"Glenn Ashmore" wrote

Doug Dotson wrote:
..... Personally, I think the code should stay.

I am a bit worried about the bands going the way of CB ... I would like
to see
the writtens get a lot tougher ....

It's inevatable because of technology. One had to know Morse to be a ham
"back when", not because of FCC rules but because it was the only reliable
way to communicate. The rules merely reflected that technical reality. That
is no longer true today so requiring Morse makes about as much sense as
requiring visitors to Yellowstone Park to demo proficiency with flint and
steel before being allowed to see Old Faithful.

The same goes for the electronic part of the written tests. It was essential
for hams to know enough to stay out of trouble when everybody built their
own rigs, but that day is long gone. Everybody is an "appliance ham" because
it is too expensive to home brew. This means that written tests should
emphasize good operating techniques which means a lot of rote memorization.
You don't "understand" band limits in the same way we had to "understand"
how vacuum tubes and transistors worked - you just memorize them. In a way,
that makes the tests harder. I didn't need to study before aceing my
general exam 'cuz I could already draw Hartley and Colpitts oscillators but
I'll have to hit the books to pass my Extra cuz it's all memorization.

73, K3DWW