Should amateur radio license renewal be contingent on re-passing a rules test?

[AK9R]

The following came up in another thread:

Must have changed the rules then.

<snip>

But they changed the pecuniary interest rules and station address rules, must have changed that too.

<snip>

Looks like multiple rule changes concerning repeaters, I was not aware.

Repeater and Auxiliary Station Control

In the link that W4AMP provided, there is evidence of multiple changes to just the repeater and auxiliary station rules since 1989. I feel confident in saying that there are many experienced amateur radio operators who have no idea what the various amateur radio rules say today. (Note, I'm not saying I'm an expert, either.) How many of these experienced amateur radio operators are mentoring new hams and perpetuating old ideas about the rules? Even worse, how many of these experienced amateur radio operators are scolding new hams on the air about the rules when it's possible that the new ham has a fresher idea of what the rules say than the older ham?

I have long been a proponent of requiring passage of a rules test in order to renew a license. I'm not picking on W4AMP, but he provided a convenient example to prove my point. Holding an amateur radio license is a privilege. I think we should be required to pass a periodic rules test in order to keep our licenses.

 

[buddrousa]

You can add driving a car to that list also.

 

[jaspence]

A test will do nothing for those who ignore the rules or even just common sense, just as a driving test doesn't stop the red light runners and speeders in a car.

 

[dlwtrunked]

The following came up in another thread:


In the link that W4AMP provided, there is evidence of multiple changes to just the repeater and auxiliary station rules since 1989. I feel confident in saying that there are many experienced amateur radio operators who have no idea what the various amateur radio rules say today. (Note, I'm not saying I'm an expert, either.) How many of these experienced amateur radio operators are mentoring new hams and perpetuating old ideas about the rules? Even worse, how many of these experienced amateur radio operators are scolding new hams on the air about the rules when it's possible that the new ham has a fresher idea of what the rules say than the older ham?

I have long been a proponent of requiring passage of a rules test in order to renew a license. I'm not picking on W4AMP, but he provided a convenient example to prove my point. Holding an amateur radio license is a privilege. I think we should be required to pass a periodic rules test in order to keep our licenses.

If there is a local problem of lack of knowledge, it is not something this will cure. People today do not wish to know things they do not need to know (unfortunate truth). Discussion of rules on the air is needed--some of the rules and practice are in fact vague causing even regional interpretations. Amateur radio barely survives, adding relicensing exams might (a strong might) be enough hassle to kill it. There will always be those who ignore the rules or want to argue them, you are proposing a cure that might be fatal. What is going on is always what has happened in the service.

 

[buddrousa]

But it would stop the ones that can not see or hear and have lost their reflexes.

 

[Joe_Blough]

Do you mean a "Memorize the questions and the letter for the correct answer without knowing the material" type test like they have now to get a ham license?

 

[poltergeisty]

You can add driving a car to that list also.

I've been saying that for years. I had to take an obstacle course test along with a written test. Passed the written with flying colors, had to take the obstacle twice. This should be required with every third license renew at least.

It probably would be a wise idea to get recertified so to speak for a ham radio license. I know when I took my test the questions were vastly different than what were in the old book I studied from. So things do change.

 

[k6cpo]

Doesn't this idea violate the spirit of the "self-policing" of amateur radio? I think it's incumbent on us to keep our own house clean. Although it's unlikely, instituting another examination to renew a license could invite closer scrutiny by the FCC.

Using the driving analogy, in a lot of state, renewals are automatic until a certain age IF the driver maintains a clean record. The same criteria could be applied to amateur radio: No test unless the individual has a history of violations or a certain period of time has passed since the first license (30+ years comes to mind.)

 

[bill4long]

I have long been a proponent of requiring passage of a rules test in order to renew a license. I'm not picking on W4AMP, but he provided a convenient example to prove my point. Holding an amateur radio license is a privilege. I think we should be required to pass a periodic rules test in order to keep our licenses.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

While I was reading W4AMP's text, I thought, "would it kill you to read Part 97 once in a while?" I didn't actually respond. Maybe he'll read it here.

