Mike Coslo wrote in message . net...
N2EY wrote:

In article , Mike Coslo
writes:


N2EY wrote:


In article ,



(Larry Roll K3LT) writes:



I think that the most likely scenario is that they will do as you suggest,
and distill it down to two license classes, General and Extra. All current
Techs would be "grandfathered" to the General class, and the Extra will
remain the same, sans Element 1(a). This would be the easiest change
to accomplish from an administrative standpoint, and they wouldn't have
to even bother renaming the remaining license classes, which would only
risk causing resentment among current Extras. There could be, at most,
a requirement for current Techs to pass another written element, but the
grandfathering would be an easier fix.


ARRL asked for something very similar back in 1998 and FCC said no. (ARRL's
proposal would have given Novices and Tech Pluses instant upgrades to

General).

Such an instant upgrade has these problems:

1) A lot of screaming about "no giveaways"

Let's test your premise here, Jim. Would you support a one class system


in which all amateurs that have passed Novice, Tech, General or (of
course) Extra get an "instant upgrade" to Extra?


No. In fact, not just "no" but "HELL, NO!!"

Okay, now I know a little more where you stand on this. I wasn't sure if
you were being DA on it or what..... Wait a second... DA means Devil's
Advocate... other interpretations might not be so kind! 8^)

Devil's Advocate I sometimes am.


snip

Can anyone *prove* to me that the Extra written contains things a ham *must*
know to operate on the Extra-only subbands?

Nope! There is really not much reason to go from General to Extra
beyond personal satisfaction!

Not what I meant.

My point is simply this: The code test has been deemed "unnecessary"
by some under the reasoning that a ham doesn't absolutley have to know
the code in order to operate an amateur station safely and legally.
The Tech license and the R&O for 98-143 are frequently pointed to as
proof of this.

But by that same logic, there is nothing (or very very little) in the
Extra *test* that is absolutely necessary for a ham to know in order
to operate an amateur station safely and legally. Proof of this is
easy - the only operating privileges that an Extra gets you that a
General doesn't are more kHz of 4 HF bands.

No new bands, no new modes, no more power. So most if not all of the
Extra written test is therefore "unnecessary" by the very same logic
that deems the code test to be "unnecessary".

So what we have is essentially this: The code test is held to a
different standard than the writtens by some folks. They think it's OK
to require people take more and more written tests to get more
privileges, but it's not OK to require even a basic 5 wpm code test
for any license.

Some may say "but the written test supports the basis and purpose of
amateur radio as a technical service" - but can they point to anyone
who became "more technical" because they were required to take more
written tests?



73 de Jim, N2EY