In article , Alun
writes:

it is bizarre to greet
the end of the code requirement by suggesting a new licence with a code
test.

Why?

The revised treaty says that each country shall determine for itself what the
code test requirements for an amateur license will be. It appears that South
Africa is in the process of determining what it shall be for South Africa.
Perhaps there will be no test, or no change, or something in between.

And Jim, I didn't say it was a bad idea to have a dual track system with
code and theory alternatives. It's actually quite a good one. No doubt now
someone will put that in petition number 18, or whatever number we are up
to now.

I first suggested such a thing several years ago in my "Chinese Menu" license
concept. The idea was that there would be a "core" test requirement for the
lowest level of license, and upgrading could be accomplished by accumulating
credits in a variety of ways, such as specialized written tests, and code
tests.

I won't though, because it isn't going to happen.

Why not? Nobody has suggested it yet in the USA because in the past it would
have violated the treaty to have an HF license with no code test. Now it could
be done.

We don't know exactly
what the FCC will do, but we do know two things that they are on record as
saying:-

1) They don't beleive that the code test serves a useful purpose;

Not true!

They said it "serves no *regulatory* purpose"

2) They won't rearrange subbands until a consensus emerges amongst us.

I sure hope they don't!

So, we do know really (although some are in denial) that the NPRM will dump
Element 1 completely.

It ain't over until it's over, and even then it ain't over.

We can be rather less sure what it will do to reform the unnecessary
proliferation of licence classes,

What "proliferation"? We have 6 right now, with one scheduled to disappear in a
little over six years even if no rules changes at all are made. Two others are
disappearing by attrition.

and the equally unneccessary slicing and
dicing of the ham bands that goes with it.

Would you have only one class of license and no subbands by mode?

I hope it might do something in
this regard, but it is perhaps more likely that it will do nothing, or at
least as little as possible, as they probably will decide that we still
don't agree with oneanother.

And we don't.

73 de Jim, N2EY