[CW] One Day to Extra Class

[Gregory W. Moore]

Jim, Nothing that happens in Amateur Radio today surprises me. I really
don't know how one can learn ALL the information for Extra in one day. I
can't believe one can really do this properly, and come out with "True
Extra Class".

Yes, a 2 or 3 day seminar for a test works for another Federal license,
the Pilots license, but that seminar is not meant to teach you what you
should already know. The purpose of the FAA test seminars is to teach
some of the questions (which they determine from both people who take the
test, and the official exam guide) which have "correct" answers other
than the truth. It in no way is designed to teach people from ground
zero. I have taken seminars before each written I have taken, and I have
yet to fail with the seminar, yet have without, even though I know the
material, so in this case, it seems to be merited.

I really think that a "one day extra" is a huge mistake. The problem is,
that the vast  majority of hams coming in to the system today are not the
same as we used to be. Only a few of us homebuild, or operate CW, or RTTY
using real mechanical teleprinters. The gear commercially available is
not user friendly, nor can it be easily user maintained.

I do however, agree with the proposed rule requiring user-servicable
gear. I really think that technical competence is part and parcel of the
ham game, and a part which, today, is sadly neglected.

Maybe we should require all new licensees, however to be able to
manipulate and buy and sell items on (that bid place) and require, for
the next higher incentive, show they are able to sell a broken piece of
equipment on (that bid place) successfully, for a order of magnitude
greater than required for a lower class of license. One would get so many
points for "creative description", "pump-it-up bidding" , "answering
complaints", and would get a higher class the more they were able to
screw out  of well meaning people who actually wanted this stuff ;-)

The ultimate license would be Grifter Extra .... hi
73 de Greg WA3IVX
Advanced Class, who wants to stay there for the novelty......

Jim Reid wrote:

> I am shocked at the following report from the ARRL!
> I  am sending this to a fairly wide distribution with this
> question:  is this where Amateur Radio really wants
> to be going?  Or do you think the following is just
> great and wonderful??
>
> >From today's ARRL Letter:
>
> "New York's Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club--LIMARC
> --reports its first "one-day Extra" licensing upgrade class was
> such a success that it's scheduled additional sessions for later
> this spring. <  ..snip>