ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

I know a couple of folks who keep the Advanced ticket for the reason you mentioned. Its obvious by holding a current Novice, Technician Plus OR Advanced class license you did if fact pass a CW test to earn it. However I'm not sure why a person would want to avoid the additional availability of band area by doing so. I believe a better display of your CW knowledge is if you are active with it.

I get it both ways..... having a nostalgic license is cool, so is the additional bandwidth. 73 Rich

 

I'm glad that ARRL and R.E.A.C.T. are working together now.

 

You brought this up a year or so ago, why do you keep pushing this, the majority feels if one wants to advance they can take the next level test. Also Tech already have some HF privileges that was originally unclouded for techs so they would have a taste of what it is all about.

 

Now I think you are having irrational thoughts AND mind reading....

The exams were more difficult and you did have to pass the code requirement. But, in the few years I have been frequenting this web site I can NOT say that I have ever seen anyone that considered themselves 'superior' to anyone else because they took the Extra exam back then. Proud maybe - but not superior.

In fact I do want you to believe that there are Advanced Class Operators out there that are happy with their license level. There are General Class Operators out there, who have been Generals for more than 20 years, and they are perfectly happy as Generals. Why would it be any different for Advance Class Operators? I was one of those Advanced Class Operators up until about a year or two ago. I held my Advanced ticket for more than 20 years and was quite happy with the privileges.

And, your story about the Novice is quite amusing. But IMO, it is just exactly that - a story.

Dan KI4AX

 

The Extra of 50 years ago was a good primer on the times (in electronics).

I don't see any difference in skills between then and now for Extras.

Save for sending 20WPM on a hand key (which was what you did at the FCC offices)...which is just an idiotic test of dexterious ability and knowledge. That's like requiring a guitarist to play Van Halen's ERUPTION in order to have the privilege of playing the instrument.

I agree; we should not diss today's Extras. You earned it. 'Nuff said.

 

I don’t see this proposal as some “grand giveaway“ for “no good reason”.

Techs currently have privileges on 4 of the 12 bands below 30MHz. The proposal would open no new bands to their use.

It would grant them phone privileges on three of those four bands (they already can operate HF phone on 10).

It would also give Technicians RTTY and digital access to CW frequencies that they already use.

That’s it!

Meanwhile 8 of the bands below 30MHz are still closed to them.

They are still restricted to 200W of power.

As far as “incentive”, upgrading to General would give them 8 new bands and increase their allowed power output to 750% of their existing limit.

In essence, the proposal gives them a meaningful “taste” of mainstream ham radio, but leaves in place a strong incentive to upgrade.

 

It isn’t often I disagree with the ARRL, but I vehemently oppose “giving” something away that hasn’t been earned.
We live sad in an age of “entitlements” and “non culpability”
Parents fail to teach their children character, ethics, the value of a dollar and hard work. We live in a time where instant gratification rules.
The amateur radio ticket should be something to be proud of, now it’s bern cheapened to the point of I don’t even know where to go with this...
Imagine, your daughter wants her drivers license, she takes a 5 hour class on how to pass the test, never been behind the wheel
Or better yet As a student pilot I want to genuinely learn everything about flying, Cessna 172, 182 weather I can absorb because I don’t want to kill anyone or wreck a $500,000 airplane.
I’m a certified ARRL Instructor, I am clear when I teach a license class, I do NOT and will not teach the test, I will teach you the material.
I am opposed to giving away the HF spectrum to inexperienced radio operators, the ham bands are already full of 14.313 characters from HF to UHF.
Let’s not cheapen the hobby any more than it already is. Don’t dumb it down any more. Don’t give away our HF spectrum!
Technicians already have 6 10 and 11 meters!
If the ARRL wants to do some good for amateur radio, do away with giving out the test questions and answers.
Make the test difficult for anyone to get above general, I have met Extra class licensed hams that didn’t have a clue about electronics, propagation, antenna theory, basic algebra.
I earned my FCC First Class Radiotelephone license in the early 80’s there was no question pool, no pretenders!
If you earned a 1st class you were part of an elite group, it was something to be proud of. Even the GROL was dumbed down.

 

I don't believe you. I don't believe you because I have heard from others that the tests are much the same today as they were at any time. Also, the FCC stated quite plainly that one's ability to receive by ear and send by hand Morse code is not indicative of greater technical skill or improved radio operation. I agree with this. Simply put, not many people really care all that much about one's Morse code skill unless they are currently using Morse code to communicate at the time.

