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HamRadioNow: That ARRL Entry Level License Survey

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by K4AAQ, Mar 2, 2017.

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  1. KK5JY

    KK5JY Ham Member QRZ Page

    It's not going to happen. ARRL is going to spin their wheels on this, and they might even get NCVEC involved in it. But in the end, they tried this before, and it failed:

    http://w5jgv.com/downloads/FCC-05-143A1.pdf

    Yeah, the details are a little different, but FCC identified what they considered to be fatal flaws in the attempt to add privileges to the entry-level class, or to replace the entry-level class with a different one. They called the General class exam easy. None of the new entry-level proposals directly address the flaws that caused FCC to turn this down in 2005, so it's safe to assume that the likelihood of this passing is nearly zero today.
    It's too bad none of those hard-working people could be bothered to read the 2005 ruling, and find a way to update their proposals to address the flaws identified by FCC back then.

    Nothing to see here. Just more wheel-spinning (and money-wasting) in Newington, CT.
     
    WA7PRC likes this.
  2. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    C'mon guys. This is not a legit example to justify ARRL bashing. The ARRL is doing what its supposed to be doing in this case.
     
  3. K2JVI

    K2JVI Ham Member QRZ Page

    "
    "How many H1-Bs am I supposed to support because I don't have access to a 'pool skilled in the art' or wireless/radio here in the USA?"
    I hear you on this one Chip..
    Yes we need to find some way to get kids interested in technology and wireless,how it really works. The trouble I see is this. Being a father myself(both kids
    grown) but kids seem to be over-scheduled with everything from endless hours of homework ,which about half is busy work, and all of the activities they have to do
    in order to supposedly be able to get in to college. I wonder how many kids actually get any off time to really think about what they really like or enjoy doing, I'm afraid those days are gone. And getting back to your point Chip, the real challenge for schools (both public and private) is to try to offer courses or even activities in various technical areas and make it fun and engaging. We as a society need to do something. And finally, people need to stop thinking of tech people as "nerds" in a negative light, there are so many good jobs for technical people from all walks of life and at all levels, many are unfilled-and need to be filled by Americans..
    73's
    Bob.
     
    W1YW likes this.
  4. W2JLD

    W2JLD Ham Member QRZ Page

    I bet if you were to give current general and extra exam to those whom already have it, They will be surprised at how many would fail them............

    i run a tech net and we do questions from the general and extra class pools and i have found that more often than not that people whom are general or extra failed these questions. They have become complacent in their hobby.....retest everyone out there in the ham radio career.....those whom have been licensed for many years should be retested to ensure they are up to par on the questions.

    As far as giving techs more band width, im all for it.........10m is dead.....6m is dead...........most of the qso are on 20m , 40m, 75m

    there is nothing worse for a new ham to get an hf rig and there is no one out there...and if there is someone out there is all about the signal strength and location and after that they are gone.

    there is less than .005 % of hams that are under 16 yrs of age and there is less than .003 is the yl's in the hobby.

    This hobby lacks the main stream input to make it more popular.......there is a small percentage that really has what you need to be in this hobby its not or every kid.

    with approx 120 sk's per year the pool of older hams is decreasing and with them goes the knowledge
     
    W6FYK and N2EY like this.
  5. NK2U

    NK2U XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Exactly correct. People get licensed for the wrong reasons as mentioned above. You can't teach someone to love radio, period.

    de NK2U
     
    AB4D and KK5JY like this.
  6. NK2U

    NK2U XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Interest" is not something you can teach; either it's there or not.

    de NK2U
     
    KK5JY likes this.
  7. N2EY

    N2EY Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    BRING IT ON!

    Every few months I try an online practice exam to be sure I'm still up to snuff. Never a problem.

    In fact if there was a retest I'd do 20 wpm code, send and receive, because I can.

    ----

    Here's what's really sad, IMHO......

    Back when I got started in the 1960s, there was the Novice license. The old Novice gave very limited privileges, but they were HF privileges on bands that were full of folks I could work with simple, basic gear. And not just locals but folks hundreds of miles away.

    What we need today is a "Novice for the 21st Century" - an updated, modern version of what got me and so many others started back-when. The Technician is not that license; the days of busy repeaters all over VHF/UHF are gone. Nor are the tiny slices of HF, and the limited modes, allowed to Techs adequate.

    But whenever someone tries to discuss this, there's a pool-pah of opposition, for no good reason I can see.

