[CW] [Fwd: Re: Fw: 3600-3700 frequencies]

[Ken Brown]

I had intended this to go to the list. It only went to one recipient. 
Here it is, with a few spelling corrections and some additional ranting:

Considering the present day license testing, or really the lack of 
testing, everyone can be an Extra with very little effort. I guess 
Novices and Advanced have something to lose by upgrading, a unique and 
irreplaceable license. Maybe some of them are keeping those licenses for that reason, at 
the expense of exclusion from some large band segments.

Using our license privileges to operate CW in a nearly vacant portion of the band is 
not a thinly veiled anything.

I'm not sure a proposal to "regain" 3600-3700 for CW is such a good idea.
CW is already allowed there. If hardly anybody is operating CW up there, and not because
it is full of phone signals, then how can we claim we need a change in the rules. It
seems more like we need a change in behavior and attitude. If we want to use that portion
of the band let's use it. If we stay crammed into the lower 100 kHz, when our licenses
allow us to go up to the next 100 kHz, the conclusion could be drawn that we like it that way.

I think band segments reserved for those who have worked to develop their skill, and other
segments for those who are just learning those skills are a great idea. With no CW testing,
and virtually no rigorous testing of any kind, there is no way to administer special segments
for different skill levels. Maybe mode based segmentation is an attempt to accomplish the same
thing. 

Virtually anyone can be an Extra with a week of memorization. There is no need to ever touch
a key, a microphone or a radio to "earn" the highest class of amateur radio license now.
Remember when You could not even take the Extra Class test without having been licensed at a
lower license class for two years? There was good reason for that.

I'd like to see Morse testing return, and Extra Class sub-bands for 20 WPM skilled OPs. I don't
believe that is very likely to happen though.


DE N6KB