RadioBanter - FCC proposes to drop CW requirement on HF

running dogg wrote:

I figure that the A+ Certified computer technicians at my vocational
school (whose ranks I hope to join by early next year) know more about
electronics theory and construction than the average appliance operator
ham.

It doesn't look that way on: news:alt.certification.a-plus where I
was told by a regular there that he had worked on computer for 42 years,
and that electrolytic capacitors just don't go bad on motherboards.
Most of the people trying to pass the different a+ tests just memorize
several sets of practice questions and hope to squeak by without really
knowing what they are doing. A good computer tech should have at least
one full year of basic electronics education, along with a year of hands
on electronics troubleshooting before preparing for the A+ tests. Its
hard not to laugh at the low level of skills shown by most of the people
on that group where reformatting the hard drive is considered a
troubleshooting step. I have repaired computers for 22 years. When I
started, you had to use a scope and have good soldering skills to find
and replace the bad chips. I still troubleshoot most motherboards
before I replace them. If it isn't a bad custom chip, I just repair the
board and put it back in service. A+ doesn't guarantee that a tech can
find a bad board on the first try, let alone make effective repairs in a
reasonable amount of time. I tried to explain logical troubleshooting to
one of them and was told it was too much trouble to do things that way.
He would rather stumble through each problem blindly than learn to
follow a set method to let him fix more computers and make more money.
That's OK with me. If I ever get well enough to go back to work I am
going to open a computer store and do things my way. Let him starve if
he wants to.

It seems to me that a lot of hams are old farts who were educated
on tube equipment-all this modern stuff, including microprocessors,
might as well be Chinese to them. I like the idea somebody had of an
over the air test, graded by a panel of judges situated around the
country. Of course, with today's appliance equipment one just has to
plug it in and hook it up. I'd like to see some stuff on electrical
engineering (basic theory and application) and maybe a hands on portion
where the prospective ham builds and operates a simple rig. That would
eliminate the "appliance operator syndrome". Of course, all this would
require a lot more commitment on the part of the FCC than just a written
test where the published answers can be memorized, but the FCC has shown
that they don't give a flying **** about amateur radio. Like the rest of
government, they're in business to give maximum profit to a favored few
(the NAB, in this case) and extract maximum taxes (fines) out of the
rest of us. All the FCC cares about is AM/FM broadcast radio (thus the
hefty fines handed out to FM pirates while SW pirates operate with
impunity for years) and TV. The FCC doesn't control cable or satellites,
which have been and are taking market share away from on air operators,
so the FCC is focusing on what it has control over. But SW? Forget it.
WWCR operates in the tropical bands, WWRB operates out of band, and the
FCC does nothing (and did I mention the pirates?). There's no profit in
SW, no NAB for SW, so the FCC ignores it.

If you don't think CATV operators have to answer to the FCC you know
nothing about the business. They also have to comply with FAA and EPA
regulations and inspections. CATV operates as a closed system over
public service and aircraft frequencies, so any system damage that
causes radiation in those bands must be repaired quickly, or the system
operator gets a stiff fine. Accidentally carry a sporting event that is
blanked in your area, and watch the fines roll in. Pole attachment fees
and right of way fees are governed by FCC rules.

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Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida