Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

What this means is that if you get a Technician
Class license now, it will likely be converted
into a General Class license with HF SSB
priviledges in the future, without any need for
Morse Code testing, or General Class written
testing.

A smart person would get his or her HAM Tech
license now, instead of waiting and having what
will likely be a tougher test later.

TEXT FOLLOWS
****************************************

League Files "A Plan for the Next Decade" with FCC
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 28, 2004--The ARRL has filed a Petition for Rule
Making asking the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules to complete the
Amateur Service restructuring the Commission began in 1999 but left
unfinished. The League wants the FCC to create a new entry-level
license, reduce the number of actual license classes to three and drop
the Morse code testing requirement for all classes except for Amateur
Extra (see "ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF
Access"). The ARRL says its petition follows in the footsteps of
changes in Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations adopted
at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003. Among those changes,
WRC-03 deleted the Morse testing requirement for amateur applicants
seeking HF privileges and left it up to individual countries to
determine whether or not they want to mandate Morse testing. While
several countries--including Germany, the UK and Australia--already
have dropped their Morse testing requirements, the ARRL emphasized in
its petition that Morse code is not the primary issue at hand.

"Changes in Morse telegraphy are one aspect of the proposal, and it
would be insufficient for the Commission to address those issues in a
vacuum," the League said, calling its licensing proposal "a plan for
the next decade." The ARRL said that plan's overall intention is "to
encourage newcomers to the Amateur Service and to encourage those who
enter its ranks to proceed further on a course of technical
self-training and exposure to all aspects of the avocation."

Last fall various parties filed a total of 14 Morse-related petitions
with the FCC. Several called on the Commission to drop the Morse
requirement altogether, while others proposed to keep and even expand
the requirement or put forth various license restructuring schemes of
their own. The petitions, RM-10781-10787 and RM-10805-10811, attracted
thousands of comments from the amateur community.

Beyond the Morse question, the ARRL says, the time is right--now that
WRC-03 has finished its work--to follow through on the restructuring
process the FCC began with its 1999 restructuring Report and Order (WT
98-143). Among other things, that landmark Order, which became
effective April 15, 2000, reduced the number of Morse code test
elements from three to a single 5 WPM requirement for all license
classes offering HF privileges.

Although the US has revised amateur licensing requirements several
times since 1917, the ARRL pointed out, "there has not been a
comprehensive restructuring of both licensing requirement and
corresponding operating privileges in many years." The League said the
FCC declined to address operating privileges in its 1999 Report and
Order but put off the job for a later date because it was still
constrained by the Morse requirement in the Radio Regulations. The
ARRL said, however, that the FCC in 1999 "issued an invitation to the
amateur community" to complete the work it had begun.

While just dropping the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse requirement may seem
to be a "simple plan," the ARRL said, it fails to address the critical
need for an entry-level ticket other than the Technician. The
Technician license, the League said, "is for too many a 'dead end' to
what might otherwise be an active, progressive interest in Amateur
Radio, technical self-training and incentive-based educational
progress in the many facets of the avocation."

The ARRL said its proposed entry-level license--being called "Novice"
for now--would establish "a portfolio of operating privileges
consistent with an examination that would not include material that is
inappropriate or irrelevant at the entry level." It would require
passing a 25-question written examination--but no code test--and offer
limited HF phone, image, CW and data privileges.

"This structure provides a true, entry-level license with HF and other
operating privileges which will both promote growth in the Amateur
Service and integrate newcomers into the mainstream of Amateur Radio,"
the ARRL told the FCC. "It will better introduce newcomers to more
seasoned licensees who will assist them."

The League proposal also would consolidate current Technician and
General licensees into General class without further examination.
Future General applicants would not have to pass a Morse code test,
but the written exam would remain the same. Current Advanced licensees
would be merged into Amateur Extra class without further testing, and
the Extra exam would remain intact.

Advanced licensees already have passed the now-deleted 13 WPM Morse
examination. The ARRL proposal would retain the Element 1 Morse exam
for Extra class applicants. It also would provide Element 1 credit for
anyone who had ever passed at least a 5 WPM Morse test, whether or not
they're now licensed.

"The differences between the [Advanced and Extra] license classes are
so minimal as to amply justify the one-time upward merger," the League
said. While it agreed with the FCC's 1999 assertion that ability to
demonstrate increased Morse proficiency "is not necessarily indicative
of that individual's ability to contribute to the advancement of the
radio art," the League contended that retaining an "extremely minimal"
and "rudimentary" 5 WPM Morse requirement for Amateur Radio's top
license class is appropriate.