Part 97 is written in fairly straightforward language, so it's not difficult to wade through. I read it at least once a year except for the technical specs and band plan stuff at the end. The bureaucratic load that periodic testing would generate would, no doubt to me, kibosh the idea if submitted to the FCC. Plus, amateur radio generally functions just fine the way things are. There are usually one or more knowledgeable hams around who do know the rules to make corrections when someone makes incorrect statements or claims.

 

[mmckenna]

Doesn't this idea violate the spirit of the "self-policing" of amateur radio? I think it's incumbent on us to keep our own house clean.

I agree.
As part of the ongoing education for amateurs (Read 97.1) we should all be periodically refreshing our minds. That should include periodic full reading of Part 97.

On that, I think a clean up of Part 97 needs to happen. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of the rules anyway, and doing some clarifications wouldn't hurt.

Using the driving analogy, in a lot of state, renewals are automatic until a certain age IF the driver maintains a clean record. The same criteria could be applied to amateur radio: No test unless the individual has a history of violations or a certain period of time has passed since the first license (30+ years comes to mind.)

In some states, officers can check a box on a traffic citation that will initiate retesting on the next DMV renewal. My uncle was an officer for 30+ years and said there were several cases where he'd do that. At some point you just have to realize that enforcement can only go so far. The time comes when refreshing someones knowledge is required.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Yeah, people would fight it. ARRL would find some reason to be against it.

Part 97 is written in fairly straightforward language, so it's not difficult to wade through.

I agree. See above. Only concern is that there are some that:
Completely miss the point.
Those that walk into it with a preconceived notion about what's legal and what isn't. No amount of reading is going to change their minds.
Those that honestly don't care.

For those of us that would like a refresher, here ya' go:

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) published by the Government Publishing Office

www.ecfr.gov

 

[w4amp]

I fully support mandatory 5, 13, and 20 wpm cw tests for all US amateurs. Especially those with 1 x 2 and 2 x 1 calls.

 

[pb_lonny]

It sounds like a great idea. They should also require you to be active...

 

[bill4long]

I fully support mandatory 5, 13, and 20 wpm cw tests for all US amateurs. Especially those with 1 x 2 and 2 x 1 calls.

I support mandatory testing for the proficiency in installing DMR repeaters and hotspots, installing and operating FT-8 or PSK software, putting together a MESH network, and coding ability in Python for Raspberry PIs and all peripherals. If we're going to put up more hurdles, they may as well have relevance in the trends of modern ham radio.

 

[NC1]

People will remember the answers to the questions just long enough to pass the test, very few will keep them in memory for later retrieval. Sometimes I wonder how some people even pass the test to begin with because they appear to have lost the most basic rules.

 

[w4amp]

I support mandatory testing for the proficiency in installing DMR repeaters and hotspots, installing and operating FT-8 or PSK software, putting together a MESH network, and coding ability in Python for Raspberry PIs and all peripherals. If we're going to put up more hurdles, they may as well have relevance in the trends of modern ham radio.

 

[bill4long]

Join the excitement

Naaaa. That more reflects the mentality and IQ of the guys who hang out on 7200.
By the way, FT-8 has a fast turn around time unlike the full minute of the JT modes.

 

[N6KB]

That idea has a good intent. To actually do it would be burdensome and would accomplish very little. It would be too easy to memorize answers to the test questions (just like with the tests used nowadays to get the license in the first place) without understanding or really knowing the material.

 

[w4amp]

Naaaa. That more reflects the mentality and IQ of the guys who hang out on 7200.
By the way, FT-8 has a fast turn around time unlike the full minute of the JT modes.

Sounds like you would know. I bet you don't ID there either.

10-4?

You and your pal have fun on here. I'll show myself out.

 

[bill4long]

Sounds like you would know. I bet you don't ID there either. 10-4? You and your pal have fun on here. I'll show myself out.

I don't talk on there. But I've heard you on there. Well done! /s

 

[w4amp]

Wow. 46 videos all recorded by user bill4long with literally hours of recordings! You never talk on there? Really?

LMFAO

73 . Tell the guys on the Island I said hello.