ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

If they are going to give techs additional privileges they should also give Generals more privileges. Maybe a little more space on the bands. Just a thought.

 

Rich,

The Techs I have talked to don't understand why they have to learn all this stuff about HF, when in a practical sense, they get no usable privileges. BTW 'free for all logic' does not come from any statement I have ever made and does not represent my opinion.

I have to be honest: I think the Tech question pool is far too bloated with material that is appropriate for the Extra, not an entry level license.

Band-wise---There is no incentive, based on a usable piece of operations on HF via the Tech, that there is a 'taste' to then want to pursue the General or higher. IF 10m was hot that might be different. It's no accident that the decline in active Techs correlates with the general decline in 10M activity. Even this past cycle has been rare with openings, and dismal.

Here's the problem in one image: Typical Tech 'shack' in 2019. If you look hard, you can see the Baofeng HT along with the other prepper stuff....

Ham radio, with most Techs, has become a 'just in case' rather than a 'when all else fails'.

 

The Techs are the 'Recruits' into Ham Radio's 'Army' that need encouragement to go the General, Extra path but I see no problem with them having
access to a little slice of the pie as a temptation for the full pie. Kind of like offering a sample of a product to entice one to buy the whole product.

G3SEA/KH6

 

I'm a Tech and that looks nothing like my shack. Also, I don't think techs need anymore privileges than they already have. There is plenty to learn and experience with what is available to techs right now.

 

ARRL is no friend to ham radio its all about more membership
cant learn cw we done away with it
test to hard we dumb it down
test still to hard we dumb it down again
don't want to study and upgrade just buy a radio and arrl member ship we give you your ticket
so we can have one big cb band

 

I truly believe that with all the 'study aids' and published question pools available now days it is very easy to achieve, without any great investment of time or effort, an upgrade to General from Tech. Any easier and they might as well just hand out ham license to anyone who wants one.

The reason CW always enters into this conversation is because there are operators out there that DID invest a great deal of time AND effort, to learn CW, in order to get their tickets. They are proud of their achievement and I can understand their resentment toward no coders and the idea of handing out privileges. Many times they only want to express to others the amount of work that was required, back in the day, in order to become an Amateur Radio Operator. From their perspective I can see how they are able to make the claim that ham radio is being 'dumbed down.' It is becoming progressively easier to get a ham ticket - would you not agree?

But, I do like your idea of giving Techs phone privileges on small portions of the bands with QRP. This would be similar to the old Novice Ticket where Novices had slices of the CW bands and could not use a lot of power. Give them the top 25 Khz of 20, 40, and 80 Phone Bands and limit them to 5 or 10 watts. And, with no additional digital privileges. That will give them a taste of HF Phone and will get them exposed to how things are done on HF. It should also create some incentive to upgrade. Of course some of the Tech Exam should be based on the new privileges accordingly.

Dan KI4AX

 

Sacrificing the integrity of Amateur Radio to please the big radio manufactures is really disgusting. The incentive is there for those who have the desire to get more privileges when they upgrade (all that has to be done is pass an already EASY test)! I've heard so much infusion of CB jargon and habits (poor operating procedures) because of the elimination of technical based knowledge and skills in the technician portion of the bands - especially on repeaters - that any more degradation of the craft will do nothing but bring Amateur Radio closer to what you now hear on 11 meters. It also disrespects those who have put the time into developing their skills based on the incentive system and who cherish the results of their hard work. HOW MUCH EASIER DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IT TO UPGRADE? IT'S NOT THAT HARD! Those who want to dumb-down the system even more for the sake of profit or who make retrograde arguments that "tech-class Amateurs aren't upgrading because they don't know what's out there and need to be given General and up privileges" is either a shill for big business or incredibly ignorant.

 

You are correct, they are bad players in most anything, and amateur radio is not exempt. The FCC needs to do a better job, and we as licensed amateur radio operators need to do ours. It only takes a few bad apples that gives us a bad name. One thing we can do and are told to do is not to acknowledge the ones that are breaking the rules, for example do not acknowledge a Ham that is transmitting on portion of the band that they are not licensed for, sorry I may be mistaken but I believe this a FCC rule. If I am wrong I am sure some one will correct me.

One last thing if some one feels they need more band privileges all they need to do is take the next step, it is not that hard, I do not understand what the fuss is all about. I am getting pretty tired hearing from people that they want something for nothing. I don't mean to be harsh, but that is what it narrows down to.

 

It is a possibility don't you think.

I have two questions for you and anybody else, Why do some people feel they have a right to something they did not earn? . Why do some feel that they are better than the rest and should be given extra privileges when they are not willing to put a little effort into it.

Last I will say about this is if the ones that are Techs spent half the time studying for the General exam instead of fussing for a hand out they would be able to pass the General exam, and also would have a bonus also.

