Computerworld just published an article, “12 predictions for the future of programming.” Future of programming prediction No. 10: Dumbing it down will fail is the one that caught my eye. It reads:
For the past 50 years, programmers have tried to make it easy for people to learn programming, and for 50 years they’ve succeeded — but only at teaching the most basic tasks. Ninety-five percent of the world may be able to figure out if-then-else structures, but that’s not the same thing as being a programmer.
I think that the same thing is true of amateur radio. We’ve dumbed down the Tech exam to allow more people to enter the hobby. I think that’s OK. We need a way to get people interested in amateur radio, and there is a place for operators who only want to do the very simple things like get an HT and talk through repeaters. “Real ham radio,” though, is about learning how circuits work and how to build your own antennas and, increasingly, how to program digital signal processing algorithms. That’s hard stuff, but there’s no way around that. We need to encourage people to acquire this knowledge and skills.
For me, this means is that while I’m OK with the Tech license being relatively easy to get, perhaps the General and Extra Class tickets should be harder to get. Maybe we should expect more from Generals and Extras. We should expect them to really know stuff.
I’m not saying that we should be hovering over them, ready to pounce on them the minute they say something stupid. It is still just a hobby, after all, and we can’t expect amateur radio licensees to be electronics engineers. We can, however, create an environment that values learning and encourages people to ask good questions so that they can get better at being radio amateurs.
I know that this is only a partly-baked idea, but I think we need to move in this direction. Not only that, it’s up to us old-timers (old farts?) to set the tone and lead the way. What do you think?
Grant Henninger (KJ6ZZD) says
I see licencing completely differently than what you’re recommending. Licences should simply ensure that people aren’t going to hurt themselves or interfere with others. The real learning in ham radio comes after you’re licensed. You learn about circuits as you’re building your first kit radio, not before. You learn about propagation once you have your General ticket and are trying to get on HF, not before. You learn about SDR as you’re trying to get one working, not before.
I agree with you that hams should celebrate a lifetime of learning and figuring out those hard things within the hobby. But those things are learned as they are being done, and you need a license before you can do them.
Dan KB6NU says
I agree with you, Grant, and that’s what the Tech license is all about. I’ve said as much in this post. Techs do have some HF privileges and can even learn about SDR with their operating privileges. I’m really not for artificially restricting people from doing things in amateur radio, but wouldn’t you agree that there are some basic things that you should expect a General Class licensee to know?
Jim Myers says
So, you think that knowing how to program digital signal processing algorithms should a prerequisite to a General or Amateur Extra class license? You do realize that 99% of the general population as well as current ham radio licensees, including the “old-timers” would not be able to meet that requirement, don’t you?
I postulate that you have no knowledge whatsoever as to the complexity of such programming. I’ll make you a deal – we both take a test on DSP programming, perhaps we should each have one day to create a MotoTrbo or P25 Phase 2 or D-Star DSP based decoder from scratch – that should be an adequate test of one’s ability to operate a ham radio – and the loser gives up their ham license for the rest of their life and donates all their equipment to a school ham radio club. In other words, I’m willing to put my ham radio future and high 5-figure equipment investment on the line, are you willing to do the same to back up your insane suggestion? Unless, of course, you feel that YOU should not have to meet the same requirements that you want to force on the rest of the world.
I am very disheartened when people want to force requirements on others that they could not possibly meet themselves. Your blog is normally very good, but when you start suggesting that someone should know how to do DSP programming to get a General or Amateur Extra license you lose all credibility.
Your suggestions would be the surest way to destroy the future of ham radio, is that your unstated goal?
Dan KB6NU says
You obviously read a lot more into my post than what I intended. I never said that someone should be required to program a DSP algorithm to get an amateur radio license. What I did say is that “It is still just a hobby, after all, and we can’t expect amateur radio licensees to be electronics engineers. We can, however, create an environment that values learning and encourages people to ask good questions so that they can get better at being radio amateurs.”