The ARRL said its overall plan dovetails with the FCC philosophy and
goals stated in the 1999 Report and Order--to simplify the license
structure and streamline the licensing process. The League said its
plan would implement licensing requirements and privileges that are in
harmony with each other and is designed to attract and retain
"technically inclined persons, particularly the youth of our country"
and encourage them to advance in areas "where the United States needs
expertise."

"Now, the issue is not merely whether there should or should not be
Morse telegraphy as an examination requirement," the ARRL said, "but
rather what is the best overall approach for positioning the Amateur
Service for future growth and incentive-based self-training."

A copy of the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making is available on the ARRL
Web site. The FCC has requested that individuals refrain from
contacting or attempting to comment to the FCC on the ARRL's
restructuring proposal before the FCC issues a Rule Making (RM) number
for the ARRL petition and invites public comments on it. Until that
happens, it is premature to comment to the FCC.

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical part.


"N1EE" wrote in message
om...
What this means is that if you get a Technician
Class license now, it will likely be converted
into a General Class license with HF SSB
priviledges in the future, without any need for
Morse Code testing, or General Class written
testing.

A smart person would get his or her HAM Tech
license now, instead of waiting and having what
will likely be a tougher test later.

TEXT FOLLOWS
****************************************

League Files "A Plan for the Next Decade" with FCC
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 28, 2004--The ARRL has filed a Petition for Rule
Making asking the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules to complete the
Amateur Service restructuring the Commission began in 1999 but left
unfinished. The League wants the FCC to create a new entry-level
license, reduce the number of actual license classes to three and drop
the Morse code testing requirement for all classes except for Amateur
Extra (see "ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF
Access"). The ARRL says its petition follows in the footsteps of
changes in Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations adopted
at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003. Among those changes,
WRC-03 deleted the Morse testing requirement for amateur applicants
seeking HF privileges and left it up to individual countries to
determine whether or not they want to mandate Morse testing. While
several countries--including Germany, the UK and Australia--already
have dropped their Morse testing requirements, the ARRL emphasized in
its petition that Morse code is not the primary issue at hand.

"Changes in Morse telegraphy are one aspect of the proposal, and it
would be insufficient for the Commission to address those issues in a
vacuum," the League said, calling its licensing proposal "a plan for
the next decade." The ARRL said that plan's overall intention is "to
encourage newcomers to the Amateur Service and to encourage those who
enter its ranks to proceed further on a course of technical
self-training and exposure to all aspects of the avocation."

Last fall various parties filed a total of 14 Morse-related petitions
with the FCC. Several called on the Commission to drop the Morse
requirement altogether, while others proposed to keep and even expand
the requirement or put forth various license restructuring schemes of
their own. The petitions, RM-10781-10787 and RM-10805-10811, attracted
thousands of comments from the amateur community.

Beyond the Morse question, the ARRL says, the time is right--now that
WRC-03 has finished its work--to follow through on the restructuring
process the FCC began with its 1999 restructuring Report and Order (WT
98-143). Among other things, that landmark Order, which became
effective April 15, 2000, reduced the number of Morse code test
elements from three to a single 5 WPM requirement for all license
classes offering HF privileges.

Although the US has revised amateur licensing requirements several
times since 1917, the ARRL pointed out, "there has not been a
comprehensive restructuring of both licensing requirement and
corresponding operating privileges in many years." The League said the
FCC declined to address operating privileges in its 1999 Report and
Order but put off the job for a later date because it was still
constrained by the Morse requirement in the Radio Regulations. The
ARRL said, however, that the FCC in 1999 "issued an invitation to the
amateur community" to complete the work it had begun.

While just dropping the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse requirement may seem
to be a "simple plan," the ARRL said, it fails to address the critical
need for an entry-level ticket other than the Technician. The
Technician license, the League said, "is for too many a 'dead end' to
what might otherwise be an active, progressive interest in Amateur
Radio, technical self-training and incentive-based educational
progress in the many facets of the avocation."

The ARRL said its proposed entry-level license--being called "Novice"
for now--would establish "a portfolio of operating privileges
consistent with an examination that would not include material that is
inappropriate or irrelevant at the entry level." It would require
passing a 25-question written examination--but no code test--and offer
limited HF phone, image, CW and data privileges.

"This structure provides a true, entry-level license with HF and other
operating privileges which will both promote growth in the Amateur
Service and integrate newcomers into the mainstream of Amateur Radio,"
the ARRL told the FCC. "It will better introduce newcomers to more
seasoned licensees who will assist them."

The League proposal also would consolidate current Technician and
General licensees into General class without further examination.
Future General applicants would not have to pass a Morse code test,
but the written exam would remain the same. Current Advanced licensees
would be merged into Amateur Extra class without further testing, and
the Extra exam would remain intact.

