Cutting edge stuph, I'm sure. Let's see what they got.

(N2EY) wrote in message om...
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

5 wpm code test retained for Extra only

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra, Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics", General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.


73 de Jim, N2EY

Pretty much just a consolidation of existing license classes. But a
move in the right direction.

"Bert Craig" wrote in message . net...
"N2EY" wrote in message
m...
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

Ok, so far so good.

5 wpm code test retained for Extra only

I personally would like to see existing Tech, Tech+, and Novice licensees
upgraded to the new Novice ticket. (Tech+ privies.)

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra

Sounds reasonable.

, Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

Nope.

'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Depends on one's interpretation of "slightly," I suppose.

Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440

Ok.

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation

Also reasonable.

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics"

Surely, they jest?!

, General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.

Ok.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Thanks for the synopsis, Jim. This scenario certainly beats a blank.

73 de Bert
WA2SI

A blank like last time?

Bert, WHY OH WHY couldn't the ARRL have come up with this a decade
ago???

The FCC was not only receptive, but even a little pushy about
restructuring back then. Instead the ARRL chose to sit on their
collective thumbs.

In article , Alun
writes:

(N2EY) wrote in news:c2356669.0401191008.a3c8376
:

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

The _only_ merit to that is that testing was free for Novices, so it would
reintroduce a free licence class.

Not part of the proposal as I read it.

The new Novice would replace the existing Technician class as the entry level
exam. It would have less power and fewer VHF/UHF privileges, but more HF
privileges.

Provided the new class that happened to
be called Novice had Tech Plus privileges and they had to pass the current
Element 2 I would have no trouble with that

Why?

Current Element 2 is very VHF/UHF centric, and so are current Tech Plus privs.
The goal seems to be to strike more of a balance between above and below 30 MHz
privileges.

5 wpm code test retained for Extra only

Predictably, I do have a problem with that.

Me too. Should be at least 13 and preferably 20 wpm. Sending and receiving.

Morse skill testing for voice
privileges is illogical and should be dumped.

It's no more illogical than testing theory in order to be allowed to use
manufactured equipment.

Moreover, it can be now,
since it has not been required by the ITU for the last six months.

FCC will most probably just drop it completely.

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra,

OK

Why OK? Why not simply carry the Advanceds as a separate class, as has been
done for the past 3 years and 9 months?

Techs and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

Not OK in this scenario, given my comments above

Agreed - but why is it OK for Advanceds to get a free upgrade to Extra, but not
OK for Techs and Tech Pluses to get free upgrade to General?

What is the fundamental difference that makes one freebie OK but not the other?

'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Good.

Bad.

Some phone below 7100? No? Why not?

That space is needed for CW and digital modes.

Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440

See above

Please clarify.

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation

OK

Agreed.

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics",

Not OK

Why not? Current Element 2 is only 35 questions! And it has a lot
more ground to cover, including all amateur VHF/UHF bands and modes,
power up to "meat cooking" levels (love that WK3C phrase) and much more.

By reducing the entry-level privs, 25 questions should be enough.

General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.

What do you actually think of this proposal yourself, Jim? You don't say
here.

See above. A few good ideas and a few bad ideas. Obviously the work of a
committee looking to give everyone something they want, but not giving anyone
everything they want.

What will FCC do?

First off, they may just go for the "new Novice", in an effort to attract more
new hams.

Second, they will probably just dump Element 1.

Third, they will probably not hand out free upgrades because it costs them
little or nothing to keep the closed-off classes.

And that's probably about it.

73 de Jim, N2EY

73 de Jim, N2EY

In article ,
(N2EY) writes:

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

5 wpm code test retained for Extra only

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra, Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics", General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.


73 de Jim, N2EY

Jim:

This new ARRL Proposal is pretty much what I would expect to come out of
Newington these days. And that doesn't mean that I won't support it. However,
I don't see the FCC as being favorably disposed toward adding a new license
class to the ARS licensing structure. A better idea would have been to simply
incorporate the "New Novice" HF phone privileges with the current
Technician-class license, keeping General and Extra as they are in the new
proposal.

I don't see why the Extra-class code test requirement needs to be set at the
current 5 WPM level. A 12-wpm code test would be a better idea, and anyone
interested enough in achieving Extra could go from nothing to that level in a
matter of weeks. However, since Extra is already dumbed-down to 5 WPM, I
guess there's no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

73 de Larry, K3LT

Alun wrote in message .. .
(N2EY) wrote in news:c2356669.0401191008.a3c8376
@posting.google.com:

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

The _only_ merit to that is that testing was free for Novices, so it would
reintroduce a free licence class. Provided the new class that happened to
be called Novice had Tech Plus privileges and they had to pass the current
Element 2 I would have no trouble with that


5 wpm code test retained for Extra only


Predictably, I do have a problem with that. Morse skill testing for voice
privileges is illogical and should be dumped. Moreover, it can be now,
since it has not been required by the ITU for the last six months.