Perhaps my use of the term “real ham radio” set you off. If so, I apologize for using it. As anyone who knows me will tell you I view anyone who has an amateur radio license as a “real ham,” and I’m always ready to help people learn new things and have more fun with amateur radio.
I do stand by my statement that we should expect more from General Class and Extra Class licensees, though. Don’t construe that to mean that I think that the tests should be made so difficult that no one could pass them. That’s just silly.
What that “more” is, I don’t know exactly. I did say this was just a partly-baked idea. I do know that if hams ask me for help in being “more” or doing “more,” then I try to help them as best I can. I’m only human after all.
Frank WA8WHP says
I agree Dan. Last night, at our monthly meeting, we tried out a form of jeopardy as our program. The winner by a big margin was the latest student to get his license using your No-Nonsense Tech study guide. We had a General class of 20 years, a General class of 5 years and a new student. I was gratified my student did so well, but I was rather embarrassed by the lack of basic knowledge among the old timers.
Thanks for a great educational asset. We start another class session next week. Maybe I can talk some old-timers into a refresher session.
PissedOffVeteran says
Well I’m an old timer. I have and have maintained an Advanced Class Amateur license since 1968. Long story how I got there. Short version military, “Vietnam” Contract working developing nuklear war head re-entry vehicles etc, I let my license from1958 expire and had to retest. I just happened to be in the Post Office in Honolulu and noticed sign said FCC district ### upstairs. I ran up stais and asked when do you give the tests. NOW was the answer. I sat down to do the General class. As I was taking the test the district engineer walked in asked what you taking. I was the only customer in the building. I told him and he asked a few questions and told me I qualified to take the Extra Class if I wanted to. Said if I failed it but got grade high enough it would be down graded to Advanced. I chose to take the test but I reneged on the code test because I was being stupid. So due to 20wpm requirement of Extra I got the Advanced with 13wpm.
I refused the code test as I intended to get my Commercial Radio Telegraph which requires 20wpm also and could be used to qualify for the Extra Class Amateur. Silly of me as I am faster than 20wpm or was. But what it is, is what it is.
So I now refuse the Extra Class out of pride. They have dummed it down to no code. I hate that.
Sure I can pass the test. I hold a Commercial Radio General Cllass with a Ships Radar endorsement. So amateur extra is sort of a breeze compared to Commercial. But since I just renew my Advanced a year ago I will keep it. I know Advanced has been discontinued but I like it because it confuses new people and I tell them since it is no more and when you got it you had to do 13wpm it prooves without siting down at a receiver and key to prove I can do code. I’m proud of it and hate it they took it out of the requirements.
Don’t want to hear about digital replacing it.
If it all goes to hell tomorrow I can build a CW transmitter with junk. A simple regenerative receiver almost as simple. When it hits the fan where you gonna get a TNA for your favorite digital mode.
Also the only digital mode I have experience with is AX-25 and good as it is it is very noise sensitive and I can copy code through noise that kills AX-25. Did a bet on that one in 1984 and won.
And on voluntary licensing. I said it would cause problems with cheating. I did a job in Wasa, WI a few years back. Went to the Holiday Inn late that night and could not sleep. So went to the bar for a beer to help sleep. Had an ICOM two meter with me in my coat pocket. Put the coat on back of chair and it was very slick so the ICOM just dragged it off to the floor. I took it out, laid it on the bar. Girl came, took my order and then came back and asked me, (sic)” is that a ham radio?” I said if you mean is it amateur radio the answer is yes then.
She informed me she is a (sic) ham too. Then asked,(sic) “what channel do you ride?” I asked he if she meant the repeaater pair in the area by quoting the frequency pair. She then told me she didn’t know any of those number things but she uses the “repeater clubs name” there. Said, “my husband puts all that in my radio so all I have to do is use the channels on the knobs.
That was my very first encounter with a volunteer examiner and proved my fears. We just sold out to the CB creeps.
I’ll take my Extra Class when they rquire 20wpm for everyone get the license. Until then I proudly keep m grand fathered in Advanced license.