Advanced licensees already have passed the now-deleted 13 WPM Morse
examination. The ARRL proposal would retain the Element 1 Morse exam
for Extra class applicants. It also would provide Element 1 credit for
anyone who had ever passed at least a 5 WPM Morse test, whether or not
they're now licensed.

"The differences between the [Advanced and Extra] license classes are
so minimal as to amply justify the one-time upward merger," the League
said. While it agreed with the FCC's 1999 assertion that ability to
demonstrate increased Morse proficiency "is not necessarily indicative
of that individual's ability to contribute to the advancement of the
radio art," the League contended that retaining an "extremely minimal"
and "rudimentary" 5 WPM Morse requirement for Amateur Radio's top
license class is appropriate.

The ARRL said its overall plan dovetails with the FCC philosophy and
goals stated in the 1999 Report and Order--to simplify the license
structure and streamline the licensing process. The League said its
plan would implement licensing requirements and privileges that are in
harmony with each other and is designed to attract and retain
"technically inclined persons, particularly the youth of our country"
and encourage them to advance in areas "where the United States needs
expertise."

"Now, the issue is not merely whether there should or should not be
Morse telegraphy as an examination requirement," the ARRL said, "but
rather what is the best overall approach for positioning the Amateur
Service for future growth and incentive-based self-training."

A copy of the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making is available on the ARRL
Web site. The FCC has requested that individuals refrain from
contacting or attempting to comment to the FCC on the ARRL's
restructuring proposal before the FCC issues a Rule Making (RM) number
for the ARRL petition and invites public comments on it. Until that
happens, it is premature to comment to the FCC.

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

It should be really hard so that elitist electronic snobs are filtered out
too.
Make the license worth something, make someone work for it. You've seen what
captain's licenses have done for sailing, who wants THAT to happen to HAM
radio?
Gun licenses are tough to come by, why not radio licenses? There would be
less divorces if marriages were more regulated.
The radio can be used to issue instructions to sabateours and should be
impounded.


Oz wrote in message ...
On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 02:08:47 GMT, "Professor Howard Hill"
scribbled thusly:

The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical
part.

Why?
So that elitist electronic snobs can get licences easier?

It's about using a tranceiver not building one!


Oz1...of the 3 twins.

I welcome you to crackerbox palace,We've been expecting you.

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

Professor Howard Hill wrote:

The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical part.


Why? With surface mount who is going to home repair kit these days
anyway? Isn't it better to have a body of people enjoying a hobby than
just a few who may find themselves reguklated out of existence? Rember
what happended to the R/C community in the UK. Overnight their band was
taken from them so they had to go and buy new gear!

Cheers

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

Why have a license at all?



"Nav" wrote in message
...


Professor Howard Hill wrote:

The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical
part.


Why? With surface mount who is going to home repair kit these days
anyway? Isn't it better to have a body of people enjoying a hobby than
just a few who may find themselves reguklated out of existence? Rember
what happended to the R/C community in the UK. Overnight their band was
taken from them so they had to go and buy new gear!

Cheers

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

Just so people know correct R/T proceedures.

Cheers

Professor Howard Hill wrote:

Why have a license at all?



"Nav" wrote in message
...


Professor Howard Hill wrote:


The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical

part.

Why? With surface mount who is going to home repair kit these days
anyway? Isn't it better to have a body of people enjoying a hobby than
just a few who may find themselves reguklated out of existence? Rember
what happended to the R/C community in the UK. Overnight their band was
taken from them so they had to go and buy new gear!

Cheers

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

"Professor Howard Hill" wrote in message
hlink.net...
The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical
part.


What do you mean by "theoretical"?

Which part of the written test is not "theoretical"?



Regards


Donal
--

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

"Donal" wrote

"Professor Howard Hill" wrote
The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical
part.


What do you mean by "theoretical"?

Which part of the written test is not "theoretical"?

It's semantics. Most of the entry level "Tech" test here in the USA deals
with definitions and priviledges such as allowed frequency bands which,
being established by FCC rules, are not considered theoretical. You can view
sample tests at www.qrz.com.

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

I found the theory questions to be easy, and
had trouble with the band plan memorization.

Band plans are much easier to remember once
you start operating. And you can keep a
reference diagram next to your radio.


Bart


"Donal" wrote

"Professor Howard Hill" wrote

The written test should be made much harder especially the theoretical
part.


What do you mean by "theoretical"?

Which part of the written test is not "theoretical"?

