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Foundations of Amateur Radio - Episode 110

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by VK6FLAB, Jul 15, 2017.

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  1. VK6FLAB

    VK6FLAB Ham Member QRZ Page

    foundations-of-amateur-radio_300.jpg
    Fixing our Obsolete Licensing System

    Our Amateur Licensing System is obsolete, broken and in urgent need of review. This week I take a long hard look at the assumptions we've made about how our licensing system currently works and how it harks back to the 1970's and spark-gap transmitters. We can do better, we should do better and to keep our hobby relevant and alive, we must do better.

    Foundations of Amateur Radio is a weekly podcast about the thousand hobbies that make up Ham Radio with participants across the globe in all walks of life with many different cultures, backgrounds and experiences. Visit http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/foundations/ to download your personal copy or subscribe via iTunes by searching for my callsign, VK6FLAB. Feel free to drop me a line and share your thoughts, vk6flab@gmail.com is the quickest way to get in touch and if you feel so inclined, a small donation goes a long way to pay the costs associated with producing this podcast.

    Foundations of Amateur Radio is the continuation of the original "What use is an F-call?" podcast (named after the Australian introduction Amateur Foundation or F-call License) which you can also find online at http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/ where you'll also find interviews with the FT5ZM and VK0EK teams when they visited VK6.

    I look forward to hearing you on air or reading your feedback.

    73 de Onno VK6FLAB
     
  2. VK2OZ

    VK2OZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Okay you make a statement now seeing you did such instead of telling us all that our system harks back to the spark era which was obsolete now for some 90 years what is the relevance of this statement??.
    As for the 1970's what do you know about that period very little i think i do not think you would have known about Ham Radio then ity was an era in ham radio when hams were experimenting with gear modifying it building antennas yes even simple dipoles that most of the new generation hams buy commercially made but i guess for you that is relevant in what you refer to as being relevant in our modernistic hobby.Yes i agree keep it alive at the present it is like keeping alive a terminally ill person as long as it is alive no matter on the quality of it more hams if one can use the term now days lets scrap the licence tests and just pay a fee and you are on the air the hobby will never fade away quantity not quality that is what it is all about now.
     
    K3MRK, KA8YIT, VK6NO and 4 others like this.
  3. K3LI

    K3LI Ham Member QRZ Page

    The system works just fine. It takes some work to become a Ham. Do you wish amateur radio to become the next CB Radio? Sure sounds like you do. I for one will take less operators that truly care about radio than a bunch of morons that pay $29.95 and buy a 98 dollar Chinese radio and drive around doing the "hey good buddy" routine, which is exactly what you will get. No, dont tell me about enforcement. How well did they enforce CB radio? Leave it alone. As we all know from the past, EVERY time you let Govt mess with anything they screw it up big time and it cost a lot more money. Name me one single Govt program that is not filled with large amounts of waste, abuse, fraud, etc etc. Heck, name me one single Govt program that actually works and does not cost 4 times what the private sector can do it for.
     
    K4CLP, KA8YIT, KF9EM and 13 others like this.
  4. WN2C

    WN2C Ham Member QRZ Page

    Have you ever heard of punctuation or run on sentence? Just sayin!
     
    N8DAH, N4GST, N3DAW and 5 others like this.
  5. KE0GXB

    KE0GXB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Ya, seems like everyone so far has the same opinion of "So What is your point"? Wonder if the podcast sucks this bad, well not time to find out. Anyone know what this is about?????
     
    N4GST, W7LDG and K2MOB like this.
  6. VK6NSB

    VK6NSB Ham Member QRZ Page

    I thought asking for MONEY on Amateur radio or anything to do with was ILLEGAL be it a DONATION or otherwise. Doing the Podcast is YOUR choice!
     
    VK6NO and W7LDG like this.
  7. KM4BDH

    KM4BDH Ham Member QRZ Page

    If that were true then kenwood, icom etc.. would have to stop selling ham radios. However you cannot solicit (advertise ) on air, but you can make arraignments in a private transaction.
     
    K2MOB likes this.
  8. VK4HAT

    VK4HAT Ham Member QRZ Page

    I agree with Onno, in a world where 99.9% of amateurs buy their whole station, teaching them how to read a colour code on a resistor or ohms law is kind of pointless, let alone valve theory. They would be better served being examined on comparative shopping methods or ebay foo as that is about all they will ever do. So yeah, the licence structure in VK could be changed and modernised to better reflect what amateurs do now, not all these hold overs from the 20th century. And before all the wing nuts pile on me about being an F-call wanting more for nothing, I am happy with what i can do with my license and have no desire to upgrade now, or perhaps ever. It would be nice to have the homebrew tx restriction removed from the license, but, i can live with that also.
     
