Len takes yet another leap toward making friends in the Amateur Radio
community...

KC8GXW wrote:

I didn't take the free upgrade to general,

There's no free upgrade to General.

If someone earned a Technician back when that license used the same
written as the General, they can get a no-additional test
upgrade to General through the VE system. FCC recognizes old
(pre-March 21, 1987) Element 3 as carrying credit for new
Element 3.

But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

wrote:
KC8GXW wrote:


I didn't take the free upgrade to general,


There's no free upgrade to General.

If someone earned a Technician back when that license used the same
written as the General, they can get a no-additional test
upgrade to General through the VE system. FCC recognizes old
(pre-March 21, 1987) Element 3 as carrying credit for new
Element 3.

But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a give away
tech license!

KC8GXW wrote:
But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a give away tech license!

Well, whoever told you that was full of beans and didn't know
what s/he was talking about. Probably just sour grapes.

73 de Jim, N2EY

wrote in message
ups.com...
KC8GXW wrote:
But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a give
away tech license!

Well, whoever told you that was full of beans and didn't know
what s/he was talking about. Probably just sour grapes.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I said that. And I mean it. The tests today are a joke. Why you ask?
Because the questions and answers are right there in front of the person.
Sure he has to study a lot of questions. But there they are on the test. A
give away.

And lets not even talk about the CW situation.

It's NOT numbers we need, it people that respect the traditions of ham
radio and want to continue them. Its people that love ham radio and don't
want to use to to order a pizza.

Call me old fashioned and out of touch. It won't be the first time.

Dan/W4NTI

Dan/W4NTI wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...

KC8GXW wrote:

But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a give
away tech license!

Well, whoever told you that was full of beans and didn't know
what s/he was talking about. Probably just sour grapes.

73 de Jim, N2EY


I said that. And I mean it. The tests today are a joke. Why you ask?
Because the questions and answers are right there in front of the person.
Sure he has to study a lot of questions. But there they are on the test. A
give away.

And lets not even talk about the CW situation.

It's NOT numbers we need, it people that respect the traditions of ham
radio and want to continue them. Its people that love ham radio and don't
want to use to to order a pizza.

Call me old fashioned and out of touch. It won't be the first time.

Dan/W4NTI

I can order pizza? I see what you mean now about me not knowing all the
rules and regs off the top of my head. Look what I've been missing!

.... absolutely not, that is why ham radio has failed, the old guys keep
trying to turn it into a darn religion with a bunch of traditions (or is
that an A.A. meeting?)...
We need some young active technical people to bring some technology to
the focus in this hobby and breathe some life back into it...

Warmest regards,
John

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote in message
link.net...

wrote in message
ups.com...
KC8GXW wrote:
But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a
give away tech license!

Well, whoever told you that was full of beans and didn't know
what s/he was talking about. Probably just sour grapes.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I said that. And I mean it. The tests today are a joke. Why you
ask? Because the questions and answers are right there in front of the
person. Sure he has to study a lot of questions. But there they are
on the test. A give away.

And lets not even talk about the CW situation.

It's NOT numbers we need, it people that respect the traditions of
ham radio and want to continue them. Its people that love ham radio
and don't want to use to to order a pizza.

Call me old fashioned and out of touch. It won't be the first time.

Dan/W4NTI

Dan/W4NTI wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

KC8GXW wrote:

But you still have to pay the VE fee, and have earned that
Tech in the first place. Not a giveaway or a free upgrade.

73 de Jim, N2EY

I was just being sarcastic because I have been told I have a give
away tech license!

Well, whoever told you that was full of beans and didn't know
what s/he was talking about. Probably just sour grapes.

73 de Jim, N2EY


I said that. And I mean it. The tests today are a joke. Why you ask?
Because the questions and answers are right there in front of the person.
Sure he has to study a lot of questions. But there they are on the test. A
give away.

And lets not even talk about the CW situation.

It's NOT numbers we need, it people that respect the traditions of ham
radio and want to continue them. Its people that love ham radio and don't
want to use to to order a pizza.

Call me old fashioned and out of touch. It won't be the first time.

Dan/W4NTI



Is there really any need for much technical knowledge to obtain a ham
license anymore? Why a need for technical knowlege when setting up and
operating a station today is simply plug-an-play? How many hams constuct
any equipment they use on the air any more? The most tech knowledge that
might be required is maybe how to build and put up and adjust an
antenna. Perhaps the test should focus more on rules, regulations and
proper operating procedures. The most technical that hams get today is
knowing how many frequencies they can store in the radios memory.

As you say Dan, with the joke they use for testing today, no technical
knowledge is required anyway, just memorize the answers to the questions
and off you go. So maybe if the tests were geared more to regs and
operating procedures, then even with the memoriziation some of it might
soak in and maybe there would less cb type operating on the ham bands.

It is pretty bad when as I heard not long ago on a 2 meter reperter, "I
just got my license, can someone tell me what frequencies I can
operate?" Cheeese.

Even wogie wussman passed the test, that in itself speaks volumns about
how easy the they are.