wrote


After the incentive licnesing rules went into effect
in the 1967-1969 period, the number of US hams began to
grow much faster than it had during the 1960s. The growth of
the 1970s continued into the 1980s.


Are you suggesting that making it tougher to get full privileges was the cause
that accelerated the growth of the ARS? That has to qualify as the most
outrageous notion to hit RRAP (outside the dump huck posts from Mark) in the
current century.

Clearly other "market forces" were in play for the ARS to enjoy the popularity
it did in the post-Sputnik years. Science was "cool" and the hot ticket for
education and career planning. Scientifiic-seeming hobbies like electronics,
radio, and astronomy were beneficiaries of this attitude. If anything,
dis-incentive licensing was a damper (not an accelerant) on the growth of the
ARS during that period.


If incentive licensing was so awful, why was there so much
growth in the ARS in the two decades after it was put in
place?


Can you imagine how much more growth we'd have had without its repressive
effects on our hobby!

73, de Hans, K0HB