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

"Professor Howard Hill" wrote:

Gun licenses are tough to come by, why not radio licenses? There would be
less divorces if marriages were more regulated.

Heheheee...you are *so* funny, Professor Hill. When did a radio licenses
ever *kill* anyone? Huhh?

You remind me of Professor Deming ( a real professor and Oklahoma State
University) who compared a vaginia to a handgun...

.....a vagina can be deadly! LMAO!

LP

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

"Lady Pilot" wrote

Heheheee...you are *so* funny, Professor Hill. When did a radio licenses
ever *kill* anyone? Huhh?

AFAIK no gun *license* ever killed anyone either. OTOH deaths have resulted
from radios in the hands of untrained people. Low powered radios such as
CBs are not dangerous unless one falls on one's head but the same is true
for low powered guns. Sticking one's mitts into a high power RF amplifier or
klystron cage can have the same effect as shooting oneself with a 44. Dead
is dead.

....a vagina can be deadly! LMAO!

Read the "RAPO" section in "The Games People Play" then get back to us on
that. Most (all?) women enjoy flirting to attract a man just so they can
turn him down. That's harmless, but others play hardball - leading the guy
on til they can charge him with assault or even rape. And the "hair trap",
seducing some sucker to get pregnant then browbeating him into matrimony in
order to ruin him financially was common in my time. When CA added pregnancy
testing to prenuptial blood tests they found over 2/3 of brides pregnant at
the altar.

Deadly? Perhaps not, but certainly dangerous!! (c:

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

"Vito" wrote:
"Lady Pilot" wrote

Heheheee...you are *so* funny, Professor Hill. When did a radio
licenses
ever *kill* anyone? Huhh?

AFAIK no gun *license* ever killed anyone either.
....a vagina can be deadly! LMAO!

Read the "RAPO" section in "The Games People Play" then get back to us on
that. Most (all?) women enjoy flirting to attract a man just so they can
turn him down.

Yes, and the other side of the coin is...

A guy will drop a female, because "he accomplished what he set out for..."

Which one do you think this is?

Deadly? Perhaps not, but certainly dangerous!! (c:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Geology professor David Deming of the University of Oklahoma was tired of
"the very vile rhetoric" hurled at "people who support Second Amendment
rights." As a result, sexual harassment complaints against him have been
filed with the University and Deming may be dismissed.

Of Handguns and Talking Vaginas
by Wendy McElroy
www.americanpartisan.com


His confrontation with political correctness began on Feb. 18, when the
school newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, reprinted a column by anti-gun zealot
Joni Kletter. Kletter stated that current gun laws allow "criminals, youth,
and the mentally disabled to quickly and easily kill as many random people
as they want."

In a letter to the editor, Deming replied, "I just want to point out that
Kletter's 'easy access' to a vagina enables her to 'quickly and easily' have
sex with 'as many random people' as she wants." Referring to Kletter's
"unregistered vagina" which could spread disease, Deming expressed the hope
that she was "as responsible with her equipment as most gun owners are with
theirs."

In the aftermath, a group of professors -- led (of course) by
sociologists -- collectively condemned Deming's letter. It was said to
increase the likelihood of rape. The backlash has been so extreme that
Deming's wife felt it necessary to publish her own letter to the editor
stating that her husband "is not a hater of women, but a hater of
stupidity." His analogy was meant to "parallel" Kletter's own in the
time-honored manner of reductio ad absurdum. Just as vaginas are not
inherently dangerous, neither are handguns. She concluded, "I'm personally
angry at a group of persons would use my husband as a whipping boy to
further their radical feminist agenda."

Becky Hebert -- an associate professor of human relations -- has filed a
legal complaint with the university's Office of Equal Opportunity and
Affirmative Action. It seems his brief letter violates the University's
Sexual Harassment Policy Grievance Procedure that reads, "Sexual harassment
shall be defined as ... verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature ...
when such conduct has the purpose or effect of ... creating an intimidating,
hostile, or offensive working or academic environment." Hebert wants Deming
to undergo sensitivity training and to apologize for having "equated my
vagina with a handgun." (Of course, feminists have never compared male
'equipment' to guns.) Deming realizes the underlying threat to his job.

"People express controversial opinions all the time," he stated, "You
usually don't try to silence [them]...by trying to get them fired."

One recent source of controversial opinions on campus has been a student
group, Advocates for Sexual Assault Awareness who publicly excoriated Deming
and demanded his reprimand. This same group backed a project entitled The
Vagina Monologues -- advertisements for which were chalked across the
campus. What are The Vagina Monologues?

