Latest report? on FCC "code" licenses/restructuring...

[Brian Carling]

Hey Sandy, there ain't going to be much of a torch to carry soon!

We better keep 'em glowing while we still can! I see a time soon when they
will move to ban AM and CW, or restrict the power and freq ranges for such
modes that we cherish!

Outrageous that you can now get an EXTRA with 5 wpm!

They didn't say what will become of Advanced ops. I wonder if they can get
themselves UPgraded to Extry or down-graded to General?! He he! What a
debacle!

It sounds like we could have Advanced guys with LESS privileges than the
new CODE-FREE (well 5 wpm lily-liver CW) Extries!! How outrageous!

The message is clear:  WE NO LONGER VALUE CW, but we will
TOLERATE it and pay LIP SERVICE with a 5 wpm test!

On 30 Dec 99, at 16:58, Sandy W5TVW wrote:

> This just came across for what it's worth!  Personally, I think
> it seals the fate of Amateur Radio as we have known it in the
> past!  Get ready for a real bunch of jerks on SSB now!
> (Digital too for that matter, especially the geeks that look down
> their digital noses
> at manual CW!)  You younger guys that like the code better carry
> the torch for
> all us "older farts" that are quickly dying off.
> 73,
> Sandy W5TVW
>
>
>
> Date: Thursday, December 30, 1999 3:43 PM
> Subject: FCC License Restructuring
>
>
> >
> >
> >This is hot off the CQ Magazine website.
> >
> >More than a year after it first proposed
> >     reducing the number of amateur license classes
> >     and asked hams for input on code speed
> >     requirements, the Federal Communications
> >     Commission (FCC) handed down its restructuring
> >     decision on the final business day of 1999. Here
> >     is a summary of changes, which are effective as
> >     of April 15, 2000: * There will be only three
> >     license classes, Technician, General, and
> >     Amateur Extra, with a single written exam
> >     element for each grade of license. * There will
> >     be only one code exam -- at 5 words per minute
> >     (wpm) -- for licenses with HF privileges
> >     (General and Extra). * No new Novice, Tech-Plus,
> >     or Advanced Class licenses will be issued after
> >     April 14. However, hams who now hold these
> >     licenses will retain all of their current
> >     operating privileges, and will be able to modify
> >     &/or renew their licenses indefinitely.
> >     Tech-Plus hams will be renewed as Technicians,
> >     but will retain their HF operating privileges. *
> >     There will be no "refarming" of the ham bands as
> >     proposed by the ARRL. This means that current
> >     Novice and Advanced Class subbands will remain
> >     as they are, so there will be no expansion of
> >     frequency privileges for any ham without passing
> >     an upgrade exam or showing credit for all
> >     necessary exam elements (more on this later).
> >     There will also be no changes in the callsign
> >     groups. * There will be no automatic upgrades,
> >     even for hams who qualify based on past credit.
> >     Even if no additional exams are required, a ham
> >     will have to apply for an upgrade at a VE
> >     (Volunteer Examination) session. * There will be
> >     only three written exam elements, one for each
> >     new class of license. Decisions on structuring
> >     the new exam elements will be made by the
> >     Volunteer Examiner Coordinators' Question Pool
> >     Committee (QPC), which will be given even
> >     greater authority in designing and administering
> >     amateur exams. * The much-abused disability
> >     waiver for 13- and 20-wpm code tests is
> >     eliminated (since there will no longer be any
> >     13- or 20-wpm code tests) * The changes will
> >     take effect on April 15, 2000. This will give
> >     the QPC time to create new exams, and will give
> >     publishers time to get new license manuals into
> >     print before the new structure is put into
> >     place. In addition, it will give tens of
> >     thousands of hams with partial credit toward one
> >     of the new license classes the opportunity to
> >     pass the remaining element(s) before the new
> >     tests begin, possibly requiring re-examination
> >     on certain topics. The full text of the Report
> >     and Order will be posted here as soon as we get
> >     it.
> >
> >
>
>
>