[SECC] W5XX on the ARRL License Restructuring Plan

[Robin Gist]

>You would put Novices on 3.675-3.725 MHz, running phone? When I, as a 20
>wpm extra, cannot operate phone there?

not at all, bill.  anyone could operate there after a proper change.  i
think i stated that earlier.

>>This was a convincing argument right up until the CB slang part. The CB
>>craze is long since dead, having died out almost two decades ago.
>
>the craze might be dead, but CB isn't.  tune around 27 mhz anytime.  it's
>all 'wall-to-wall and treetop tall'.  not saying that the above would
happen
>on 3.9 mhz, but...

>I've tuned throught this segment in recent years. It's NOTHING like it
>was back in the late 70s. Of course, neither are the ham bands....

that's true, but it's still goin' pretty strong in places.  well, at least
around here, but this is a kinda 'truck 'n tobaccy' locale.  actually, i
tune in during the weekend nights for entertainment when nothing good is on
the history channel, bbc or pbs (but i am in alabama right now -- listening
to cb is kinda like watching jerry springer ;) ).

>I haven't heard significant activity in the Novice bands in over a
>decade. Back in the late 70s, it was moderately crowded. Today, you're
>lucky to find one or two signals during the week.

signficant might be the key.  i tuned across at least 10 or so signals
tonight, all at around the same time.  it seemed a little like it did in
1979, just a little less so.  i was actually surprised to still hear old cw
traffic nets going -- with quite a few check-ins.

>You gotta read the pamplet, it makes its own case. Go Google on "Your
>Novice Accent" and you'll find it.

i'll check it out.  seems like i was handed a copy by my elmer back 'in da
day', but not sure.

>>The problem was, the newcomers copied each other's bad habits,
>>reinforcing them rather than learning proper operating procedures from
>>more experienced operators. Making Novice ghettos was a huge mistake. The
>>Novice license might have been more successful, had Novices intermingled
>>with more experienced operators.
>
>>i disagree again.

>You can disagree all you want, but it is a fact. This phenomenon started
>from the moment the Novice bands were established.

hehehe, i guess i will still disagree, per my statement above (e.g,
upperclass ops used to come down into the novice bands pretty regularly, and
it made a difference).  i think it is up to us to go down there and help
'em.  also, i haven't seen any evidence of so-called 'bad habits' developed
as a novice means that it was a terminal condition.  its not herpes -- folks
do get over it.  that's why i was stating the importance of upperclass
operators coming down into the band and giving the novices a hand.  like i
said, the majority of my novice qso's came from upperclass hams.  and any
band that is so designated a 'novice band' was once something else.  look at
28.3-28.5 ssb.  it sure seems to get a lot of activity from all over the
board, and it used to be a CW band years ago.

>i have a logbook full of upperclass contacts from my
>novice days on 40 and 15.  in fact, i'd say the majority of my qso's were
>with upperclass licensees.  i would consider the novice program in the 70s
a
>huge success.

>In the 70s, yes. But I also remember that we had bad habits on the novice
>bands that weren't reflected in the other band segments when I upgraded
>to General.

absolutely, there were all sorts of bad habits in the novice bands.  such as
not asking if the frequency was in use before starting a CQ.  but i get that
at least 10-20 times in every contest from experienced ops as well.  but
most of us got over those bad habits, didn't we?  i think learning is all
about what being a novice is.  we can't just drop into the middle of the
band with a perfect fist and impeccable manners.  and it is partially the
responsibility of upperclass ops to drop in and help out.  we shouldn't be
so high-and-mighty that we can't go to our new neighbor's house and pay 'em
a visit every now and then.  maybe things changed drastically in the 80's,
but i was too busy with college to worry about it.

>watching the cluster, it looks like most dx on 75 hangs out around 3790+.
>and just because they upgrade doesn't mean they give up the space -- in
>fact, that would answer your issue about novices being left to themselves.

>So, you'd remove 50 kHz of digital communications bandwidth from 80m, 40m
>and 100 kHz from 15m? I'm sure there's a bunch of operators that will be
>very upset about that.

there's a bunch of operators upset about a lot of things these days.
however, the one place i regularly hear a lot of silence after 8:00 p.m. is
between 3650 and 3700.  use it or lose it, i say.  never said anything about
40m (which i'm still trying to figure out) and for 15m ssb, i would -- if
left up to me -- put 'em between 21350-21450, which we'd prolly agree on.
no affect on 15 cw/digital.  again, use it or lose it.

>and why not move them to the novice bands?  the novice bands have been
there
>all along and no one has complained about it so far.  keep the power limits
>down for any license class using that portion and let it rip.  by putting
>'em up on 3950, it is just asking for a turf-war based on license class.

>I suppose I give hams a lot more credit -- that they can work things into
>an amicable arrangement.

you know, i did as well.  then i logged onto QRZ.COM and couldn't believe
how folks were acting.  it was just downright disturbing.  not that i am
mister manners, goodie-two-shoes or anything (heh, if you only knew ;) ) but
i used to believe hams practically walked on water.  it kinda burst my
bubble seeing hams so disrespectful towards each other -- and not just about
the code/nocode thing.  i won't even go there anymore -- its just flat out
sad.

73/Robin/K4VU