Due to the none sense on HF brought here by this foolish move of volunteer examiners, I now only operate the CW modes and not very often. Still copy about 85% on code tests at 25wpm. Use an old Vibroplex keyer. Not electronic, mechanical.
Fred W8ZLK says
Be careful what you wish for. The FCC may require re-examination for license renewal, including some new, sophisticated questions that many old timers may not
know, such as digital signal processing and microwave technology.
Jim Myers KD7EIR says
I basically agree with Fred W8ZLK – If the FCC makes the license test harder, then all current licensees should have to re-test within 30 days and pass the current exam to maintain their license.
Bob, KG6AF says
Exam syllabus and difficulty isn’t determined by the FCC, at least not under existing regulations.
Take a look at 97.503 and 97.523, and you’ll see that the exam syllabus is pretty much up to the the VECs. The FCC stipulates that (a) a written examination must be such as to prove that the examinee possesses the operational and technical qualifications required to perform properly the duties of an amateur service licensee, (b) each exam must ask questions concerning the privileges of the license class in question, and (c) the question pool must be open, common to all VECs, and contain at least ten times the number of questions in a given test (i.e., 350 for Tech and General, 500 for Extra).
Amazingly, that’s about all they say. The rest is up to the VECs, which, acting collectively through the NCVEC, create the question pools.
If you think the tests are too easy, or too hard, write to NCVEC officials (see ncvec.org) and tell them so. If you have ideas for a different syllabus, same thing. Better yet, form a group of amateurs who can develop syllabi and the question pools for them. If I were on the NCVEC, seeing a finished product (or something close to it) that represented the inputs of lots of amateurs would impress me a more than random suggestions from individual hams.
If it were up to me, I’d keep the syllabus the same and increase the number of questions per pool, to eliminate learning the pool through rote memorization. I’d also get rid of low-value questions. For example, instead of asking the candidate to memorize band allocations for their license class, I’d give them a band allocation chart and confirm they can determine their license class’s frequency allocations from it. Similarly, I don’t much care if an Extra Class candidate has memorized the phrase “resistance circles and reactance arcs” for the Smith Chart question, but it would be interesting to show you can read a Smith Chart to determine the impedance seen at the end of, say, a 3/16-wavelength coax terminated in a certain impedance. In each of these examples, we’re trading off rote memorization for demonstration of a skill.
Unfortunately, I’m as lazy as everyone else, so I haven’t submitted my ideas.
PissedOffVeteran says
I totally agree with you. To be a complete turd though I really would prefer that they completely revert to testing at an FCC regional office with an FCC engineer as I did. I think CW should be required for all classes except Novice “Does it even exlist?” or Technician. General and up should go back to CW required. Speed to be determined but at least ten wpm. Extra Class now is a total disgusting joke!
My experience with the VE system is exactly what I predicted. It’s full of people who either juet cheated with a husband/wife or friend to get the license to use a local repeater to be better than the Cry Baby band or what ever. More so it pisses me off to know some ve are taking money to cheat you a license. The very first newly licensed person I ran across was so obviously a cheat I wanted to hit someone.
I was in Wasau WI. Working on a job for the Technical College when I was not able to sleep so waided through snow to get to the Holiday Inn bar for a couple beers to help. I had brought my hand held Two Meter radio to the job as the local tech for the school requesd I bring it. When I got to the bar to order I hung my very slick wind proof jacket on the stool next to me. It fell off due to the radio on the pocket. An old IC2 02AT I belive. I still have it and it works fine.
I put it on the bar so my jacket would stay put. The young lady who served me asked if it was a h ham radio. I said yes. She thne asked me, “WHAT CHANNEL DO YOU RIDE?” Uhhhhh what? I asked if she is a “HAM” a term I do not like and she said yes. Then I said are you talking about the “quote repeaater pair, example 34/83?” She said “Oh I don’t know all thar number stuff, my husband does that when he puts the channels in my radio! It really set me off as it was the first I had talked to and was exactly what I said it would bring us to.