  9. PA0MHS

    PA0MHS Ham Member QRZ Page

    Just the other day I heard a novice tell another ham that he set up a 6m transceiver and antenna and that he used 75 ohm cable. And he was convinced that using 75 ohm cable was just fine because the SWR was 1:1 after tuning his antenna to size. My first thought was: doesn't he know that using 75 ohm cable only works on a 50 ohm system if the cable length is a multiple of 1/2 wavelength? Something so obvious to me (F license) appears to be unknown to a novice.... Even if you just buy stuff, it doesn't hurt to know the basics of what you're doing.
     
    VK6NO and VK4SDD like this.
  10. PA0MHS

    PA0MHS Ham Member QRZ Page

    Come to think of it: in the advent of self driving cars like Tesla's and the likes, could we imagine ditching drivers licenses and exams? Or even introducing an N-license? I think not. One still has to learn the basic rules. Whatever you do.
     
    N4GST and VK4SDD like this.
  11. WQ4G

    WQ4G Ham Member QRZ Page

    You can not solicit (advertise) as a COMMERCIAL establishment on air. It is certainly within the law to hold a 'Traders Net' and advertise your own used gear on air. At least it is in K, W, and N land....
     
  12. K3BR

    K3BR Ham Member QRZ Page

    Well, the USA could reinstitute the code requirment, har, har.
     
    N4GST likes this.
  13. KR2C

    KR2C Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    Holy S-balls. Punctuate for gods sake.
     
  14. K0RGR

    K0RGR Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I didn't watch the video, but I read the text transcript. It's not unlike things we hear on this side of the Pacific fairly often. Over here, it's more often some old guys clamoring for improvement, which often seems like spitting into the wind. Occasionally, a light appears at the end of the tunnel, if only briefly before being snuffed out by the kinds of arguments you see in this thread.

    Actually, I think your system is much more modern and relevant than ours. I admire the British system a lot, and other European countries have some decent 'Novice' privileges. But hey, if you lived here, you could easily pass our Tech exam and run 1500 watts output on all the ham bands from 50 MHz and up. Isn't that great? And you wouldn't have answered a single question on high power amplifiers along the way. At least you have access to most of the HF phone bands there, which our entry level does not. I actually would prefer they had digital privileges there, as everyone should have experience with non-voice modes on HF, to learn how propagation really works, and what the differences between digital, CW, and phone really are.

    I didn't know that VK 'F' licensees can't use digital modes - that's sad. Our entry level is likewise very restricted. And yes, it's because our systems were designed by 19th century minds around mid-20th century technology. I'd rather see our newbies have 5 watts on PSK31 and JT65 than the 200 watts of CW privileges they have here.

    I think the most productive way to approach this is to drop the attacks on the system as a whole. People are comfortable with the system, it's derived from what they've always known. Most hams alive here today can't remember a time when there wasn't a three or more tiered license structure. Instead, pick your specific battles. Build an argument and find supporters for some basic reform, such as limited digital privileges for newbies.
     
    N4GST, VK4HAT and K2MOB like this.
  15. WQ4G

    WQ4G Ham Member QRZ Page

    There is NO substitute for a firm knowledge of the basics. Even setting up a store bought antenna and rig requires a foundation in the basics; or at least instruction from someone with a grasp of the basics. Additionally, solving ANY problem in life requires a foundation in the basics.

    With that being said.... It depends on how one looks at this. Most hobbies, at least in the past, have been something that a person works at, or works toward, regardless of whether it's collecting Postage Stamps, Coins, and Handcuffs or building and racing automobiles. Let's consider Postage Stamps... If one wants to be a real expert Stamp Collector, even as a hobby, one will study Stamp Books and study Stamps. He/she will attend Stamp Shows and Conventions and learn as much about Stamps as one possibly can. One will learn about misprints and errors, values, how many were printed, how they were made, attrition, how to spot fakes, etc., etc., etc. You know - the basics.

    Now, what says one can't just go and purchase some Postage Stamps and all of a sudden one is a Stamp Collector? Poof... Well, there is nothing that says one can't do that. But, I must ask if this person is really a Stamp Collector? Does this person KNOW what they are purchasing, what it's really worth, and why? Without a firm foundation in all those BASICS I listed above they CAN'T.

    Without a firm grasp of the basics can a Ham Operator get on the air and operate the correct mode, on the correct frequencies, with the correct power level, comply with the laws, and NOT interfere with other Ham Operators (or their next door neighbors)? Can one simply purchase a firm grasp of the basics? The answer is a resounding YES as long as we are willing to relegate our selves to fixed channels, one or two voice modes, restrictive bands, and low power levels with NO experimentation. In other words, as long as we are willing to become a form of CBer then we can get by without all those basics.

    I guess it really comes down to how much respect one has for him/her self and others. Is your Ham Ticket (and license level) something to respect, have pride in, and strive for? Or is it going to be something we purchase just because we have too? Is one motivated by achievement and pride? Or is the motivation the instant gratification one gets from purchasing everything?
     
    OH2FFY, N4GST, VK6FX and 3 others like this.

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