[CW] Something of a disappointment

[K0HB]

Since the ITU removed the worldwide requirement for Morse testing of
amateur radio license applicants, several organizations and individuals
have petitioned the FCC to amend their rules. Many of us have been
anxiously anticipating the ARRL Board of Directors to take a leadership
position on this issue, and this weekend at their Annual Meeting they
"overwhelmingly approved" their plan which will (lacking a last minute
change of heart) be submitted to the FCC for consideration.
 
Unfortunately, I fear you will be disappointed in what they've approved.
 
Essentially it is a mildly warmed over version of the existing
"restructured" license structure, including some remaining residue from
incentive licensing. Rather than a forward looking plan from the minds of
visionaries and leaders, it quite frankly looks like a broad compromise by
a large committee of timid politicians anxious not to rock the boat nor
diminish their re-election chances.
 
Here is a broad-brush characterization of the proposal.
 
Three-class license structure, consisting of:
 
-- revival of the ghetto-ized Novice class with more generous slices of CW
and Phone in 4 HF bands, plus 6, 2, 222, and 440 bands. No Morse exam for
Novice. Power limits of 100W below 10 meters, 50W 10 meters and above.
 
-- continue the current General class license class. No Morse exam for
General.
 
-- continue the current Extra class license class. A 5WPM Morse exam for
Extra.
 
Some modest tinkering with band segments, mostly enlarging phone portions
of 4 bands to refarm the old Novice segments.
 
(Yes, I know some readers are starting to yawn and nod off, but stick
around.... there's more.)
 
Current Novices (all 33,000 of them) would remain Novice.
 
Current Techs and Tech + (about 322,000) would get a free pass to General
without testing for that class. 
 
Current Advanced (about 82,000) would get a free pass to Extra without
testing for that class.
 
In other words, roughly 60% of the current licensees would get instant
upgrades without any testing (probably not even any paperwork). 
 
Yaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn! Ooopppps, sorry folks, I guess I sorta nodded off
myself there.
 
C'mon, BoD, you guys can do better than this! Heck, even the token
'retention' of Morse testing for Extra is wishy-washy! I personally don't
support a Morse exam for any class of license, but if we must have one,
let's make it "Extra", not the lame count-the-dots-and-the-dashes exam that
Novices have been passing for the last half-century!
 
For some thoughts on a forward-looking streamlined license which includes a
limited term-learners permit with mainstream privileges for newcomers, a
beefed up "Standard" license for experienced hams, and no "free passes" see
an alternate proposal at http://tinyurl.com/wce9.
 
73, de Hans, K0HB
 
"I >am< the ARRL"