[Elecraft] QRP in the novice subbands

[Bill Coleman]

On Oct 20, 2005, at 7:28 AM, N2EY at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 10/19/05 11:37:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
> aa4lr at arrl.net writes:
>
>> Well, the big problem is -- there are no more Novices!
>
> Yes, there are! Also Tech Pluses and "Techs-with-HF", who have the  
> same privileges as Novices.

But those Techs aren't restricted to operating CW like we were 30  
years ago. Extremely few of them are active on HF CW.
>

> se are the numbers of current, unexpired
> amateur radio licenses held by individuals
> on the stated dates, and the percentage of
> the total number of active licenses that
> class contains:
>
> As of October 15, 2005:
>
> Novice - 27,606 (4.2%) [decrease of 21,723]
> Technician Plus - 45,994 (6.9%) [decrease of 82,866]

QED. And of the licensees that exist -- how many of them are actually  
active on the HF novices bands?

Trust me, I remember when the novice bands were full of activity  
every evening. That's just not the case any more. The nature of the  
hobby has changed -- the path of activity that people take is now  
different. If they are operating CW, it isn't in the Novice bands, by  
and large.

> Except there's no separation between Morse Code and data modes on  
> those subbands, at least in the USA. Data modes aren't allowed in  
> the HF 'phone image subbands, but outside them, all the data modes  
> share the same space as Morse Code. Only good operating practice  
> keeps them apart.

And there's nothing wrong with good operating practice. We use it to  
great effect on 160m.

> I don't think that petition has been filed yet. It proposes  
> regulation by signal bandwidth, not mode. It has some good ideas  
> and some flaws.

I wasn't talking about the bandwidth petition, but the Novice band  
refarming petition.

> There were 18 petitions to FCC from mid-2003 to mid-2005 about  
> changing license classes, Morse Code and written testing, new entry- 
> level license classes, subbands, and a whole bunch more. They all  
> got RM numbers and comments. FCC replied to all 18 petitions by  
> 05-235, which proposes to simply drop Element 1 (the 5 wpm code  
> test) and make no other changes at all.
>
> The ARRL regulation by bandwidth petition is a separate deal.

I thought the Novice band refarming was still active. Seems there was  
an NPRM for that, too.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901