ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

In my book in order to be a true ham its not about CW yes it is a very good thing to know but there is true hams that don't know CW. In order to be a true ham its about actually taking good time and effort into specific things like building antenna's and studying more about HF, cause back then it took a lot and I mean a lot more effort into getting a license, nowadays you can just memorize the answers and walk out with a license that in my book is idiotic in order to be a true ham it takes time and effort actually study about hf and antenna's etc then you will be on your way to being a true ham (I am not yet a true ham in my book)

 

people back then had to go through a lot more to get the privaliges were given and the fact that something nowadays so easy that is given more compared to people back then is idiotic because It was not easy for a ton of hams and how easy it is t get the license people took a lot more effort into back then is bad, anyways I think the idea of giving techs more privileges that people back then had to work so har for is idiotic

 

The license test has never been particularly difficult. People years ago had to pass a Morse code test, which was somewhat idiotic, but a requirement. But no one ever had to know a lot about anything to get a license, never.

Tests and privileges change all the time. The test we have now is similar to the test in 1983, minus the Morse part. The test answers have been readily available since 1983, and longer if you count the "Bash" books.

I got my license in 1974, but my opinion is that anyone who passes the test is a "real ham", in the sense that they are now licensed. The test is not there to sort out your technical prowess, it is there to ensure that you have some rudimentary skills to be a decent control operator. That is all the test does, it "qualifies" you for the minimum requirement to be a control operator.

One of the biggest mistakes hams can make is trying to label others by the class of license they hold, how long they have held it, whether or not they passed a Morse test, if they took the license in front of the FCC examiner or a VE, or whether or not they actually know what a Foster Seeley discriminator is.

 

I wonder how many of the labeled "real Hams" could walk in today and pass any of the 3 exams without a refresher course.

 

A “real ham” is a person who has passed the examination for the license class that they hold.

End of story.

 

1. A few decades ago, I had to pass the elements (Morse code element and written element) required to get a NOVICE ticket. Then, before I was able to get the Technician, I had to be a "coded" Technician and pass the elements needed to have HF privileges assigned to Tech Plus license holders. In each of those cases, the written test elements were shared publicly, just as they are now. Someone could memorize them. That fact has not changed throughout the years since I had to know Morse code in order to have HF privileges. It was just as easy then, as it is now, to memorize the answers. Some people do choose to understand the theory behind the questions and answers. The only difference, in all reality, is that back then, the Morse code element was required. If anything, that weeded out those who did not have enough interest to push though the difficulty of learning Morse code. There were even waivers for those who had a medical reason for not being able to pass the Morse code element(s).

2. Saying that it should be more difficult to pass the elements required for a license class, now, is like me saying that it should be more difficult for QRZ forum participants, before they may post new message and reply to forum threads in these forums. I could say that there should be a demonstration of one's ability to form proper grammatical structures, like a basic sentence, complete with correct punctuation. Of course, that's ridiculous. If such a requirement were put into place, here in these forums, you would not yet be able to write a response. Is that a reasonable expectation, a reasonable standard?

3. A "real ham" by legal definition is someone who has been authorized by the governmental agency to which such licensing authority resides, such as the FCC, in the United States of America. I know, you meant, "a ham of higher standards" rather than "a ham that exists in reality." So, in your estimation, what are the minimum requirements that should be held by a prospective ham radio operator? And, how would you test for that?

Should prospective hams also be tested on their ability to select proper ham equipment? For instance, should the prospective ham prove that they know about spectrum purity and what is a transmission spur?

Should prospective hams demonstrated that they can ascertain what kind of equipment on the current market violates FCC rules, or barely reaches that technical purity (think: Baofeng)?

Should all prospective ham radio operators be forced to build their first ham equipment, to test that they know how?

 

Which hams are labeled? By whom are those labeled hams, labeled? Would there be allowances for a ham that has been licensed for fifty years be given an opportunity to go over material that is newer than what was available fifty years ago? How about allowances for regulatory changes between what was regulation fifty years ago, and what is current (such as exposure regulations)?

 

Hear, hear!

By the way, it would be discriminatory to require an elite ham to actually know about discriminators.

 

Yeah, but we both know that you are a real real ham. Just, because. (I'm smiling as I write this; I concur with you.)

 

no i totally agree, W0IW has been a ham since 83 and he has told me how hard it as for him to get his license nowadays you can just memorize questions and walk out with a license, that is in my opinion idiotic if they call themselves true hams because they can be "hams" but in this instance becoming a "true ham" takes a lot of work. Baofeng radios are not illegal to use if they are operated with a licensed amateur on amateur-only frequencies .

 

I call people "real hams" based on they actually know what there doing, I'm not telling you or NW7US are not real hams and Im not trying to discriminate but people in my are are passing the test based off of memorizing answers for the test instead of actually knowing how to operate

 

W0IW is pulling your leg about how hard it was.

 

ok so apparrently im an idiotic autistic 12 year old im moving on

 

Works for me - but you have to recognise that the implication of that is that the FCC could decide that the exam for the highest class of licence consisted of one question - "Do you understand radio technology? Answer yes or no." and everyone that answers "yes" instantly becomes a "real ham".

Martin (G8FXC)

 

sorry...