[RTTY] ARRL BOD minutes published

[Peter Laws]

On Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 10:50 PM, Bill Turner <dezrat at outlook.com> wrote:

> The bureaucracy loves complexity. It loves many layers of licensing
> and different rules for the different layers. It gives them something
> to do and justifies their existence.

That's not been their history.  Now, the FCC screwed up in 1991
because they simply deleted the Morse requirement for Technician.  It
took about a month for someone to say "Um, OK, but if I pass the code
what am I then?"  Long pause.  "Uh, you're a Technician with HF
privileges."  "Will it say that on the license?"  "Ah, well, no.
Just, uh, keep your CSCE with you that shows you passed Morse, OK?  We
done?"  "Great!  What happens when my CSCE expires in 365 days like it
says right on it?"  "Oh, you damn hams and your damn problems!"  And
lo, the Technician Plus was created.

So in that instance, when they accidentally created a 6th class, yeah,
bureaucracy.  Since then, though, they've legitimately tried to reduce
the number of classes.  In 2000, they thought made it 3 but again with
the Tech Plus so 4.  Their mistake was allowing the Novices and
Advanceds to keep renewing.  They should have rolled them both in to
the next higher bin.  At least when the dropped the code entirely in
'07 they rolled all the Tech Pluses in Technician.

I also think we need to go back to an actual entry level license with
a FEW privileges in each band ... you know, like the old Novice before
2000.  And then have a General test that actually challenges
candidates.  If you're a VE you know:  if someone aces the Tech test,
which *many* do, then there is a good chance they'll pass the General
as well.  It's happened at least 10 times in the 6 or 7 years I've
been running sessions and a few more before that (when I wasn't dumb
enough to be a team liaison).

But that's *really* not going to happen.  Every time a new question
pool comes out the questions get worse, to wit:



T1A02 (C) [97.1] What agency regulates and enforces the rules for the
Amateur Radio Service in the United States?

A. FEMA

B. The ITU

C. The FCC

D. Homeland Security


Answering questions like that qualify you to set up a 1500 W repeater on 2m.



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