ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

Then, IMO, you failed in your course.

The Tech question pool has a significant amount of HF. The point of teaching it is to make it relevant to the students. They are there for motivation and elaboration. Otherwise they can just do it themselves with a tablet or laptop.

But hey...as a retired professor, why would I know that?

 

Give it time, the opening should be moving your way. I generally hear EU first, then the band opening moves down through the Azores/Canary and Africa. Within a couple hours I begin losing that area and start hearing the Caribbean, Central and South America along with the West Coast Op's.
BTW, I would trade your path into Asia for my path into EU on any band.
I did work more Asia in the last year than I have in previous decades. Maybe the propagation in my RF dead zone is changing.

 

There is NO DX opening on 10M to EUROPE imminent for the West Coast . Its just is NOT going to happen today. WHY are you saying this?

Why don't you go and WORK that DX (from Michigan)? We can see it on your log on your Zed bio page. Don't see ANY 10m QSO's on the page shown.

Also, no TECH calls either.

Go ahead: log some DX.

Log some TECHS on sideband.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Yes that makes sense. I believe with the approach you take Dave, that is by teaching them there is a big difference in operating UHF/VHF vs HF and WHY it may indeed entice many into wanting to learn more. This has always been my point. By having educated new Amateurs we can have better new Amateurs. But I have not been for a proposal which takes away effort on their part also. Not that I am saying that your position is that. I believe most Amateurs who have a vision for this hobby and its future do not want a repeat of 27 Mhz.

Dave when the CW requirements were removed it caused great resentment with many of those who had earned their license with it as a part of the requirement, like you and I. The label attached to those after that, NO CODE this or that became a derogatory slur defining those Amateurs. Many felt less than accepted. So knowing this I can visualize that if current Technicians are given a "pass" to HF it will even divide further. It will be a new and different label but still one that will reflect in a derogatory way, that they are less that deserving to be on the HF frequencies. So..... I commend your effort, a educated Amateur is likely to be a better Amateur, for all. 73 Rich

 

I guess I need another 6 element yagi at 60 feet....because I have been on early Am and late PM trying to catch a weak signal out of EU or Nor Af and or a Pacific Island....in 2 weeks I haven't heard anything, not even states or locals.

 

Id settle just hear a beacon....Only thing I hear are our neighbors to the south in TJ and their echo mics.

 

I could use a few of these Techs "Elmering" me on the new digital modes. I know nothing. 73 Rich

 

Yesterday evening there was a lot of 10M activity from the Pacific. VK's were posting Hawaii, Central and South America and vise versa. Many Asian stations including Japan were working the VK/ZL/SA op's.
A couple years ago I worked a BG on 10M and it was a blast. I was mobile in MI running 25w into a SS whip off the corner of my truck box. If I can do it, anyone can, just be persistent.

 

Actually, MANY of them are there because their employer said so.

 

oook, but no US stations working or reporting any of these? because im not seeing anything from yesterday on any of the dx Clusters

 

Currently I hear the K5TLJ/B on 28.290.85
in Arkansas. It is 559 with slight QSB.
You West Coasters pick a freq and aim your antennas at MI. Why not give it a shot?

 

Not everybody posts to the DX Clusters.

But none of this proves anything either way.

There IS activity on 10 meters today. It is not "dead". It's struggling. Sparse. But not "dead". I'm watching a few of FT8 exchanges between US and South American right now. One of the US stations being a Technician, the other two Extras.

So. Do I conclude that "33% of hams on 10 meters are Technicians" ? Or that "Generals do not use 10 meters"? No of course not. Sample size! Cannot extrapolate a sample of 3 hams monitored during a 1 minute period on a Sunday afternoon at a sunspot minimum, to the behavior and motivations of 400,000+.

What I can conclude is that at least one Technician is making use of his existing privileges today. I would hope there are others.

So we can play this game of "nobody is on SSB talking to Chip by Skip for the past hour" for a whole sunspot cycle, and it will never mean anything with regard to the petition to enhance Technician privileges.

 

Having said that, where do *I* stand?

Allow the data privileges on HF where they already have CW privileges, at least. It will help get Techs engaged with the rest of us.

Phone? I don't know. Not even sure I care. Never use it myself.