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

"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

"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.

I'm against free upgrades.

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.)

It's not that simple.

The proposed Novice would have a lot more HF modes and spectrum than
current Novice/Tech+ - but a lot *less* VHF/UHF.

Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra

Sounds reasonable.

I disagree. All it takes to go from Advanced to Extra is a single
written test. Been that way for almost 4 years.

, Techs
and Tech Pluses get free upgrade to General

Nope.

Same as above.

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

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

25 kHz or so.

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?!

Not at all. The old Novice was only 20-25 questions, back in the
bad old days (before about 1972).

Of course all the old Novice allowed was 80, 40 and 15 CW, plus
145-147 MHz meter CW and AM. And the AM was eliminated about 1967. 75
watts max input, xtal control only.

, 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.

Read the entire proposal on the website.

Some good ideas, some not so hot ones.

Better than the "21st Century" paper proposes, anyway.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Bert Craig wrote:



Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra


Sounds reasonable.

Oh great, I get to be an Extra by default. I had rather keep my
Advanced, advanced even sounds more advanced than Extra does.

JJ wrote:

Oh great, I get to be an Extra by default. I had rather keep my
Advanced, advanced even sounds more advanced than Extra does.

Yeah, my son is a Tech Plus. He was thinking of upgrading to General last
year but didn't bother. Now he stands to get a free upgrade. The message
is clear: Don't knock yourself out; be patient and eventually they'll give
you everything without asking you to expend any effort.

Art Harris N2AH

"Harris" wrote in message
...
JJ wrote:

Oh great, I get to be an Extra by default. I had rather keep my
Advanced, advanced even sounds more advanced than Extra does.

Yeah, my son is a Tech Plus. He was thinking of upgrading to General last
year but didn't bother. Now he stands to get a free upgrade. The message
is clear: Don't knock yourself out; be patient and eventually they'll give
you everything without asking you to expend any effort.

Art Harris N2AH

Actually I wonder if the ARRL petition isn't a crafty ruse. It will look
good to people who want what it proposes but has high odds of being rejected
by the FCC since the FCC has a long history of shooting down automatic
upgrades. They get the "attaboy" for "trying" and can then lay it at the
FCC's door when it fails even though they may want it to fail.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

In article om, "Dee D.
Flint" writes:

Actually I wonder if the ARRL petition isn't a crafty ruse. It will look
good to people who want what it proposes but has high odds of being rejected
by the FCC since the FCC has a long history of shooting down automatic
upgrades. They get the "attaboy" for "trying" and can then lay it at the
FCC's door when it fails even though they may want it to fail.

SHAME!

Thinking improper and vulgar thoughts about the ARRL!

Say 100 Hail Hirams as penance and sin no more.

LHA / WMD

"JJ" wrote in message
...
Bert Craig wrote:
Existing Advanceds get free upgrade to Extra

Oh great, I get to be an Extra by default. I had rather keep my
Advanced, advanced even sounds more advanced than Extra does.

To the average lay person, I bet they'd agree that of the five
license classes, they think Advanced would likly be the highest.
I've never thought the EXTRA name conveyed the true sense
of the license being the highest overall.

YMMV

Cheers,
Bill K2UNK

"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.

(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