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How Many License Classes?
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ps.com... On Mar 4, 9:10am, "Dee Flint" wrote: My bet is that we'll indeed have a de facto two level license system but I think they will be General and Extra. The step from Tech to General is not that difficult and the licensee will have access to all modes, power levels and bands. Unless you are into DXing, contesting or being a VE, the additional privileges that Extra licensees have are not that much of an advantage. I, for one, encourage all those studying for Technician to go ahead and get the General study guide and go for it either at the first sitting or as soon as possible thereafter. The Technician will be basically turn into a very temporary way station on their climb up the ladder. My fiftieth of a dollar: There are really two issues here. The first is "what's the best possible license structure?" and the second is "what can we realistically put in place in US amateur radio?" Agreed. These really are separate issues. Usually practicality will outweigh other issues. The first step in answering either question is to define what should be on the tests for a license that gives *all* US amateur radio privileges. Some think the testing for the current full-privileges US amateur radio license isn't near as comprehensive as it should be, others think it covers too much, etc. Since people are split on this issue, my opinion is that we are probably at about the right level for the full privilege license. The answer is almost certainly going to be a compromise between all those opinions. That may end up leaving it the same as it is now. The second step is to determine whether it's a good idea to require a new amateur to pass that test just to get started in amateur radio, or whether it's better to have license classes that require less knowledge in return for fewer privileges. Personally I just can't see expecting the new amateur to do that much work just to be able to start exploring amateur radio. History has shown that having a basic licensing option is helpful to the growth and health of amateur radio. Then decide how many steps are needed from "not a ham" to "full privileges". Agreed. Three steps has always seemed appropriate to me. I would not find two objectionable. However if we keep the full privilege license as is, then three really seems better. The introductory license to try out amateur radio and then an intermediate license (like the General) that gives a wide range of privileges but does not require delving into the more exotic technical and mathematical areas. Then the full privilege license. While doing this, it is important to remember that what appears easy to someone with significant radio/electronics/engineering/math background may not appear easy to someone who does not have that same background. That is why I favor three license levels but do encourage people to move up to General as quickly as they can study the material. I've taught classes for Tech, General, and Extra to people who had no significant radio/electronics/engineering/math backgrounds. So I'm quite familiar with this issue. With the exception of two who did not take the Extra test, all my students have passed the respective licenses for which they were studying. The ironic part is the two who did not attempt the Extra class test had significant math/electronics/radio backgrounds. A lady who was an administrative assistant (no significant background in math/technical/radio subjects) passed her Extra with flying colors. Then there's the whole question of what FCC can be induced to do. In recent R&Os and other writings, FCC has repeatedly said they consider the optimum number of license classes to be three. So it seems the way to go is: - an "entry level" license that is easy to get and gives limited privileges - a "middle level" license that requires more knowledge, but not everything - a "full privileges" license that has comprehensive knowledge requirements for full privileges That's close to what we have now, but there are improvements that can be made. First is the extreme unbalance in the privileges of the Technician license. That may be a hard sell to FCC. With the expansion of the Novice/Tech+ privileges in December and dropping of the code so all Techs have those privileges, much of that imbalance has now been alleviated. --- It should be remembered that the old Novice class was extremely successful in getting new hams started in amateur radio, at least for the first 30-40 or so years of its existence. The main feature of the old Novice that worked so well was that it required minimal testing, so that newcomers could get on the air and see if amateur radio was really for them. I wasn't into radio until 1992 and the codeless Tech was already rapidly becoming the entry point of choice. So I can't really comment on this. However my elmer/teacher strongly encouraged us to go for Tech+ right off the bat. I'm glad I did. However, it took so long for the license to come that I passed my General in the meantime and went on the air as a /AG the day that first license arrived. So I did not experience operating as a Novice. There was never any requirement for newcomers to start with the Novice, yet for decades most new hams did just that. When the codeless Technician came into being, it quickly became the entry point of choice and rapidly chipped away at the Novice licensing approach. What's needed now is a "Novice license for the 21st Century", IMHO 73 de Jim, N2EY So just out of curiosity, what is your version of the 21st "novice" or entry license? Dee, N8UZE |
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