Technician privileges

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R0am3r

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I'll chime in with my $0.02. (Ham of 39 years. Tech, General and Advanced in 1981. Extra in 2010. ) IMO, the current license structure is fine the way it is, except I would grandfather Advanced to Extra, and have three classes. I don't see the point to it any more given that the Advanced test of yesteryear was more difficult than the current Extra test. By far. Tech is so easy to pass now that I think a drunk chimp could do it. General is quite easy as well these days. No excuse not to get one if you want HF phone privileges beyond 10m.

I couldn't have said it better. I have been a ham for 42 years (Novice, General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra) and believe the current structure works. I also like the suggestion to grandfather the Advanced licenses to Extra. If you want the privileges of the higher class licenses, go out and earn it.
 

belvdr

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Do you have a HAM LICENESE? I do.
I do, but that has nothing to do with my question. It doesn't seem logical that an unlicensed person couldn't have the same question. What's with the all caps?

I don't think many of the questions are of great use to amateurs. @alcahuete pointed out several.
 

buddrousa

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Why do you not understand?
I think all privileges should be earned and nothing is for free. That being said if you want a better life earn it do not expect it to be given to you just because you want it.
 
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K5MPH

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I know techs that can put a repeater system together and even link them. I know extras that shouldn't replace a battery on a handheld.

My point was, the test should be to test knowledge, not ability to memorize a test. as I said prior, take some of the extras that tested in years past and give them a test. I would guess, being generous 50% might pass.
Very well said it should not be about memorize answer to the question it should be about Theory and knowledge .......
 

belvdr

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Why do you not understand?
I think all privileges should be earned and nothing is for free. That being said if you want a better life earn it do not expect it to be given to you just because you want it.
Again, I'm not disputing earning it. What I'm disputing is the usefulness of some of the questions. I'm done debating this now.
 

k6cpo

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That would be fine if they made it open book. No answer key of course, but maybe a complete reference manual is provided the examinees. Though that would kill the entry level techs that just want to start easy and get on a the air with their local club .

100-120 questions may be asking much, that's going to be a long day of testing and grading for VEs.

There is computerized exam software available that is currently being used for online testing and it's my understanding it can be adapted for in-person tenting. Granted, it will take the candidate a longer time to take the exam, but grading is instantaneous.

And, if you didn't see it, there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek in my original post. As far as I'm concerned, the system is just fine the way it is. We don't need to be changing it.
 

jim202

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It has been a long time since I started to learn what ham radio was all about. Way back in the mid to late 50's my Uncle in Pittsfield NH. introduced me to an older ham operator that he delivered fire wood to. I spent my weekends in Pittsfield and after meeting this older ham radio operator, he took me under his wing and mentored me. I didn't always have a ride available, so would take the horse at the farm and ride him the 4 miles up the dirt road to his farm. Tied up the horse to a tree and learned about radio and antennas. Did this every weekend that the weather was decent. We would go outside and work on his antennas or repair one of his many radios with tubes that had a problem.

Once I made it to High School in the early 60's, I was involved with the radio club there. They took me in and taught me more about electronics and radios. It was there that I managed to obtain my Tech license.

That tech license opened up a new world to me and met some more interesting people. I can remember W1CXX, Jack Wilson, if my memory serves me correctly. He also took me under his wing to pull me along and get interested in HF communications. Jack also introduced me to Sam Harris, W1BU who was a character. Sam built a 6 meter amp. that hung from a couple of huge spikes driven into the wooden wall. Sam had the theory that if his antenna made it through the winter, it was not large enough. They have both become silent keys years ago and their calls issued to other people.

Both of these people were my mentor to learn about electronics and ham radio. It lit a fire under me to go for a higher license over the years. This is why I keep pushing for people to act as mentors to the junior people that are coming up in the ranks and just need a little push.

Getting a higher license is important to raise your skills and knowledge of radio and antennas. This is why I try and bend over backwards when I hear people on the local repeaters with radios that don't have good audio on them or are asking for help. I offer to have them come over to my house and see what we can do for them. Plus it provides them a chance to see all the stuff laying around my shop and it gets them asking questions. That's the first step to learning more than you do now.
 

K9DWB

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As it stands now, to a certain degree at least, the FCC Technician and General class of licenses isn't a difficult exam. I don't think it proves very much about ones technical expertise. I didn't go about memorizing the answers, I did try my best to link theory to the question/answer thing. But I mean it, this exam can't be that hard, I was able to get my General ticket, and I've been studying the subject on Ham Study for less than 3 months in prep for Tech and General. But then add in all the general radio and CB usage in my past, setup of antenna, SWR checks, antenna tuning, etc. The point is, the exams aren't very difficult for those that have a bit of knowledge and common sense. Granted, that is lacking in some of the general population. :coffee:
 

SuperG900

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Congrats. What's taking your ticket so long to post? I had my General upgrade in 23 hours. Regardless welcome to the club. Coffee tab's on you I hear.

The testing situation here in Albuquerque is off from normal due to COVID - the normal indoors venue was unavailable so the VE's had it at their home, in the backyard, 6-foot separation, mask, the whole nine yards. Not sure how long it takes for the paperwork to go through on the weekend....

Anyway - I'm celebrating - just ordered my first radio - a DMR capable HT.
 

K9DWB

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Here in my area, the VEs at South Mountain Radio Amateurs are who I tested with twice. They use W5YI as their VEC. My Tech ticket showed on FCC ULS under 48 hours, and General was updated in 23 hours. I wore a mask to a physical test.
 

mmckenna

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Different VE's seem to have different ideas about processing the completion certificates into the FCC. Many years ago when my wife got her license, I think the VE still mailed them in to the FCC. Took about two weeks. I think it can be done electronically now, so it's pretty fast, IF the VE enters and submits the info quickly.

My GROL took about 24 hours to show up in the system, but this was a professional COLEM and they had a person that submitted them as soon as the testing was complete. Difference between Ham and GROL is that some people need the GROL for employment, so there's some incentive to getting it submitted quickly.
 

AK9R

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Folks, let's get back to Technician license privileges. We've had plenty of discussions about how different VE teams handle license processing.
 

W5lz

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The rules are quite clear about who can operate where with which class of license. If you want to operate in a particular place that your present license does not allow, it seem very simple how to correct your 'problem'. Just for grins, why not follow the rules/standards/customs instead of trying to change those rules/standards/customs to suit yourself? Is that really so hard to understand? A quaint old saying is, "Shut up and solder, solder."
 

W5lz

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Yes, they did. And in most cases because they "reduced" the requirements or increased them to suit conditions at that time. Personally, I think reducing requirements is not a very good thing.
 

SuperG900

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Well, as a newly minted Technician class ham, I realize my opinion might not carry a lot of weight for some folks - that said -

I have no problems with things the way they currently are. I see the classes as nothing more than regulating the public behavior of those license holders on the public airwaves. Like a drivers license - you need to prove you can safely and responsibly operate on the public airways. The more skilled you are - the more interaction you are allowed - hence the need for classes. I agree with the FCC raison d'etre for the amateur service - advancing skills in the radio arts.

More than anything, I have the utmost respect those who who have humility and choose to mentor others. I do not see it as a priesthood of individuals involved in arcane arts. In my career, I've always helped other professionals in areas where they weren't familiarized as I was with a specific subject matter - there's no such thing as a stupid question. Made a lot of friends that way. I've also encountered those who expect to be treated as one of the exalted - I hope not to encounter too many of those in my ham travails.
 
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