I keep my ADVANCED License just because it shows “for those who know anything about licensing” that I took my test in front of an engineeer at a regional office, Honolulu to be exact, and that I did take the pretty slow test “13WPM” I will never as long as I can ever give it up nor take a test from a VE. I’ve met some and they are dumb as the cheater licensees are. If they can’t even tell me what Ohm’ s law is other than maybe telling me a simple formula like I=E/R I’m done with them. Long live the Advanced license. Yes it still lives as I renewed mine last year.
George N6TQD says
I earned my Novice license back in the 80’s when we had to learn the 5WPM code and then take the written exam. The same with the Tech and then the 13WPM for General. When I took the Extra exam, the 20WPM code was a thing of the past, as was the Advanced ticket. I became inactive for a number of years and recently, within the past year, started to review so I wouldn’t appear too ignorant when I returned to the air. I was amazed how much more advanced both the Tech/General information was. Some I had forgotten, but a lot I never knew. I could not pass the General exam now, and I wonder how many other hams are like me (My pride says I will pass/understand both the General and Extra again, plus the 20WPM code, but what an embarrassment it is). I knew the material at the time, but with the digital/computer modes coming on, I was just left behind in the dust. I never kept up with the advances in ham radio. You can’t stay passive.
Like computers, there are many facets of ham radio. Some want to just have QSO’s with DXing and others may want to get into the guts of home brewing. I really can’t understand where people are talking computer to computer and calling it ham radio. What if there were two tests. One for those that just want to talk and the other for the ones who want to really know the workings of ham radio.
I don’t think it as dumbing down, but more of the ever advancing change of technology. At the time we knew it, but then it fast tracked away from us so fast that it left us ignorant.
My humble opinion,
George, N6TQD
Ezara KC9YQD says
I’m mixed about this one. I support what KJ6ZZD has to say and feel that the knowledge one must learn to get their licenses is crucial for safety and understanding the FCC rules and regulations. Dumbing down all of the license classes to get more people into the hobby is a bad idea though
I’ve always been fascinated by electronics and decided to get into Ham radio. I sat for, and passed, my Technician and General licensure on April 1, 2013. Since then, my interest in electronics has exploded and I want to do more with amateur radio. Studying for my Amateur Extra is opening my eyes to some new things. This one isn’t an “easy-peasy” exam and for anyone who is truly interested in the hobby and in electronics, they will put forth the effort necessary to earn their Extra ticket.
Aeroengineer1 says
I wanted to post on this topic as a person that is not a HAM licensee. I have not yet gone after my HAM license because I see this not quite necessary for what I am currently doing. There are two main reasons that I have not yet gone after my license. The first reason relates to what would be gained from it. One of the benefits is the community of license holders. There is a prebuilt community that is exploring radio. Unfortunately, because I am looking for information about digital radio as well as the SMT electronics that support it, there is very few in the community that seem to have this type of understanding. Because of this, they would not be able to provide the mentorship that I am looking for. The more vocal parts of the HAM community that I see are more about operating their equipment for voice transmission and less about understanding and pushing forward RF advancement. I am glad that this community is fulfilling that need, it is just not inline with what I am looking for.
The second reason that I have not gone after my license is that there is no need for it yet. I plan on making receivers for my 75MHz RC transmitter, and potentially a 2.4GHz multiprotocol transceiver in the unlicensed band. As I understand it, if I make only 5 transmission devices with the best engineering care, a license will not be required (I have already confirmed that I do not need a license to build the receiver I want to build). I do have one area that may require a license in that I would like to make a small RX/TX pair to operate in the ~100-200kHz range for RC submarine operation in salt water. This is an area where I may need to get a license so that I could get a waiver to operate in those frequencies.
In the end it sums up to this. I would love to see requirements like this get into the tests. It would once again bring into the equation people that have a desire to increase their technical knowhow in current technologies. These people would then be available to mentor others that have an interest in learning these technologies. It may also increase interest in promoting once again the technical aspects of radio as opposed to just the usage aspect. I mean no offense to those that enjoy the hobby for voice communications. I too hope that they continue to enjoy and have a path to express their support for usage of the airwaves for amateur usage.
