ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

It isn't giving them something for nothing. They still have to take a test to get the privs. I studied for long hours. And I found all 3 tests to be hard for me.

 

Hi Jason,

I am very happy you are OTA!

Because 10m is dead, the only way *WE* CAN COMMUNICATE together --as hams-- is to get on 40m, on CW.

Are you with me?

Let's set up a sked!

Surely you understand that the present restrictions make that the only option, yes?

If we could *TALK* on the air, we wouldn't be using this internet forum

73
Chip W1YW


----------------------------------------------------------

The Tech 'Just in Case Hamshack' --from a GA QTH Oct 2018 ((c) 2018 W1YW) :

 

Back in 88 I got my ticket and tested up to general but due to a head injury I could not remember Morse code or perform it . so I was forced to surrender my general license . now I am trying to get my tech license back and I'm seeing a lot these old hams treat techs and new general license people like carp because they aren't required to take the code test .I've personally have sat and listened to 20+ old school guys chat up on 80m and as soon and a newer ham calls .ca they shut up won't answer even when their call sign is called . or will rant n rave how he called .ca and it wasn't just perfect for them and instead of saying hey pal this is how you should do it they make fun of that person to the point that person leaves the freq .SHAME ON YOU ALL WHEN I FIRST STARTED TGERE WAS ELMERS EVERY WHERE NOW THERE ISN'T A SINGEL ONE IN MY AREA AND ALL ARE SNOBS . wait a cpl more years and these old shuts will be dead and gone then who will carry on their legacy ? No one . their kids will sell their equipment. For money and that'll be the end of it and then the tech will raise .Up and get their general ticket and that'll be it.so you all can either help us newbies and have your memories carried on by the kindness you show the new people or just be forgotten or remembered as a grumpy old crabby Old person that wouldn't reach out to someone struggling and give a helping hand . so many of you could be VE's but you rather sit on your radios and complain. Step up and help promote the hobby that you love as much as I do .that why for tge last 3 years I've struggled to get my tech license back. I won't give up till I die .we are in this together.

Larry Barker

 

And your right its the ARRL at it again , it is all about the money. It is the aarl selling you out for more membership , and maybe
sell you a shirt . The arrl is in a big hurt for money with lacking sells and salaries , arrl needs more members !

 

Just my opinion. I totally have nothing against the Technician Class Operators. If you possess a General or A or E-class license you had to go the Technician route to obtain the advancement. I see nothing wrong with this. My belief is, if you want something bad enough you'll WORK hard for it. I read one post on this forum, where a gentleman posted saying that he may not have the mental capabilities to pass the 35 question General Class Test. This maybe true? But apparently had passed the 35 question Technician Exam. I also know of local Technicians who had to take the General test 3 or 4 times before passing it, Kudos to them. At least they WORKED for it. Sometimes Organization's want us "common folks" to think their doing something great for our hobby. In all aspect their doing something great for them self's. "Revenue","Revenue", "Revenue" Just think of how much this would generate Magazine sales, Radio sales, Ham Gear outlet sales and so on. This maybe good for the Hobby, who am I to say, I'm not really sure? What ever is decided it will be. Again nothing against the Technician Class Operators, we all started here. This will be an Upper Echelon decision. Hopefully if passed by the FCC the ARRL in the near future will make it a point to petition the FCC to opening some of the bands to the General Class Operators that the Extra Class Operators possess. But then again there wouldn't be any "Revenue" in it. Just an opinion, work hard for what you want and Make America Great Again !!!!!

 

I'll have to look into that. I'm always getting myself into trouble.

 

the 11,000 was only said by AARL last yr ,that is how many they said there were

 

I had to pass my 20 wpm test to get my Extra ticket back in the 90s, yet I still advocate for change. While I don't necessarily like the premise of "something for nothing", I think that if handled correctly, we can solve a lot of problems that we as amateurs are facing.

As far as a resentment towards no coders, I never really got that. Yes, some people whine "if I did it, so should you", but I think the underlying feeling is that CW used to separate the ham from the non-ham, not one license class from another. Before the Tech/Tech Plus distinction, if you were a ham you knew CW. There's no 1 thing I can think of today that makes a ham any different that the general population. I can live with that, although I think it's a good experience. As a side note....after passing the 20 wpm exam, I was so stressed out that I didn't come back to CW for nearly 20 years. These days, it's my mode of choice.

 

As Tony Stark says, "I respectfully disagree."

I'm going to take the position that FT8 and similar protocols lessen the hobby.

Think about it. The ham doesn't need to do anything. The computer does everything and the ham just checks every once in a while to see what stations the computer's worked. Where's the challenge in that? If you're going to say that the challenge is in setting up the hardware and software then I would have to suggest to you that you are a computer operator, not a radio operator.

I'm in front of a computer way too much and my idea of relaxing is getting away from them.

I still keep a paper log and don't even have a computer in the same room as my radios.

Again, I realize that I'm very much in the minority, just wanted to give you another perspective.

 

Who said that, exactly? Were and when did "ARRL" say it?

Because the number of Novices with current unexpired licenses dropped below 11,000 back in 2015.

Your memory is probably......unreliable.

And...why are you still a Novice?

 

Same here. And I had to pass 20 wpm code, sending and receiving, back in 1970 at an FCC office - and I still advocate for change.

I look back on 51 years as a ham, 49 of them as an Extra.....and I've lost track of how many times I've gotten "something for nothing"....new bands, new modes, less restrictions, more power......all without any added testing.

I see a couple of factors.....

1) Back when there was code testing for all, most people didn't already know code. So they had to learn it no matter what license they got, and no matter whether they used it or not. And because code is a skillset, not "book learning", it wasn't something that could be learned passively. Like riding a bike or playing a musical instrument, you can't learn code just by reading a book, attending a class or watching a video....you have to do it. Learning new skills is not the same as learning new facts.

2) To most hams who have been licensed a long time, today's tests seem easy. What too many of them forget is that they should seem easy to anyone who has years or decades of experience! One must consider what the exams look like to someone who is brand new and who doesn't have a background in radio or electronics.

3) As Kurt Vonnegut wrote: "Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before... He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way."

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

DRINK!

 

Wrong. FT8 advances the radio art.

 

The creators of FT8 advanced the radio art.

FT8 itself is now routine. Routine users of FT8 are not advancing the radio art. It's already been advanced for them.

 

There is no right or wrong, just different opinions.

Agree to disagree.