The point I was trying to make is that the amateur radio hobby matured
about 3 decades ago. It's membership is aging rapidly and the number
of active participants is declining. As the baby boomer generation
dies off at an increasing rate the amateur radio hobby will continue to
fade away. Fiddling with the test requirements isn't going to magically
entice younger blood away from the many other license-free ways of
communicating. I would venture to say that you could open the ham
bands completely CB style and not get a big jump in membership. There
are just too many other interesting, easy to use ways of communicating
that that younger people are accustomed to using. I wish it were
otherwise.

Making the ham radio test more of a challenge as you suggest misses the
point completely. The point is that there will be a diminishing number
of people with any interest becoming a ham, no matter what the
requirements are.


L. wrote:
"John S." wrote in message
oups.com...
You could eliminate the tests, or you could increase passing levels and
I suspect the results would be the same. Fewer and fewer people
joining the hobby.



There are MANY reasons why ham may not be as popular. NO ONE reason is THE
reason. Code sure isn't it. It didn't stop the many who desired a license
from persuing it. If you want to do it - you will - simple as that. EFFORT
is the name of the game!

Slow Code wrote:
Let's keep the CB'ers on CB.


Many a fine CBer has moved up to Ham - and improved the hobby. CODE didn't
keep the scum of the bands from operating there ON CB OR now in the Ham
bands. SO - CODE IS NOT THE REASON.

2: The passing score for written exams needs to be raised to 85%.

Tnx, 73

SC


With the way you've been talking - you (SC) couldn't even do 85%. SO, you'd
be cutting yourself out.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - there are MANY things in life you
MUST learn to get by, some by pure need or desire. You "LEARNED" to drive,
had to study the rules of the road. You "LEARNED" how to do many other
things - and I'm damned sure "studied" things in school - maybe even college
or post high school to get to where you wanted to be - maybe took an exam
for a job promotion. HAM is just one more thing to "learn". For Christs
sakes, if you had EVERYTHING handed to you - it wouldn't be worth having. To
JUST have a "DRIVER'S LICENSE" "GIVEN" to you - would produce havoc on our
roads. To JUST GIVE AWAY "PILOTS LICENSES - would be devastating to many
when they come crashing down. To JUST "GIVE" Radio Licenses away -
regardless class or whatever - would produce havoc on the air waves.
SOMEWHERE - there HAS to be SOME control.

ANYONE not willing to work for something - is PURE LAZY.................. NO
other way to put it. I suppose those of you whining and bitching - never had
the pleasure of "satisfaction" KNOWING you "passed" a test by KNOWING the
material - NOT having it given to you.

THIS isn't ALL JUST about code anymore - our whole freaking nation is
dumbing down and that is SAD. AND it is getting to be a "lawless" society
where no one cares anymore - they do as they damned well please. Be it on
the telephone, radio, highway, waterways, in the air......... where ever -
doing whatever - they're not supposed to be doing. Step on your neighbors
rights but damned if they're to step on yours. That logic creates more
troubles.

This sort of thread will continue as long as there are whiners who don't
want to EARN a privelage - they want it "handed" to them. No wonder this
country and/or world is so screwed up.

L.