K3NG says
While we in amateur radio debate testing requirements, argue about what is real radio, and agonize who knows what operating modes, people in the Maker community are just _doing_. They hack and build stuff and new people coming into the community build stuff they see that interests them. We need to stop focusing on barriers to entry and yardsticks to measure who knows what, and just focusing on doing things. It’s that simple. We also need to remove “dumbing down” from our vocabulary.
Dan KB6NU says
Point taken, and I think that’s what I’m trying to get to when I say, “create an environment that values learning and encourages people to ask good questions so that they can get better at being radio amateurs.”
Here in Ann Arbor, we have a thriving maker community. There is a “club” called GO-Tech that meets every second Tuesday of the month. I say “club,” but there are no dues and no officers and no boring club business to attend to. They just meet and talk about their projects. They get 50-100 people to attend these meetings.
To put it in the context of this discussion, they don’t “dumb things down” at all. Each project is what it is, and technical excellence and creativity is highly valued, and everyone is more than willing to share.
Thanks for your comment.
Bob K0NR says
Dan,
I agree with K3NG, let’s lose the “dumbing down” phrase as it serves no purpose than to piss people off. Let’s also add “real ham radio” to the not-helpful list of phrases. Ham radio has always embraced a wide range of interests.
Jim Myers,
I think you misinterpreted or over-interpreted Dan’s point. In case you aren’t aware, Dan is one of those hams that has spent a ton of energy helping new hams get started in the hobby. He is not one of those guys that looks to put barriers in place for other people.
To me, Dan’s post essentially raises the question of “what is the purpose of having licensing and associated exams?” I think it is to require a minimal standard of knowledge for a particular license class. The key word is “minimum”. And, yes, the exam process, with a published pool of questions, has a number of problems, but it’s the process we have to work with.
Should the General and Extra exams have questions relating to DSP and SDR? Sure, because these are technologies used in amateur radio. Should we expect a ham to be able to design a D-STAR decoder from scratch? Well, that is a silly question. The General question pool already has a few very basic questions related to DSP, so it becomes a question of how many questions and how difficult they should be. Don’t forget that the exams cover a lot of ground, including operating procedures and rules/reqs. There’s a tendency to try to load too much into the exam process and have it become the key driver for increased learning.
I think the place to focus our energy is (as Dan wrote) to “create an environment that values learning” and that includes non-technical topics such as developing new operating skills.
73, Bob K0NR
Robert-KB6QXM says
All,
I believe that the dumbing down of amateur radio is a part of a society shift from hard work of previous generations (Silent, Baby boomers) and focus to the instant gratification(Some Gen-X and mostly all millennials). I also believe that the US amateur radio licensing and dumbing down is also partly to blame from the ARRL. I understand that it is simply a survival move, as the percentage of US hams being ARRL members is less than 25%. I also believe that equipment manufacturer’s have a hand in it. Simple Return on Investment for the engineering, operations supporting amateur radio gear.
The culture has also shifted. I can remember a time that if you mentioned that you were an amateur radio operator, you were thought to have a lot of knowledge. This has helped my career in the past here in the Silicon Valley. Now people ask questions like “do people still do that?” Also with the intrusive county governments, CC&R’s and HOAs, it makes it that much more difficult for someone new to setup a station unless all they are interested in doing is to have a station on their belt or to do mobile.
With amount of initial investment of time, expense and testing, I do not see that many young instant gratification millennials getting into the hobby. As the baby boomer and gen-x generation hams starting to die off, I do not see a rosy picture for amateur radio in 30 years.
Bruce Blain, K1BG says
Dan,
You know how I feel about this. We have in no way dumbed down the entry level license. Over the years we have made it more difficult to enter the hobby. May I say FAR more difficult.
