an_old_friend wrote:

Michael Coslo wrote:

Dee Flint wrote:

"bb" wrote in message
groups.com...


K4YZ wrote:


bb wrote:


John Smith wrote:



Len:

Yes, they do look the part of ancient toothless bullies--the faint of
heart have fled in fear before their rants (as so have the women,
children, small animals and gays)...

And they ask who chased away the No Code Techs.

Who chased away the NCT's, Brain...?!?!

You keep reiterating this assinine assertion that is, in fact,
untruthful, yet you continue to DODGE answering the question?

I talked with two NCT's on the way home fromwork last night...They
weren't lost..knew right where they were.

Perhaps you didn't see Dee, Dan and Dave's prejudice in the "Where are
All the Techs" thread. It's all pretty self-explanatory, and as plain
as that gut of yours in the QRZ photo.



Interesting how you can derive prejudice from a simple question.

Probably becuase the question often gets answers that are not in line
with other people's prejudices.


I honestly wanted to know why, in a VHF/UHF contest, I wasn't contacting
more Techs since they are "trapped above 30MHz by the code test" as some
would have us believe. When Technicians are nearly half of all licensed
hams, why were they only about 5% of my contacts? Extra's are only about
16% of the total and yet they were about 90% of the contacts.

Most Technicians are doing exactly what they want. Some are satisfied
with getting on the local repeater, some are helping with public service
and event support, which again is either 2m simplex or repeater work.

Those who want to upgrade, do upgrade.


Those who maintain that the Techs are "trapped" are creating a
self-fulfilling prophecy by convincing the Techs that they are not capable
of passing code.

Frankly I doubt too many Techs are convinced by that sort of argument.

The only people (with one exception) who are trapped are those who for
some reason allow themselves to be. The exception is those very, very
few who for some reason are truly incapable. BUt that number is
vanishingly small.




Every ham at every level should be encouraged to believe in their ABILITY to
master any and all of the elements even if the element is not a required
one. Whether they choose to pursue it is a different issue but we should
encourage them to believe in themselves and not tear down their self esteem.



Yet we have some people maintaining that the code should be dropped because
some people "can't learn it and are trapped above 30MHz." By maintaining
this attitude they are the ones putting down the Techs and showing their
prejudices.

Some people cannot pass the written tests either. Does not being able
to pass the General test also trap you above 30 MHz? Not passing the
Extra trap you out of the Extra segments?

Does not being able to pass the Technician test trap you out of Amateur
radio? If I don't want to learn the satellite operation questions, is
that an unfair thing, and should those questions be removed so I don't
have to learn the answers to those questions?


But your analogy is false if you don't wish to learn about satelite
operation then don't it will not keep you from passing the test.
Perfect score is NOT required in order to pass

Analogys are never perfect. But as it goes, we are not allowed to pick
and choose what we need to learn to get the license. If we want the
license, we have to learn what is required.



I don't claim to have plotted it but I beleive you even choose not to
learn the rules of the ARS and still pass the test. ( not that I would
recmend such a course)

Futher No one has suggested removing from the question pools all
content regarding Morse Encoded CW, but the current state of affairs
make Morse encoded CW more important than all of the rest of Ham radio,
something that is clearly not the case and unfairly enhances the
previldges of those to whom it comes more easily

An alterenitve would of course be to discuss wether or not the ARS
would be better off with a fee based license sructure, with the fees
reservsed for ARS enforcement. Not sure I endorse the idea fully but I
do think it has enough merit to discuss, or even asome from of mixed
system of fees or tests and fees or just tests with the pathways
choosen by each of us I think that has ral merit but I doubt the FCC
would ever go for it,

But it does seem forbidden to even discuss something like that


Those who would have the Technicians be the "oppressed victims" do hate
those questions.


They would trample on other's self esteem to obtain their
objectives.

Correct! If a person hates Morse code, that is fine. It's a free
country. But The concept of people being "trapped" above 30 MHz is a
sympathy ploy that has no relation to the reality of people wanting more
priveliges, and doing what is needed to get them.


false again. it is not a matter of sympathy but of law, the
constitution, rights, all those little thing that get in the of petty
(or grand) tyrants

Out of context, and incorrect. No one is trapped.

I had some people telling me to wait to get my General, because the
Morse code requirement is going away "any day now". That was in 1999.
Just about 6 years ago. I guess it was a good thing I didn't listen to
them! 8^)

But that is the tale I give the new guys who are interested in
upgrading. Don't wait. Learn what you need to learn. If the requirement
goes away, all you will have lost is the time spent learning Morse, and
you will have traded that time for some skill and knowledge. Then I ask
if 6 years of not being on HF is worth *not* learning Morse code.


Certainly is I spent 5 years on it that was a waste and in those it
kept you off HF and VHF and.... I traded my time for nothing

Indeed the Tale I tell is decide if you want HF, and then give morse
code a try, and if you try good luck with it, but please don't let
yourself get down about it.

- Mike KB3EIA -