N2EY wrote:
In article , " Stephen Cowell"
writes:


If you ever had to struggle through the period
of no-voice novice, you might never wish that
particular chore on anyone.


I had a no-voice, nonrenewable, nonretakeable Novice back in 1967.

Had a great time with it.


I got my first Novice
in '75, and let it lapse due primarily to the lack
of voice priviliges (and no manuals for the
boatanchors I'd been given). CB was just a lot
more fun.


I've never been on cb. Ham radio seemed like way more fun.


I got my second novice in '89, man, what a
difference! Sunspots were coming on, 10M
was hopping, and I worked for a commercial
radio shop. That's what Ham Radio is all about,
for me.... not hazing, but graduated challenges.


Hazing?

There is no qualification that someone, somewhere, somehow thinks is Hazing.


If the proposed plan to upgrade Technicians to General happens, will
not those who test afterward be able to claim that their (presumably)
more difficult test is "hazing"?

I would. If I were a prospective new ham, I wouldn't be thinking about
one-time "adjustments", the history of Ham radio, or anything like that.
I'd hear about the new tests, and be annoyed at the seeming
discrimination or "hazing".

I'd probably call the whole thing an attempt by old time hams to keep
new people out of the avocation. That is what it would look like.

This about time for Bill to chime in with one of those "life is a bitch,
and then you die" comments. After which point I as a prospective ham,
would then apply the arguments he uses against him.


The greatest concern, and one which I don't think
has been addressed in this thread yet, is the fact
that our spectrum is in danger.



It's always been in danger. Other services have always looked
at our allocations and asked why they couldn't have some.


We need more
occupants to help occupy it... and HF voice
priviliges are the only carrot left to put on the stick.


We have 683,000 US hams today. That's about 2-1/2 times
what there were back when I got started in 1967. If the
bands aren't crowded, it's because existing hams aren't
on the air, not because there aren't enough hams.

ahhh, get more people on HF argument. Sorry, that argument doesn't
work, because there is a way to get even *more* people on HF by simply
giving licenses away. Maybe we should look into registration for ham
licenses when we get our drivers license?

And I don't know about others, but when I tune through the bands, there
is plenty to listen to. Now that the cycle is winding down, 75/80 gets
downright crowded in the evenings.

Ludicrous mode on:

Maybe the new influx of Hams can do something about making poor
propagation on 10 meters go away. And what's the deal with 20 meters? It
goes away in the evenings just when I sit down to do some serious
hammin! First thing they have to do is petition the F.C.C. to make it
illegal to have bad propagation........... ;^)

Ludicrous mode off...

- Mike KB3EIA -