[CW] FCC Actions - OOOOPS?

[N2EY at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/13/06 10:08:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
k-zero-hb at earthlink.net writes:


> N2EY asked:
> 
> > Wouldn't that be an incentive to get an Extra?  
> 
> No, not at all.  It's a dis-incentive to remain Advanced (or General), and
> that's not at all a 'subtle distinction'.
> 

A good point! 

If I understand correctly, you're saying that a *real* incentive to upgrade 
would be to get something you don't have now, rather than to keep something you 
already have. For example, if Extras could run twice the power of the other 
classes, or if, say, 40 meters were extended to 7500, but only Extras could go 
above 7300...

> >
> > As it is now, only 50 kHz of 80/75 is Extra-only territory. That's 10% of
> > the 
> > band - 5% phone, 5% CW/data.
> 
> We're not talking about "As it is now" --- we're talking about what's being
> crammed down the throat of Amateur Radio for the future.

I am. I gave those numbers as a comparison. 
> 
> >
> > If the new rules are enacted as written, 80/75 will have 125 kHz of 
> > Extra-only territory. That's 25% of the band - 25% phone, 5% CW/data.
> >
> 
> Bzzzzzt! Check you math. 
> 

125 kHz of Extra-only territory. 3500-3525, 3600-3700. That's 25% of the band 
- 20% phone, 5% CW/data. (percent of the entire band).

> Extra will exclusively have 25% of the phone band, and 25% of the
> CW/rtty/data band. (spare me "but CW is allowed everywhere"). 

As compared to today, where the Extra-only part is 10% of the phone band and 
10% of the CW/rtty/data band.

Add in the
> 
> Advanced class, a breed approaching extinction-by-attrition, and it works
> out to 50% of the 80m phone band and 25% of the CW/rtty/data band is denied
> to General licensees.  

Compared to the way it is today, where 25% of the phone band and 10% of the 
cw/data band is denied to Generals.

btw, the Advanced attrition is very slow. Since the changes of April 2000, 
more than half of the Novices have either upgraded or expired, but less than a 
third of Advanceds are gone.

(And 40 years ago we thought the original
> 
> dis-incentive licensing scheme was robbery!)
> 

Well, maybe you did...

The odd thing is that back then the 'phone band was 3800-4000 - the same as 
what Generals will have under the new rules.

And the original incentive licensing take-away gave Generals 3900-4000 - 
exactly half the band....

So we have come full circle for Generals in 38 years...
> >
> > All it takes for a General, Advanced or pre-March-21-1987 Tech+ to
> > upgrade to 
> > Extra is passing the Extra written. 50 multiple choice questions from a 
> > published pool. Is that too much to ask?
> 
> "Let them eat cake"
> 

What does that mean? Is the Extra written just too hard?

73 de Jim, N2EY