    I wonder what US Amateur Radio would be like today if the Novice license idea had been shot down in 1951.
     
    KB0FKT, K1BG and N4AAB like this.
  8. N2EY

    N2EY Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    You can't teach it - but you can ignite it.

    A person can't be interested in something if they don't know it exists.

    Our job is not to "sell" Amateur Radio to everyone, but to inform everyone about it, so that the few who just might be interested are know it exists.
     
    KB0FKT and KG5ILR like this.
  9. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Probably like this...the living dead.

    [​IMG]
     
    K1BG and N2EY like this.
  10. KK5JY

    KK5JY Ham Member QRZ Page

    Criticizing a specific ARRL initiative is not "ARRL bashing."

    In your humble opinion. ;) You are certainly entitled to it, and it can stand or fall on its own merit. That said, just because people have an opposing viewpoint, that does not make them "bashers" or "haters" or "naysayers" or whatever slur of the week.
     
  11. AB4D

    AB4D QRZ Lifetime Member #415 Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

    Chip,

    I agree, radio is a dominant part of their lives, as it pertains to consumer grade electronics, none that requires an amateur radio license. However, I was speaking in the traditional sense, as amateur radio stands today, what new licensees will experience when they turn on a radio, to listen and operate. You're advocating, the current path for entry into amateur radio is a hindrance to growth. What is the basis of that line of reasoning?

    We have thousands of people that have already entered amateur radio thorough the current licensing structure as technicians. The technician license is very easy to pass. Yet, many of them let the license lapse after 10 years, and go no further in the service. How is changing the licensing structure going to address the retention problem? Furthermore, changing the license structure is not going to make amateur radio any more interesting, or make anyone more active once they have the license, if they don't find it interesting. What is the main selling point, a no test license vs the current structure?


    Hypothetically, say a new license is created, and the FCC just hands people a license for the asking. How do you suppose to keep those people engaged? What will they gain by having an amateur radio license, that can't already be addressed by another service?


    I am all for bringing more people into the service, especially young people, if they have a genuine interest in amateur radio. However, on the other hand, it should not be all about just trying to increase the numbers with a no test license. Trying to drag people into amateur radio with a no test license, is simply a waste of time if they have no interest in what we do.

    Jim, AB4D
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2017
    KB0FKT and KK5JY like this.
  12. ZS6BV

    ZS6BV Ham Member QRZ Page

    To AB2YC

    "and see how many hams act that's pretty much the final straw"

    That sentence puts it in a nutshell.
     
  13. KK5JY

    KK5JY Ham Member QRZ Page

    We have one already. It's called "General," and the FCC says it is "easy." That makes it a de facto entry-level license. Any beginner can do it. Many beginners just go for Extra because it is also easy.

    You know, it's funny, as long as we're talking about "upgrading" ham radio for the 21st century... why is it that VHF/UHF are so inactive these days? In the LMR world, VHF+ is "where it's at..." Many/most of the public service users have abandoned VHF, both "high" and "low," as well as HF, and are moving into UHF or microwave, using trunking, digital, etc. HF users are running from those bands in droves, broadcasters included. Even the military (at least in the US) doesn't care much for HF anymore -- the HFGCS [wikipedia.org] is in poor repair, and you can hear it if you listen on those frequencies with any regularity. GMDSS [wikipedia.org] has moved largely to satellite systems, and has dropped watches on many HF frequencies.

    How is it that nearly every other service that needs reliable communications has found the VHF+ bands (and UHF+ in particular) to be so much more useful and desirable, and yet there are hams here who are strenuously arguing that the future of ham radio is HF only? ...and that newcomers have to start with HF or they'll never get interested? Why is nobody asking why VHF+ isn't getting it done for amateur radio? It sure is for everybody else.

    Without understanding what is wrong, there is no hope of making changes that will actually fix "the problem," assuming that one exists at all.
     
  14. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Sure.
     
  15. KK5JY

    KK5JY Ham Member QRZ Page

    This is actually the core of the issue. Not licensing, not privileges, not public relations.

    It wasn't that long ago when radio was an art. Now it's an appliance. Kind of like a lot of things in life. Back when only skilled radio professionals could communicate reliably, amateur radio had more ability to generate curiosity. Kind of like airplanes prior to the 2nd world war. Now, both are appliances. You turn the key, the machine does what it is supposed to, it does it well, and it does it reliably. Most people don't see the "awe" in RF anymore. That's normal. It's OK. It won't end the world.
     
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