That's the problem, isn't it? No one should be "happy" with where they are in operating privileges. If they were then incentive licensing has failed. I believe that incentive licensing failed a long time ago and it should be abandoned as a concept. We should grant privileges based on technical skill, and those privileges should directly correlate that skill to operating safely.

I'm fine with Advanced licenses being happy where they are, just so long as we agree that there is no incentive in incentive licensing. Maybe that existed once, but what we have now is not incentive licensing. As evidence of this I present the many holders of Advanced licenses that are "happy" with their privileges. Same goes for every license class. Let them be "happy" or fix the incentive so that we have incentive licensing again. Part of that should include making those with an Advanced license a bit less "happy".

Well, "happy" isn't the right word. I want them happy. Perhaps make them a little less "comfortable" with where they are. I believe granting more HF phone privileges to Technicians might make them a little less comfortable.

 

What ? "Well, no . Advance licenses were issued until 2000." What is that suppose to mean? I got my general in 1959. And lost many of my privileges and was told to earn them back ! I took the Advanced again in front of FCC Officials, the same way I took my general. It was all by the true trial by fire. Believe me it was a RAW DEAL ! And it didn't ease my "heart burn" over it . I am no longer a member of ARRL, as many are not because of their unfair practices and policies.

 

My reply was to this part of your previous post:

All Advances have been through the True by Fire Exam in front of FCC Examiners.

This is not a true statement. Some advanced licensees got their licenses in front of the FCC examiners, but most advanced who earned their licenses between 1983 and 2000 did so via the VEC program. All advanced before around 1983 probably did the FCC exam.

 

1959 was 60 years ago. You are still carrying a grudge over that? Maybe you need some perspective.

 

Tech's already have privileges on those bands, just in CW...what's the difference with a little voice to give 'em enough to taste what HF is really like?
Why would anyone want to stay at a tech level anyway, for those who will argue that if given the privileges. They'll not go fwd in their General and even to Extra license.
Time to get with the times, It's changed many time and it will continue to grow. SO LONG as we help Amateur Radio to Grow.
And Please, OM's...become an ELmer! Don't let all that info go silent.

 

There were lots of test preparation manuals available for the First and Second phone licenses, and several mail order and localized schools that taught everything needed to pass the tests. But back then a First phone was a pretty big deal. Amateur radio licenses have never had the same type of depth of understanding, they are not meant to be commercial licenses, they are licenses issued to hobbyists.

 

Nothing is being given away. The Technician license already grants privileges on the bands in question, and the modes that would be permitted. Every Technician was tested on operating on this, or they should have if the Amateur radio has been doing their job of policing and training within its own community.

That may be true but I fail to see this as relevant here. It was not only those with Technician licenses asking for this change.

Maybe if people would calm down a bit it can be something we can be proud of again.

I believe that no adult, and I emphasize adult, should be required to have a license to drive the common passenger vehicle. I can see a need for drivers that are minors or operating under hire to have a license. So, I don't see the relevance. People should be trained to drive, not to get a license. There's the distinction I draw. But that's also not all that relevant here.

I don't follow the analogy, operating an Amateur radio improperly would rarely have such consequences. I realize that handling 1500 watt RF transmitters is nothing to sneeze at, neither is the potential for interference in life critical radio communications. Simply put the operation of a radio is not all that difficult, and therefore the testing need not be all that difficult.

Good for you. Now, you might want to place a bit more emphasis on the HF privileges your students are likely to gain here. Again, if you have not been teaching on how to operate on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters already then you have been leaving your student unprepared for the privileges they already have.

You do realize this includes your own students? Also, someone needs to start somewhere. Just how is a person supposed to gain experience on HF without some kind of license? This is a matter of international treaty that they get the license first.

I would be upset as well if people were not trained properly before operating. The Technician class license has had HF operation as part of the testing for a very long time, there is nothing given away here.

Wait, what? 11 meters? Now I'm wondering if you are just trolling.

That was a decision from the FCC, the ARRL can't stop that. I guess the ARRL could stop publishing the question pool but then it's still available from many other organizations.

As the FCC said many times on comments that the testing is not difficult enough is that the Amateur radio community develops and proctors the exams, if the testing is insufficient then this needs to be taken care of by the Amateur radio community.

Again, operating a radio isn't all that difficult, get some perspective.

 

I have a easy fix for the Tech's, ( Study and take the General Exam, 35 multiple choice questions) and like magic they will have earned the extra privileges.