[SOC] Membership Certificates

[Bob Darlington]

I can say that without the current requirements (or lack thereof) you
wouldn't have operators like me.  Got my no-code tech in 96.  Tested for
General and got a CSCE and figured for sure they'd drop the code
requirement inside of a year.  I was off by a month and took it again, then
later upped to Extra.   And then a bunch of years went by before I got
serious and started building antennas, amps, kits.   Then I got the Field
Day bug.   Man, I operated for nearly 20 hours that first year (2016).
 Then in 2017 I was just as gung ho about it and made 3 or 4 contacts and
BS'd with folks (with me, not on the air) for about 15 hours.  This year I
plan to continue the trend and not bother showing up for more than 2
hours.  Exponential decay I guess.

Last year I signed up for CW Academy level 1 and passed!   But didn't feel
like I was good enough for level 2 and signed up for level 1 again and just
fished that a couple weeks ago.  Man, talk about mediocrity!   After two
semesters I'm pretty good at copying 7 WPM (25 character), but I can send
at 20+ all day long.  Sometimes people can even understand me.  And then I
found SOC and see I am not alone.  We can't all be the best!  In 1996 when
I got that Technician license, I had a major chip on my shoulder because
they tested on one antiquated operating mode and not a representative
sample of them.  That changed when they dropped the code requirement and
20+ years later, I'm doing it.   Poorly.   But I keep trying.   And using
cwget.

-Bob N3XKB

On Thu, Jun 7, 2018 at 4:31 PM, Bob Patten <n4bp at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> I hope that's mostly tongue in cheek.  But I have to partially agree about
> the whole hobby.  When I got my license way back in the last century, I had
> to answer technical and rules questions (no multiple choice), draw
> schematics, copy 20 WPM of CW error free for a full minute, and then send
> 20 WPM on a straight key.  Wonder with the advent of the internet how many
> new licensees we would be getting with those requirements though..
> Rambling..
>
> On 6/7/2018 5:10 PM, Quikhooligan via SOC wrote:
>
>> Wait a minute! I paid $5 for my certificate and worked hard for that
>> money and now you are just going to hand them out for free?  That's
>> typical of how the whole hobby is going down the tubes.  All the
>> newcomers want things to be given to them without working for it like we
>> used to have to do.  And now they are given a certificate with the
>> coffee stains included which make it appear as though they've had the
>> certificate for years?   Hogwash!
>>
>> Bring back the old certificates.  Maybe even the earlier one with the
>> straight key instead of the paddle.  And charge a good chunk of change
>> for the privilege of being SOC.
>>
>> You guys make me sick! And I'm sick enough already.
>>
>> Quikhooligan - Sick Operators Club
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>
> --
> 73,     Bob Patten, N4BP                Plantation, FL
>
> E-Mail :   n4bp at arrl.net                Website: http://www.qsl.net/n4bp
> SOC #1          ARS #799                QRP ARCI #3412       FISTS #7871
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