Oh for the ones that do not know what the bonus is, well it is leaving the examination room feeling proud of ones self and driving home with a big fat grin. I wish you all well and look forward having a QSO with you some day. 73,

 

I do not remember seeing any petitions or any Tech class chat groups or anything here on QRZ about Tech class operators wanting or demanding anymore frequency privilege's ???
Someone correct me if I am wrong about this please.
So I don't understand all of the comments about work harder or study harder or they just want the easy handout way of getting extra privilege's being directed at the Tech class holders. The ARRL came up with this right? again correct me if I am wrong. Advanced class holder here so I took the CW portion of the test. I like using CW but I don't think not using it should be a stigma or that making it mandatory to get licensed is some how going to make bad operators go away.
So what they don't use CW whatever, some hams do not use SSB or digital modes or SSTV again whatever. Some of the post read like this is some Elite club, its not it is a Amateur Radio Hobby. When I got my License there were Knuckleheads too. They have been operating ever since radio began, I don't think there is a fix for that.
But maybe there could be a Professional Radio Hobby for those that ask more of its users, That way all of the members will meet the same criteria that is asked of each member, and nothing could possibly go wrong...... Right?

 

I'm a relatively new ham. I was first licensed in January 2015. But, I am an old geezer starting late. I read about the first five pages and scanned the rest. I did that because I was reading the same thing over and over. Some posts were slightly different than others depending on whatever philosophical slant you may have on this issue.
Repeated is the suggestion that giving a Technician Class operator SOME HF privileges will entice them into learning more so that they can pass a test for a General Class ticket.
But, Technician Class ticket holders can already participate on any HF band and any mode. The limitation for them is that they can only LISTEN. They can purchase radios that they can only listen. Surely this level of participation will entice those that crave the right to Transmit and have QSO's with others. Is this not true?
It is human nature to want more and more and to get more with as little effort as possible. The more one gets something for nothing only promotes wanting more for nothing.

Now, I was fortunate enough to pass the Tech and General tests at one sitting. My craft is electronics. I later earned my Extra ticket for the right to use those extra frequencies
that class of license affords. From my view there is not a dimes worth of difference between General and Extra licenses. Just the right to transmit on a few extra frequencies.
I digress. If you want to further entice Technician Class license holders to upgrade. Promote listening. Have them purchase receivers that they can listen to others. If they
are interested at all this will create a desire to upgrade.

If it's the ARRL's desire for them to buy more equipment and buy more information from them let the ARRL give something free with limitations. I know they offer a free book if you join your first year. That's nothing. There is nothing in that book that can't be "Googled" in 20 seconds. Besides, my first and last year I joined I never received my free book. I was inundated with general mail and emails from them begging for money. When asked later for my free book their response was "silence". Since I'm not going to beg for my free book I gained a poor opinion of the ARRL. But still let the ARRL put their own thinking caps on. Let them give something free that will further entice Tech license holders to upgrade.
I wonder how many first time members the ARRL gets that never renew.

If given the right enticement for those that have any desire at all to upgrade, they will upgrade. Giving them the right to transmit on limited HF bands is no more powerful than promoting just listening on all the HF bands. Then the motivation to improve and upgrade will be there.

 

I use Pactor quite a bit, if there is activity on the frequency I want to use, it won't transmit. Also use the common sense of listening first...

 

If it's out of spite, I'd rather not talk to them regardless of my license level, that's easy. I already avoid some of that arrogance that I experience now on the airwaves.

I admit that I don't know the specifics of that proposal's author, but is he/she a Tech wanting more? Is there a ground swell of Techs that precipitated this? Or simply some organizations thinking with their empty wallet?

 

I agree with you.look at the way it has been since the 1960's it first started in 1968 with " INCENTIVE LICENSING " and slowly every few years all classes get more and more. then the novice is dropped, then the advance, next the general will be combined into one and a few years more, the general plus tech will be gone and then it will be extra or call it " ham license ".

 

Same stuff different day.

I used to complain about all the 5 wpm extras when that nonsense began. Lowering the bar. Then all the ex-CBer no-coders on the HF bands. Enter the cesspool.

Now my opinion has been swayed after 32 years as a ham.

Use it or lose it.

Let them in. Maybe even reduce testing and license classes to one simple license class. Fill out a form and pick your own callsign. Problem solved.

The big threat aren’t the dipshits on 7200 — it’s losing the spectrum and thus the hobby all together.

But if we do it. Let’s not kid ourselves and let’s do it all the way. None of these baby steps or whining about how hard a no code general or extra has had to study. ... the license exams are a total joke already.

Open the doors and let them in. I bet we have a few younger people show up for field day.