[RTTY] ARRL BOD minutes published

[Peter Laws]

On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 2:55 PM, Mark n2qt <n2qt.va at gmail.com> wrote:
> The minutes from the recent Board of Directors meeting was just released. Key points
> of interest are below, the pending request for comments on the currently undisclosed
> band plan proposals and the creation of novice and technician data mode Privilidges
> on 15M.  There was no mention of RM-11708.

Leaving aside the RM-11708 fiasco, why on earth would anyone want to
*increase* Technician privileges?

The word "incentive" still excites some hams (fewer and fewer each
year given the demographics) but the fact is, we claim to have a
license system that rewards more study with more privileges.  And yet,
we keep bumping the privileges for Technicians (who, I should point
out, have all possible privileges above 50 MHz even control op of a
space station which used to be Amateur Extra only) and the same band
limits on 80, 40, 15, and 10 for CW as Generals (though at 200 W).

And now the League wants to give them more?  Listen, the General test
is not hard.  Just make people take it.

If you're tying to get rid of Novice license holders (the majority of
whom, I'm convinced are dead or inactive ... or both!) why increase
their privileges.  Hell, just administratively change all 12k
remaining Novices to Technician and be done with it.  In fact, have
the DBA flip all the 51k remaining Advanced class licensees to Amateur
Extra while he or she is in there messing with it.


I think we're past the point where we need to rethink the whole
license structure.




-- 
Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!