The point of an entry level license is to effectively “bait the hook”, and let the person who takes the bite become obsessed with the hobby. For numerous generations of US hams, that was exactly the purpose of the novice license, and it worked. And it worked well, particularly with young people. Once obsessed, there is no knowledge, no exam, and no challenge that the obsessed person won’t attempt (a non-renewable license was even more incentive). But if you make that first rung on the ladder too difficult or too intimidating – the potential entry level ham’s interest will go elsewhere. And these days there are a lot of options.
I’ve done research on this. When I have a discussion with many of those clamoring for higher technical requirements, they conveniently forget that they started out as teenagers (or younger) with a novice license. I remind them that the original novice license (in 1951) consisted of 20 questions, administered by a general class or higher licensee. The entire question pool in 1951 was 28 questions! And it was very simple and basic. Simple operating procedures and safety. Ohms law was not one of the questions in 1951 (it was added later). It wasn’t the “hard stuff” you talk about.
As the novice question pool grew, and as the difficulty increased, the number of people taking their novice (particularly young people) declined. To the point where the technician license was perceived to be no more difficult than the novice. Young people go elsewhere for their interests, and so goes their passion, their curiosity, their ability to learn, and their tendency to chose a career in a field that they are passionate about. We are left with older people entering the hobby (which there is nothing wrong with per se), who have already chosen career paths and who are move likely to view amateur radio as an interest rather than a life long obsession.
So that’s my opinion. It hasn’t been a case of “dumbing it down” that has failed. Raising the bar is what has failed.
Bill Goswick, K5WG says
Dumbing Down the Amateur Radio License Classes
In 2000 the FCC (with the backing of the ARRL) eliminated the Advanced class, Novice class and Technician Plus class licenses, and set the Morse code requirement at a mere 5 words per minute for all license classes, without ever providing an adequate explanation of why they thought that drastic step was necessary. A sad day, indeed. Thousands of amateurs submitted heartfelt comments against the proposal, but it was implemented anyway. Amazingly, even that was not enough for the FCC, which, in its infinite wisdom (again with the backing of the ARRL), decided to eliminate the Morse code requirement completely for all amateur radio licenses on 15 December 2006, again, without providing an adequate explanation justifying the need for such a drastic change.
Logically, the Amateur Extra class license should have been reduced to an Advanced class license when the Morse code requirement was changed to 5 WPM, and if not then, for sure when the Morse code requirement was dropped completely, in the interest of fairness, and to reflect the substantial reduction in requirements for obtaining the so-called “Amateur Extra Class license.” It is absolutely ridiculous that amateurs can (since 15 December 2006) obtain an “Amateur Extra class license” without demonstrating Morse code proficiency of any kind, while thousands of amateurs (myself included) were required to pass a 20 word per minute Morse code receiving test in addition to the radio theory and regulations portion of the exam to obtain their Amateur Extra class licenses. It remains to this day absolutely amazing that such an ill-conceived and illogical plan was ever proposed, let alone implemented.
Of course, eliminating the code part of the exam wasn’t the end of the dumbing down process implemented by the FCC with the full backing of the ARRL. For the past several years, amateur license test question pools have been made available, allowing young kids and other people who are too lazy to actually learn and understand the material covered in the amateur radio license examinations, to just memorize most of the answers to the 500 questions in the test pool for a specific license. Did the FCC and the ARRL ever stop to consider what the long-range consequences of the dumbing down process could be? I seriously doubt it. Have you noticed the substantial increase in rude, obnoxious and deliberate interference behavior over the years? I certainly have. The last time I heard a rare DXpedition on the air, there were U.S. amateurs deliberately jamming on both the DX station’s transmitting frequency and his listening frequency! Of course, we can blame part of that on changing values and morals in society, but we can also atttribute a large part of the blame on the FCC’s dumbing down process regarding amateur radio licensing. A license earned with minimal investment of time, energey, determination and study will not tend be highly valued by the recipient. Therefore, the threat of losing that license if caught engaging in prohibited behavior, carries less impact.
