater owner got a bit of a charge
out of that LOL


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim



73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...


[snip]


Seriously, I do enjoy cw contacts with newcomers. I also have the ability
to deal with the folks that are hard-core cw folks. We had one guy on a
440
MHz repeater that was complaining that CW was the only way to go.
Fortunately, the owner of the repeater was in the group. I've known him
since 1963. I simply asked for permission to use F-2 modulation.

After receiving permission, I hit the guy with 40 words per minute CW.
Case
made, case closed. Tim, WB2KAO, the repeater owner got a bit of a charge
out of that LOL


That's great. It's a fine example of "be careful what you ask for as you
might get it"!

Dee, N8UZE

Jim Hampton wrote:
"Dee Flint" wrote in message

You could be right. It's simply my opinion that 3) represents the vast
majority of Novice licensees. I've met no Novice operators on the bands
and
our club roster has no Novice licensees.

Dee, N8UZE

Hello Dee,

I swear I am going to apply for WN2CJV, my first license. I still have the
license.

Will that make you a Novice?

Then set the keyer to 45 words per minute and have some fun

There are no speed limits for Novices, but there are for higher class
hams who have IDers on repeaters.