Master Class Ticket?

Has anybody seen this article: https://factualradio.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/a-new-class-of-amateur-radio-license-coming-soon/

???

Are you friggin' kiddng me!?!?! They did away with the Novice and Advance class tickets, leaving Tech, General, and Extra... They did away with all the CW requirements.

Now, they want to add a "practical" exam that may include.... get this: SOLDERING A PL-259??? :O

BUT! You can't even pay the $60 testing fee and try to get your "Master" ticket until you've been an Extra class for at least 10 years!

TIME IN GRADE

The general feeling among those in the industry that have quietly supported the new license class is that amateurs should have “paid their dues” with time as an Amateur Extra before being allowed to pursue the Masters class license. This is very consistent with receiving an advanced degree from an educational institution.

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Uhm.... okay, when did this HOBBY become akin to GETTING A DEGREE!?!?! :O

Master Class

I'm not sure what you have linked to. Maybe an April Fool's joke, not sure.
Pretty sure if it was true the FCC had a proposed rule making about this for two years, you would not be the first to find about it.

I suggest you toss this news flash in your round file cabinet.

Factual Amateur Radio Technology Services...FARTS...seriously???

Here is another one of their news flashes. Lol

https://factualradio.wordpress.com/...neering-companion-radio-assistant-peripheral/

W5BFF said:

Has anybody seen this article: https://factualradio.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/a-new-class-of-amateur-radio-license-coming-soon/

???

Are you friggin' kiddng me!?!?! They did away with the Novice and Advance class tickets, leaving Tech, General, and Extra... They did away with all the CW requirements.

Now, they want to add a "practical" exam that may include.... get this: SOLDERING A PL-259??? :O

BUT! You can't even pay the $60 testing fee and try to get your "Master" ticket until you've been an Extra class for at least 10 years!


Uhm.... okay, when did this HOBBY become akin to GETTING A DEGREE!?!?! :O

Click to expand...

Internet users should recognize satire sites when they see them.

If it’s published on the Internet, it must be true!

seems legit.

Check out the sponsors, and FAQ. Also the about page. Rotf

W5BFF said:

Now, they want to add a "practical" exam that may include.... get this: SOLDERING A PL-259??? :O

BUT! You can't even pay the $60 testing fee and try to get your "Master" ticket until you've been an Extra class for at least 10 years!


Uhm.... okay, when did this HOBBY become akin to GETTING A DEGREE!?!?! :O

Click to expand...

The “they” you point to is obvious satire, and even if unrecognized as such less than 30 seconds of search time will confirm that no one else is talking of the same kind of license. However….

“Practical” exams have been part of Hamdom in the past. The soldering of a PL-259 was only one of the examples they gave in their tongue in cheek piece, they also discussed drawing circuits and troubleshooting configurations. At one time to be licensed you not only had to copy CW but you also had to send it during the exam. In the past you have had to draw circuits. So practical’s are not unheard of in ham radio licensing.

And time in grade has been a past requirement in ham radio.

For a time there was a requirement that you must hold either a General or a Conditional for a year or more before you could test for Advanced. I don’t know how long that lasted (I was never an Advanced class holder), it seems it was only a few years.

When originally presented the Extra class license was only available to hams who had been licensed for 2 or more years with a license that allowed voice on HF. That means that a person had to hold a General, Conditional, or Advanced class license for 2 or more years, and show activity in the log (since we were all required to keep a log of every contact), before you could take the Extra test. Later they reduced this to one year time, and eventually did away with the time requirement. 1951 to 1973 the requirement was 2 years, 1973 to 1977 the requirement was 1 year, so for more than 25 years ham radio had “time in grade” requirements to be eligible for the highest license class. While I am not saying I would support a similar requirement today, I am also not convinced that it is without merit.

T!

W5BFF said:

Has anybody seen this article: https://factualradio.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/a-new-class-of-amateur-radio-license-coming-soon/

???

Are you friggin' kiddng me!?!?! They did away with the Novice and Advance class tickets, leaving Tech, General, and Extra... They did away with all the CW requirements.

Now, they want to add a "practical" exam that may include.... get this: SOLDERING A PL-259??? :O

BUT! You can't even pay the $60 testing fee and try to get your "Master" ticket until you've been an Extra class for at least 10 years!


Uhm.... okay, when did this HOBBY become akin to GETTING A DEGREE!?!?! :O

Click to expand...

LOLOLOLOL!!! That's funny! Time in grade, pay money?! This sounds like getting promoted in a three-letter volunteer organization that flies! The only thing missing is attending conferences.

Seriously, the organizations that got into the business of having a neutral technician's competence exam after the FCC emasculated the First and Second Class Radiotelephone/telegraph licenses in the 80s, like NABER and PCIA, abandoned the exams. Some organizations have kept their exams to make a buck here or there, but the exams have never been updated and there is a shortage of SMEs to revise the tests. The only real exams left are the real FCC license exams, because they are required to do certain jobs. Everything else is just wallpaper. To pay money to show people you're a master ham?! LOL! Head to the bait shop - it's a more appropriate credential to hold! :lol:

h for crying out loud. Its an April Fools joke guys...Google it.

N9JCQ said:

h for crying out loud. Its an April Fools joke guys...Google it.

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A little early for an April Fools joke, since it was posted in mid January.

T!

902 said:

LOLOLOLOL!!! That's funny! Time in grade, pay money?!

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Of course this is a joke, but as I pointed out before, time in grade has been a past requirement in ham radio, and you pay money now to take the test.

T!

toastycookies said:

If it’s published on the Internet, it must be true!

seems legit.

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And I'll bet you date French models too...

Don't you think the ARRL would have been crowing about this if it was true?

sent from an electronic device...

masters class

from a group called FARTS? get real folks...

I'm still watching for a Rule 34 site relating to ham radio. Hamsexy doesn't count. LOL.