Author Eve Ensler describes her three-woman play, "I was worried about
vaginas. I decided to talk to women about their vaginas, to do vagina
interviews, which became vagina monologues." Among the questions Ensler
posed to the 300 women she interviewed was what their vaginas preferred to
wear -- high heels, feather boas? For such insights, the Village Voice has
likened the play to "an international AA meeting for vaginas." Currently, a
nationwide endeavor is underway to have the play performed on every college
and university campus. The performance is often co-ordinated with "V-Day"
(Feb. 14), which carries the triple meaning of Violence Against
Women/Valentine's/Vagina Day.

In short, Deming's critics throw around the "v" word with wild abandon when
it furthers their own politics. For them, it is a term of awareness and
empowerment. Yet, having raised the banner of vagina, the ASAA wants a
monopoly on how their symbol is discussed. Defenses of Deming and the First
Amendment are muted. It can be worth a professor's career to oppose the
trendy feminist double standard that currently terrorizes campuses
nationwide. Some students have had the pluck to speak out. One wrote in The
Oklahoma Daily, "I urge you all to come to Deming's support, or, failing
that, to exercise your First Amendment right by going up to the next
sociology professor you see and shouting, 'Vagina, vagina!'"

With this background of turmoil, the radical feminist Susan Faludi addressed
the University of Oklahoma, on March 2, to celebrate Women's History Month.
Faludi's latest book, Stiffed: the Betrayal of the American Male, purports
to be a defense of men who are also victims of culture. But, as the
journalist and individualist feminist Cathy Young has observed, Stiffed is
an attempt to shift all blame for men's victimization from the shoulder of
feminism. Young writes, "While Faludi discusses vague cultural forces that
victimize men, she never mentions the male-bashing that infects popular
culture." Faludi claims that men have scapegoated feminism "for frustration
with their cultural disempowerment."

According to Faludi, the true betrayers of contemporary men are their
fathers, who imbued them with unrealizable dreams based on post-World War II
optimism. Radical feminism can rectify men's disempowerment. Presumably it
can teach them to address vaginas appropriately, inquiring after what they
are wearing to dinner tonight.

People often wonder why most feminists don't 'get' the Second Amendment.
They haven't made it past the First one yet.




http://www.dadi.org/vagingun.htm

http://www.popecenter.org/clarion/20...-apr/bats.html

http://www.cir-usa.org/recent_cases/..._oklahoma.html

LP

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

I just wanted to point out that I was with and helped Professor Deming
during this time on his right to "free speech". I made an effort to talk to
the staff on his behalf, and I believe I made a marvelous difference.

LP (at least I hope I made a difference, which proves to be correct)



"Lady Pilot" wrote:
His confrontation with political correctness began on Feb. 18, when the
school newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, reprinted a column by anti-gun
zealot
Joni Kletter. Kletter stated that current gun laws allow "criminals,
youth,
and the mentally disabled to quickly and easily kill as many random people
as they want."

In a letter to the editor, Deming replied, "I just want to point out that
Kletter's 'easy access' to a vagina enables her to 'quickly and easily'
have
sex with 'as many random people' as she wants." Referring to Kletter's
"unregistered vagina" which could spread disease, Deming expressed the
hope
that she was "as responsible with her equipment as most gun owners are
with
theirs."

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

Of Handguns and Talking Vaginas
by Wendy McElroy

It's crap like this situation that just destroys any validity to the =
feminist point of view. And then on the other hand, we have Donald =
Trumop rewarding the use of sex in corporate gamesmanship by approving =
the "business" techniques used by the women on "The Apprentice". It =
would be very nice if mankind as a whole would just grow up.
--=20
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

Proposed new changes to HAM licensing
 

Did he see your vagina?

"Lady Pilot" wrote in message
news:CkiVb.19754$EW.8063@okepread02...
I just wanted to point out that I was with and helped Professor Deming
during this time on his right to "free speech". I made an effort to talk
to
the staff on his behalf, and I believe I made a marvelous difference.

LP (at least I hope I made a difference, which proves to be correct)



"Lady Pilot" wrote:
His confrontation with political correctness began on Feb. 18, when the
school newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, reprinted a column by anti-gun
zealot
Joni Kletter. Kletter stated that current gun laws allow "criminals,
youth,
and the mentally disabled to quickly and easily kill as many random
people
as they want."

In a letter to the editor, Deming replied, "I just want to point out
that
Kletter's 'easy access' to a vagina enables her to 'quickly and easily'
have
sex with 'as many random people' as she wants." Referring to Kletter's
"unregistered vagina" which could spread disease, Deming expressed the
hope
that she was "as responsible with her equipment as most gun owners are
with
theirs."