I understand that amateur radio has to attract new members to survive, and we are competing with other attractions including computers and social media. We probably do need to have an entry-level license that is easily obtainable. But why in the world do the higher-level licenses need to be just as easy to obtain? Logically, the General and Extra class licenses should be significantly more difficult to obtain than the entry-level license for amateur radio. If that were the case, then license recipients would probably tend to value the license more and be less likely to engage in behavior that could result in the loss of the license. I am somewhat OK with the entry-level license being easy to obtain, however, I strongly feel that the two higher level licenses should have a significantly higher level of difficulty. Specifically, the test question pools should be eliminated for the General and Extra Class licenses, and a twenty word per minute code exam reinstated for the Extra Class license. Like Dan, I feel we should expect more from General and Extra Class licensees. I know it will probably never happen, but if the FCC is really interested in addressing some of the serious problems impacting amateur radio at this time, they should consider it. The direction they have taken over the past sixteen years certainly hasn’t been highly successful.
Trevor Jacobs - K6ESE says
Well Bill, it goes way beyond Amateur Radio. It is part of the social engineering of our society – the dumbing down, and de-industrialization of our country. People in general may know how to operate these new appliance like gizmos (cellular devices, computers etc.), but they can’t critically think about anything, and their language skills are pathetic. Take a look around – everything is made in China. Go find a book published in the 1970s entitled ‘Mankind at the Turning Point – The Second Report to the Club of Rome’. It spells it all out – and it has all happened. What you see unfolding today has been in the works for longer than any of us have been alive. Do some research on the Prussian style of education which our school systems are all based on. It’s brainwashing and indoctrination into a mindset, not education. When you want to change the way things are in society, you take control of the education and within a few generations you can change things to the way you want them. We’re heading towards a high tech feudalistic totalitarian world – a new dark ages – where people are so engrossed by the entertainment around them that they don’t really notice what’s going on. We’re the frogs in the pot of water that they are heating up slowly.
What you’re seeing in Amateur Radio is just a symptom of the bigger picture, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. God help us all…
Jeffrey Hanning says
I wouldn’t necessarily say the Tech license is too easy to get. I couldn’t do it. A couple of years ago I decided I wanted a CB in my new truck for the purpose of traffic monitoring. I dug out my grandfather old SBE and found it would not transmit and it wouldn’t receive. The lights would come on, but that was about it. There is a local guy that repairs radios out of his house, so I took it in. When I picked it up, good as new, he was showing me some of the other equipment he had. I thought an amateur license might be interesting to pursue. Internet research ensued and I read about how easy it was so I ordered a study guide. Then reality hit…. I got to this topic in the first chapter “The period of the cycle (represented by capital T) is its duration. The reciprocal of the period, 1/T, is the signal’s frequency” and I couldn’t comprehend that at all. So I threw the study guide in the garage sale box and I quit. People told me about just memorizing the questions and I would do fine, but I really wanted to understand. So, sometimes the material does weed out the truly stupid sometimes.
Dan KB6NU says
Jeff, I don’t think that you’re “truly stupid.” You just need some help learning the material. If you ever want to give it another go, get my study guide, and ask me some questions. Another way to go about it would be to look for classes in your area. Go to arrl.org for more information about that.
Walter Underwood K6WRU says
Every licensed ham has been in exactly that position at one point, staring at the page and wondering what it means.
Griz says
It is extremely disappointing that amateur radio is no longer respected as a technical hobby. The FCC has discontinued utilizing valid testing as a vital component of the licensing process. There is not even marginal weeding out of poorly prepared applicants. We no longer have a Morse code test, or even a valid written test without published answers to be memorized by the uninformed. The current system does not foster respect for the efforts of those that went before us, nor for the amateur radio hobby in general. For the entitled, an amateur radio license is now virtually considered a right, after jumping through a few extremely minor requirements. The present testing system is an absolute farce. It is not conducive to fostering respect, a sense of fraternity, or any of the other positive intangible qualities that previously bound us together. Calling the top level amateur radio license an “Extra Class” license is beyond ridiculous. It should be changed to “General Plus” instead. Even that name is inappropriate under the extensively dumbed down system presently being utilized.