QRP in Novice sub-bands

[k6dgw]

N2EY wrote:

 > The NPRM also seems to me to be saying that FCC's vision of the
 > future is that Techs will be all VHF/UHF, Generals will have most
 > privileges, and Extras will have it all.

Life really is like a circle, no?  In the very early 50's for HF we had
General, Advanced (if you wanted to work 20 and 75 phone), and Extra ...
plus the Techs who cared only about VHF/UHF/uWave and had been around
for quite awhile.  FM hadn't been invented (well, OK, it had but the
SCR-522 was an AM rig).  Then came the novice around '52 (wildly popular
despite lots of restrictions), and the Advanced went away sometime in
there, yielding just about what Jim describes above.  When I got my
Extra in '56, I don't remember gaining any new privileges.

Then, in the early 70's and not content with simplicity, we 'improved'
on this fairly simple and workable structure with incentive licensing,
billed variously as "critical to the future of amateur radio" by some
and "the end of western civilization as we know it" by others.  I do
know that it got quite complex, but being an Extra, I paid little if any
attention to the multitude of sub-bands (and since I didn't have an
amplifier, the power restrictions in them weren't a problem for me
either).  I still don't know where any of the sub-bands are without
looking at my ICOM chart on the corkboard.  I also don't know the
difference between a Tech and Tech+, but it appears that won't matter in
a few more years.

If there were to be a vote (and I knew my vote would be counted), I'd
vote for simplicity.  I never really did understand the value of all
those sub-bands anyway.  And now, we already have a growing class
structure of "20WPM Extras," "5WPM Extras," and "zeroWPM Extras."  I
don't think this bodes well for the fraternity.

73,

Fred K6DGW (ex KN6DGW)
Amateur Radio Operator
Auburn CA CM98lw

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[N2EY]

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Jensen <[hidden email]>
To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
Sent: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 11:22:59 -0700
Subject: [Elecraft] QRP in Novice sub-bands


>N2EY wrote:
 
>> The NPRM also seems to me to be saying that FCC's vision of the
>> future is that Techs will be all VHF/UHF, Generals will have most
>> privileges, and Extras will have it all.
 
>Life really is like a circle, no? In the very early 50's for HF we had General, Advanced (if you wanted to work 20 and 75 >phone), and Extra ... plus the Techs who cared only about VHF/UHF/uWave and had been around for quite awhile. FM >hadn't been invented (well, OK, it had but the SCR-522 was an AM rig). Then came the novice around '52 (wildly popular >despite lots of restrictions), and the Advanced went away sometime in there, yielding just about what Jim describes above. >When I got my Extra in '56, I don't remember gaining any new privileges.
 
Here's a timeline - in all cases I'm talking about US ham licenses only:
 
>From 1936 to 1951, there were three license classes - A, B and C. All required 13 wpm code and written test on theory, operating practices and regulations. Class A required a year's experience as a Class B or C, and an additional written test.
 
Class B and C were identical except that B was administered by FCC examiners and C was by-mail. Class A test was only available from an FCC examiner.
 
All hams were allowed full legal power and all modes on all authorized amateur frequencies *EXCEPT* that only Class A hams could operate 'phone on 20 and 75 meters. Back then the 30, 17, 15, and 12 meter ham bands did not exist, and 40 had no 'phone segment. So if you didn't have a Class A, your 'phone privileges were limited to 160, 11, 10, and VHF/UHF.
 
In 1951 the FCC did a massive restructuring. Classes A, B and C became Advanced, General, and Conditional, respectively. Three new license classes were added: Novice, for beginners, Technician, for those only interested in 220 and above, and Extra, which was meant to replace the Advanced as the top license. But both Advanced and Extra would have the same operating privileges.
 
FCC announced that they would stop issuing new Advanceds at the end of 1952. Many hams scrambled to get an Advanced before the end of '52, because the Extra required 20 wpm code, an even tougher written test, and 2 years' experience as a Conditional or higher.
 
But at the last minute - December, 1952 - FCC did a complete turnaround and announced that in February, 1953, all hams except Novices and Technicians would have all amateur operating privileges. The Advanced and Extra still existed, and some hams got Extras anyway, but there were no additional privileges attached to it.
 
>Then, in the early 70's and not content with simplicity, we 'improved' on this fairly simple and workable structure with >incentive licensing, billed variously as "critical to the future of amateur radio" by some and "the end of western civilization as >we know it" by others.
 
Those changes went into effect in three phases (November 1967, 1968, 1969). The process of deciding on them took several years (the first proposals were in 1963). Many hams then and now don't realize that what happened was a more of a return to the old system rather than a new idea.
 
>I do know that it got quite complex, but being an Extra, I paid little if any attention to the multitude of sub-bands (and since >I didn't have an amplifier, the power restrictions in them weren't a problem for me either). I still don't know where any of >the sub-bands are without looking at my ICOM chart on the corkboard. I also don't know the difference between a Tech and >Tech+, but it appears that won't matter in a few more years.
 
It will still make a difference even if FCC drops Element 1. Techs who have not passed a code test have no HF privileges, while Tech pluses and Techs who have passed a code test have the same HF privileges as Novices.
 
>If there were to be a vote (and I knew my vote would be counted), I'd vote for simplicity. I never really did understand the >value of all those sub-bands anyway.
 
Blame the folks at CQ - it was their idea, way back about 1964.
 
>And now, we already have a growing class structure of "20WPM Extras," "5WPM >Extras," and "zeroWPM Extras." I don't >think this bodes well for the fraternity.
 
Almost every human activity has some sort of class structure like that. Denying it exists doesn't make it go away. This doesn't mean a "5 wpm Extra" is of any less intrinsic worth than the 20 wpm variety, it's just one metric of accomplishment.
 
73 de Jim, N2EY
 
(if you want a much more detailed outline of all this, google up my call and "50 Years of Amateur Radio Licensing".)
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