[CW] Something of a disappointment

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:13:25 -0500

Oh, one more thing!

EXTRA class license good for life!  No more stupid renewals!

73

DR
----- Original Message -----
From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 12:11 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] Something of a disappointment

> Hey Hans!
>
> Good for you!
>
> How about a two tier system?
>
> General - a permit and fee.  No code.  Equipment will be type-accepted, no
> modifications or repairs will be permitted by these operators.  Term ten
> years renewable.  Current Novice, General, and Advanced and 5 wpm Extras
get
> automatic license.
>
> Extra - a twenty-five question exam about amateur radio regulations, and a
> 20 wpm code test, and a theory license equivalent to the GROL and/or the
2nd
> Class Telegraph.  Also if you have the GROL --- and --- the 2nd Class
> Telegraph license all you have to take is the twenty-five question exam
> about the ham regulations.  This class will be able to build its own
> equipment and repair ham equipment.  General or higher licensees who were
> originally licensed before 1967 (date of incentive licensing)
automatically
> qualify for this license.  The new 5 wpm Extras have to retest at 20 wpm.
> Holders of Vanity calls have 5 years to upgrade, or they revert to their
old
> calls (except for club stations or relatives of former licensee.)
>
> Bands?  Half the CW and half the phone bands for Extras, half for
Generals.
>
> What segment do you think I'll operate in?
>
> 73
>
> David Ring, N1EA
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "K0HB " <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Monday, January 19, 2004 5:44 PM
> Subject: [CW] Something of a disappointment
>
>
> > 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"
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CW mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
> >
>
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