If you listen to the ARRL, the National VEC, or No Code International, we haven't "dumbed down" the Amateur Radio licensing process here in the United States at all. No way, Jose! All they've done is make it easier for all those who were confounded by that nasty ol' Morse Code, to get their rightfully deserved Amateur Radio licenses. No Morse Code - just memorize a bunch of answers from a book - pay your test fee and you too can have a "genuine" FCC issued Amateur Radio license. No muss, no fuss, no sweat, no worry.
Now all us curmudgeons, "Old Farts", and other malcontents who feel otherwise and have been brave enough to speak out on what we feel is the truth have been marginalized, ostracized, and have been made to feel like bigots and "kill joys". We just want an "Old Boys Club - we don't want to let in any "fresh blood". We're dinosaurs who don't realize that "the times they are a changin' ". We're supposed to be happy with what's happened to the standards over the years and we're supposed to "just get over it", go in the corner, shut up or just plain go away!
Well lookee here what's been reported in the new issue of CQ Magazine; and this ain't no April Fools joke, either ..... this was found in the "Ham Radio News" section:
CEPT Pulls Automatic Reciprocity from U.S. General, Technicians
The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Authorities (CEPT) has withdrawn automatic license reciprocity from U.S. hams holding General or Technician Class licenses. According to the Radio Society of Great Britain, the CEPT's Radio Regulatory Working Group compared U.S. licensing standards against those of other CEPT signatory nations and determined that "the recently revised standards for Technician and General no longer have any equivalent in the European community of Nations." Thus, according to RSGB, as of February 4, 2008, U.S. Generals and Technicians will have to formally apply for a reciprocal license before being permitted to operate in a CEPT country. Holders of Advanced and Extra Class licenses still have automatic reciprocity".
Geez, Louise! Me thinks that someone else sees our licensing standards for what they are becoming - an embarrassment! God help us when the new pool of Extra Class exam questions are released this summer.
73 de Larry W2LJ
Let's see - The CEPT has consolidated all their license classes into one which is now supposedly equivalent only to our Advanced or Extra classes. They've eliminated code and their applicants must answer only 16 written questions, only four of which pertain to electronics theory. One can get half of all the questions wrong and still get a license! And who's dumbed down here?!
ReplyDeleteWhat makes me mad as hell is the fact that I have been a licensed General Class operator since 1981. Took the test at a Fed building with an FCC guy up front and a 13 WPM code test and a written exam more difficult than the one given today. Yet, I am dumped into the so-called dumbed down generation because I have a General Class ticket, twenty-five plus years non-withstanding.
ReplyDeleteI was advised by a west-european to bring proof of the date my General Class was issued as it could make a difference when operating in Europe.