From: on Dec 30, 5:56 pm

wrote:

Reposted and updated slightly:

1) Three classes of license: Basic, Intermediate, Full (change the
names if you don't like them - Third, Second, First, Novice,
General, Extra, whatever)

Brian, the best Jimmie can come up with is just warmed-over
EXISTING regulations with a slightly different bit of
cosmetic changing.

Note: There are only THREE license classes granted NOW.


2) HF/MF bands split into subbands by mode and split again by
license class. Some bands (30 meters) may be split by mode only.
Bottom of each band is CW only, middle is CW/digital, top is
CW/phone/image. Percentage division about 20%/30%/50% (varies with
band). "Digital" includes digital voice modes if bandwidth under
1 kHz.

Farf. There's BANDPLANS now, splitting "the bands" by mode
AND class.


3) "Basic" license test is simple 20-25 question exam on regs,
procedures, and safety. Very little technical and RF exposure


4) "Intermediate" license test is more complex 50-60 question exam
on regs, procedures, safety and technical stuff. Intermediates
get 300-400 watts on all bands, all modes. Intermediates can be

5) "Full" license test is quite complex 100-120 question exam on
regs, procedures, safety and technical stuff. Mostly technical,

More Farf. Cosmetic changes to classes that exist NOW.


6) All licenses are 10 year and fully renewable/modifiable. No
age requirements or limits.

NO change at all. Status quo-ism.


7) Basics have six-character calls, Intermediates have five- or
six-character calls, and Fulls have four-, five-, or
six-character calls. Nobody has to give up an existing callsign.

Be absolutely SURE that the lowest class is readily identifiable
as the LOWEST one. Tsk, can't have those nasty "beginners"
messing up the playground!


8) Separate 30-35 question test for VE qualification, open to
Intermediates and Fulls, which allows them to be VEs. Existing
VEs are grandfathered.

Oh my, something NEW! "Unbeliegable," said Arte Johnson.

So, "what was WRONG with the present system" that it needs
this spay-shull "test" to proctor a license exam...with the
answers readily available to them and NO need to make any
decisions such as on schematics or essay questions?

Geez, privatization in testing has been going on a LONG
time without any specific "testing of the VEs."



End result is a system that is easy to get into (Basic is
envisioned as a 21st century version of the Novice) and has
reasonable but meaningful steps to reach full privileges.

The Novice class was a numbers failure. That's apparent
to most folks other than Jimmie.

With a ONE-class license plus the ONCE-only "entry" license
it is EASIER than the above regurgitated existing system.

WHY is there a "privilege" system at all NOW? To keep "the
bands" free of "interlopers" that mess up the olde-tymers'
operations with "extraneous signals?"


Testing matches the privs granted.

It should, there is NO real change from the existing system.


Power levels are set about
one S-unit apart. Nobody loses any privileges. There are only
three license classes and four written tests, so FCC doesn't
have more work.

I N C O R R E C T !

The FCC has to ADDITIOMALLY TEST Volunteer Examiners. More
work for them. But, as in Latin ("who watches the watchers?")
who will test the VE applicants? Other VEs? Not unless they
have ALREADY been tested...which leads to an impossible
condition.

What's with this "power level" per "class" thing, anyway?

If that were meaningful, there would be FCC field teams out
there measuring field strengths and knocking on doors, etc.
Obviously there aren't and any existing "RF power output"
maximums in amateur radio operate on the honor system.
Ain't no extensive "RF power output" checking being done.


73 de Jim, N2EY

QP contains 10,000 questions. You take a test, 1 question at a time.
Questions selected at random. You keep going til you miss one. No
retakes, no upgrades. Each right question earns 10Hz of spectrum, your
choice of frequency, but it must be made at the exam session. That is
your lifetime allotment.

HAR! :-)

------

Well, since Jimmie didn't come up with anything "new" other
than doing a Max Factor Thing with the existing regulations
(plus the NEW test for VEs), I'll just remind everyone of what
is in the regulations NOW...and has been since at least 1995:
The FCC states that each written test element Question Pool
must contain a MINIMUM of 10 times the number of required
questions.

There is NO maximum on the Question Pool. [I don't think there
ever was one] It's all up to the VE QPC on how many it wants
to generate and distribute. Make it 20 times, 30 times, 50,
even a 100 times the minimum in the QP...that will knock down
all those charges of "memorization."

Yawn.

Nappy Hoo Year!