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra,

OK

Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

Not OK in this scenario, given my comments above


'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Good. Some phone below 7100? No? Why not?


Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440


See above

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation


OK

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics",

Not OK

General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.


73 de Jim, N2EY

What do you actually think of this proposal yourself, Jim? You don't say
here.

73 de Alun, N3KIP


Alun, when we had 7 license classes, The Amateur Formerly Known As
Rev. Jim told me that the ARS needed more license classes, not fewer.

In article , (N2EY)
writes:

What will FCC do?

First off, they may just go for the "new Novice", in an effort to attract more
new hams.

Why? The FCC doesn't have ANY tasking to "attract more new hams."

That's for the League.

The FCC has only to regulate what radio amateurs still exist.

Second, they will probably just dump Element 1.

Why would you possibly think that? :-)

Third, they will probably not hand out free upgrades because it costs them
little or nothing to keep the closed-off classes.

Somebody said that ham licenses would be available in cereal
boxes. Is that true? [I don't think Rev. Jimmie said that...]

And that's probably about it.

And that's probably NOT all. Wait until the NPRM. :-)

73 de Jim, N2EY

73 de Jim, N2EY

LHA / WMD

LHA / WMD

"Bill Sohl" wrote


Pretty similar to Hans's proposal on classes.


Bill, you must be on drugs, or you have a severe disability regarding
comprehension of the English language.

73, de Hans, K0HB

(N2EY) wrote

Until the 2000 restructuring, an Extra
required passing both the 50 question
Advanced written *and* the 40 question Extra.

You must be new around here.

Many Extra's (me, for an example) never took the Advanced written
exam, and my Extra exam had 75 questions, not 40.

73, de Hans, K0HB

In article , ospam
(Larry Roll K3LT) writes:

In article ,
(N2EY) writes:

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1

Summary:

3 classes of license: Novice, General, Extra

5 wpm code test retained for Extra only

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra, Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

'Phone image subbands for 80/40/15 widened slightly

Old Novice subbands replaced by additional CW/data
and 'phone subbands on 80/40/15. Novices also get
privs on 6, 2, 222, and 440

Novice power level set below that requiring RF exposure
evaluation

Novice test to be 25 questions on "basics", General to be
derived from Tech and General, Extra pretty much as-is.


73 de Jim, N2EY

Jim:

This new ARRL Proposal is pretty much what I would expect to come out of
Newington these days.

Except it didn't come out of Newington - it's the result of the BoD's vote. And
the BoD are from all over the country, elected by the members.

And that doesn't mean that I won't support it.

I support parts of it.

However,
I don't see the FCC as being favorably disposed toward adding a new license
class to the ARS licensing structure.

Just a name change. They'd reopen Novice to new issues and close off Tech to
new issues so there would still be only three levels avaialble for new issues.

A better idea would have been to
simply
incorporate the "New Novice" HF phone privileges with the current
Technician-class license, keeping General and Extra as they are in the new
proposal.

Maybe they'll do just that.

I don't see why the Extra-class code test requirement needs to be set at the
current 5 WPM level.

It's a bone throne to those who support code testing. And if you look at the
comments to the various proposals submitted to FCC, those folks are in the
majority.

A 12-wpm code test would be a better idea, and anyone
interested enough in achieving Extra could go from nothing to that level in a
matter of weeks.

Of course.

However, since Extra is already dumbed-down to 5 WPM, I
guess there's no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

Worth a try, though.

73 de Jim, N2EY

In article ,
(Hans K0HB) writes:

(N2EY) wrote

Until the 2000 restructuring, an Extra
required passing both the 50 question
Advanced written *and* the 40 question Extra.

You must be new around here.

Yep - only been an Extra for about 34 years.

Many Extra's (me, for an example) never took the Advanced written
exam, and my Extra exam had 75 questions, not 40.

"Many"?

There were fewer than 5000 Extras in the mid 1960s. Today there are well over
100,000.

And yes, for time, (1953-1967) there was only one written test to go from
General to Extra - because FCC wasn't giving out Advanceds in that time period.


So what you're telling us, Hans, is that you only had to take a single written
test to go from General to Extra, while most of the rest of us had to take two
written tests.

Moral: Pays to get there early.

73 de Jim, N2EY