John Smith I wrote:
Dave Heil wrote:
...
If you have to ask the question, it is apparent that you don't know
the answer.

Dave K8MN

Dave:

I know the answers to all which has gone on here ...

It is readily apparent from what you've written below that you do not know.

The point is some who are under-achievers have established a class
system.

That's incorrect, "John". The under-achievers are those who want the
testing dumbed-down. Those who can, do. Those who can't, whine.

They have sold the un-technical-minded that a ham ticket is the
equivalent of a doctorate degree.

I know of not a single individual who has made such a statement. You
and Len Anderson seem to believe that there are folks who have stated
such. Neither of you has documented your claim.

Strangely, this class system ended up
centered around CW (the one non-technical aspect of electronics
(actually, has almost nothing to do with radio communications in its'
present state and, indeed, having more to do with 'other skills.')


There has been no class system centered around CW. The FCC implemented
Incentive Licensing back in the late 1960's. One class of license--the
Advanced--had no additional CW test over the General Class license. Only
the Amateur Extra had an increase in CW speed as an additional test.
Each class of licensing has increased theory and regulatory knowledge
required.

They
and others wish to keep amateur radio what it is today, a good old boys
club who like the peace and quiet of the bands.

I disagree. The Good Old Boys will be the new entrants, those
underachievers who could not be bothered to pass the previous exams.
The bands are not now peaceful and quiet. Anyone who says otherwise
isn't active on the air.

New comers will be a "burden." They will need to be brought up to speed
(elmered if you like.) They will make mistakes, they will think they
know it all (but some here already do that!) and have to learn new
things, it will tax the patience of even saintly men and women.

Newcomers have always been a burden. They have always needed to be
brought up to speed. They have always made mistakes and there have
always been those who think they know it all. They have all had to
learn new things and they have always taxed the patience of some.
Newcomers of the past have been better prepared than newcomers of the
future. Newcomers of today will be better prepared than newcomers of
tomorrow. That is the direction of the country and that is the
direction amateur radio is taking.

The FCC
will finally have to start making sure sane rules are enforced for a
larger population.

The FCC long ago abrogated its duty to enforce the regulations in the
amateur bands. Riley Hollingsworth has taken steps to try to reverse
that, but he doesn't have the staff to enforce the regs.

Amateur Radio is about to undergo a face lift and a painful rebirth into
the new millennium ... These are truly exciting times to live in.

Vietnam was exciting. It wasn't necessarily pleasant.

The amateur bands will, for the foreseeable future, be much as they have
been for decades. The same analog modes will predominate. We've seen
an increase in some phone segments of some bands as re-farming of the
old Novice bands has taken place. The dumbing-down of HF licensing has
begun and there is already pressure to further dumb-down the written exams.

The real pressure will be on the phone bands. Those of us who favor CW
will see little change.

Dave K8MN