I am one ham who could never legitimately earn an Extra Class license
because I could not master such advanced material. MIT made a huge mistake
when it admitted me to its Freshman Class in 1950 and we both agreed
quickly I was in the wrong place. (I ended up graduating elsewhere with a
B.A. degree heavy in philosophy.) So my choice as a Novice since 1999 has
been either to cram/memorize answers to a bunch of questions, a la the item
in the ARRL's April 20 Bulletin, or forego the honor. I have chosen the
latter, because it would make me uncomfortable to receive a ticket knowing
I obtained it under false pretenses. (The General Class is probably doable
for me, but I am talking about the Extra Class.)
Oddly, code has never been a problem (my deceased father started out as a
railroad telegrapher) and I could easily pass a 13 or 20 wpm test if that
were still a requirement.
So rather than cram/memorize for a higher-level license I used my spare
time in 2001 pestering the FCC to grant somewhat more meaningful HF
frequency privileges for entry-level licensees. Along came the ARRL in
March 2002 to propose "refarming" the Novice HF frequencies and in so doing
granting even broader HF CW privileges for entry-level licensees than I had
proposed. My petition (RM-10354) was roundly criticized by 99% of the 35 or
so hams responding. The ARRL's petition, with its broader grant of
authority, seems to be getting about a 50-50 response so far (it was posted
by the FCC earlier this week).
My impression is that most Ten-Tec owners may be (or should be) CW mavens.
If so, you might want to give the FCC web site a look since expanded CW
privileges for electrical/mathematical ignoramuses like me are at the heart
of what the ARRL is proposing (with a gesture toward a little more HF SSB
expansion). So I find myself rooting for the League and, in so doing,
against the strongly-held opinions of many, many veteran hams.
73,
John, W3ULS
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