[Elecraft] Changes (WAS: Dropping the Code Test)

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Jack wrote:
he Extra written exam is significantly harder today than  
it was 30 years ago. There is a lot more detailed EE theory in it now  
than there was back then.

--------------------------------

Wow, how experiences differ. I found the Extra exam comparable to the FCC
tests I took for the radiotelephone and radiotelegraph licenses to maintain
and operate commercial equipment: broadcast transmitters, airborne and
marine radars, radios, etc. You have an excellent point though, even though
our experiences are different. 

A few years ago I was asked to teach a class for aspiring Extra Class Hams.
I'll readily admit that, having gotten my Extra in the 70's, I found myself
scrambling. You're quite right, it wasn't really simple stuff. But, compared
to the tests I had taken, it was different. Very different.

My students needed to know how to calculate satellite orbits in order to
predict their position, but they didn't need to demonstrate how to measure
the deviation of an FM transmitter, or even how to produce an FM signal.
They needed to know expected baud rates for various digital modes, but they
didn't need to know how a superheterodyne receiver worked or how to
neutralize an RF amplifier. In short, they needed to know a lot about the
buttons to push on their radios, but not much about what went on inside. 

That fits with the changes in Amateur Radio since I was licensed. No longer
do most aspiring Hams look into the books for a rig he/she can build to get
on the air like I and my buddies did in the 1950's. Today most Hams go to
the store and buy a rig built by ABC company, take it home and plug it in,
then connect it to an antenna from DEF company and reach for the microphone
or keyboard. The FCC tests today seem to focus on ensuring Hams know what
buttons to push, where in my day we didn't care about buttons. Instead of
being concerned about the shape of the knobs and layout of the front panel,
we were concerned about which circuit configurations worked best and the FCC
was concerned that we know one circuit from another. 

Times change. While building many not be "mainstream" today, that doesn't
mean that Hams don't build. Just look at this reflector. Look at Elecraft.
Look at all the people scrounging parts for home projects. 

Ham radio has always included the odd operators who didn't stay in the
"mainstream". Many of them pushed the rest of the community forward, such as
those who insisted tubes were better than crystal detectors, that CW was
better than damped wave spark, that 80 meters would get out better than 200
meters, or that "Donald duck talk" on SSB was more effective than AM phone.
At each step the "mainstream" was elsewhere while the few tinkered their
rigs and their skills into new territory.

I'll try to remember that next time I feel like a dinosaur <G>. 

Ron AC7AC