[CW] Dissing the ARRL

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/7/04 5:50:27 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
Makos327@worldnet.att.net writes:


> It's about a bunch of ops concerned about the lowering of
> standards to the point where having an Amateur Radio license won't mean
> anything, anymore.
> 
> 

Some background on the above.

Way back when I got started in 1967, getting a ham license was a bit 
different than today. Let's put aside the code test entirely and concentrate on the 
other requirements.

In those days you could get started with the Novice, which had a simple 
written test. But that license had extremely limited privileges in spectrum, modes 
and power. It was only good for a short time (one year until 1967, then two 
years) and it was "one to a customer". No renewals and no retaking the test. If 
you didn't upgrade before the Novice ran out you were off the air until you 
could pass a higher class exam.

In those days the written tests were multiple choice, but they were kept 
secret. The FCC published "study guides" consisting of essay-type questions and 
answers, which indicated the areas of knowledge you needed to know to pass the 
test. Although the study guides *seemed* simple enough, the fact of the matter 
was that
the actual questions could deal with almost any aspect touched on by the 
guides. 

The written tests for the non-Novice licenses required that you understand a 
good bit of radio theory, practice and regulations. They weren't extremely 
"hard", but since you had only a hazy idea what was on them, you tended to 
over-prepare for them. Which wasn't a bad thing.

Novice, Technician and Conditional licenses were given by mail, which meant a 
multistep process:

1 - find a ham who would act as a volunteer examiner for you. 
2 - take code test from volunteer examiner
3 - volunteer examiner writes letter to FCC saying you passed code and would 
they send the written
4 - wait 6-8 weeks
5 - when written comes, take test with volunteer examiner as proctor. Exam 
comes and goes back to FCC in special sealed envelopes. volunteer examinr does 
not grade exam
6 - wait 6-8 weeks
7 - If you passed, license arrives in mail. If not, go all the way back to 
step 1 and start again.

If you lived within 175 miles "air line" of an FCC quarterly exam point 
(place where FCC gave exam four times a year or more) you had to take test for 
licenses other than Tech or Novice from FCC examiner. 175 miles air-line may be a 
lot farther on the ground, too. Exams are almost all given only on weekday 
mornings during business hours. Closed on holidays. If you're a kid in school, 
wait for summer or maybe you'll have a chance at the Christmas holiday. If 
you're a working person, count on at least a half-day off from work. Make that a 
full day if you live any serious distance from the exam point.

Fail an exam and you cannot retest for 30 days. All elements for an upgrade 
must be passed at the same test session - no CSCEs. If you flunked the code you 
didn't even get to try the written, and if you missed the written by even one 
question, too bad, go home and study some more and don't come back for at 
least a month. They would not tell you which questions you got wrong, either.

No credit for license elements passed by mail exam. Even though the Tech and 
General used the same written exam, if you had a by-mail Tech, you had to take 
the written again to get a General.

If you want an Extra, you need two years' experience as a General, 
Conditional or Advanced before they'll let you near the Extra test. Doesn't matter if 
you have a First 'Phone and a Ph.D in EE, a 12 year old with two years' 
experience can take the test and you can't. 

For a time in the '60s the FCC collected fees for license tests, renewals and 
modifications. Novice was free but FCC office was $9 in 1968 and 1970 when I 
was there. $9 doesn't sound like much but it works out to $40-50 adjusted for 
inflation. 

Did we take it seriously? You betcha!

When I applied to college, one of the things that helped me get into EE 
school was having earned an Extra class amateur license at age 16, between 
sophomore and junior year of high school. There weren't many other Extras in the whole 
university, either.

Compare all that to the present system - with or without code test. And 
remember that although ARRL and others pushed for better written tests, back in 
2000 the FCC cut the written testing down by more than a third. Before April 
2000, an Extra required a 5 written tests totalling 185 questions. Now it takes 3 
written tests totalling 120 questions. And there are folks who want even less 
*written* testing...

73 de Jim, N2EY


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