Mike Coslo wrote in message ...
N2EY wrote:
In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

Or maybe the license is the easy part and the station is the tough
part.

Yup! I was woefully inept at getting a station running. Thank heavens
for my Elmers.

Which is why futzing with the license tests isn't going to change much.
They're looking in the wrong place.

(line was from "Raiders of the Lost Ark")

One of the side effects of the internet as relates to Ham radio is the
new ham that has looked at a lot of web pages, studied a lot of books,
and has been woefully short of personal dealings with actual hams.(red
faced, raising my hand)

Nothing new there! When I was a newbie, most of my Elmers were books.

I think that the ARRL is pretty aware of this,
witness their new Elmering program, which will take some steps in
getting more one on one or several on one interaction.

Hopefully.

Unfortunately
they also presented a dopey restructuring plan to go along with it.

Part dopey, part good idea.

I suppose that might be working myself into the
ground, but its for the fun of FD and the camaraderie.

'zactly. Even when I did it single-handed.

One of these years I will have to try that.

It's one end of the continuum, and can be as laid-back or
extreme-challenge
as you want it to be. 2003 was laid-back for me - setup took about 2
hours
tops, and teardown less than an hour. 1B-1 Battery, lotta fun, 230+ CW
QSOs. 1995 was an allout effort - made 629 CW and 11 FM simplex QSOs
in 1B-1. Putting
up the 41 foot homebrew portable mast by myself in the rain was a bit
of a challenge....

Both were great learning experiences.

73 de Jim, N2EY