There are over 39,000 Advanced Old Timer licences holders waiting to respected and treated fairly by being grandfathered into the Extra class. They have been through the true trail by fire with code and theory exams given directly by FCC onsite examiners. It's time to treat them fairly ARRL. If you do your enrollments will arise.
With one additional written exam, you get your extra. Before the code requirement fell, you had to take 20 wpm plus one written exam. I believe it's probably easier to take one written exam than a written exam PLUS 20 a wpm exam. Upgrading is a personal choice. I know people who stopped at advanced because of the 20 wpm barrier. I know people who upgraded to extra as soon as the 20 wpm requirement disappeared. The 20 wpm barrier to upgrading is no longer in existence. The only barrier to upgrading is the desire to attempt do so.
Thank you for the post! Looking forward to the new ARRL publication. Sounds like a great tool for beginning and intermediate hams that will expose the many facets of our hobby.
Once upon a time there were Novice licenses and elmers to help new hams get started. It was easy to get help. Now things are different: elmers are fewer and we are more spread out, busy, and isolated as a society. I say Bull, the problem is that the new hams won't search out help, Won't come to club meetings, there are many Elmers waiting , hoping to save this hobby, --- you can tell a newbie about club but if he won't attend , he gets what he paid for.. -- I know there are many many hams willing to help anyone. it appears the new guys would rather go to you tube and watch a video. this is a generational thing , I won't join anything, I need help but won't join. my couch is my home......................
You are correct that the conventional methods that worked in the past do not work as well nowadays. But look at what people are doing-- they are staring at smart phones, and couch potatoing in front of big OLED's. They aren't going to movie theaters and they aren't attending clubs like they used to. They aren't buying paper magazines. A new, digital magazine (for example) is a good path to reach them in their cocoon of smart phones and home TV's
Yes Great to see ARRL getting more info out there for beginner hams "On the Air" I brought my first ARRL Hand book 1982 one with satellite on the cover I used that as my study bible until i got my G1XZL call 84/85 Would be still using it to day if I had it to hand , Must get the new six volume books missed out on last years one lol 73's
Answer: Why any barrier at all when novices and Tech were grandfather in? Advanced likewise should have been grandfather in at that same point in time..... Besides why don't you leave the Caste System to India as that's what you have created. Since no on air code practice needed , just one written test will suffice. We don't need a cast system of any sort in the great USA, particularly regulated by the Government and the ARRL as the sponsor.