EV>Howdy! Daryl,

Hi, Ed...

EV>Shouldn't Technicians automatically become owners of a General License
EV>since the 13 WPM CW Element isn't a requirement anymore.

  They can be, if they prove they held an amateur radio license prior to
March 21, 1987. If they have that, and the license was Technician, they
just go to a VE Test Session, fill out the paperwork, pay the fee, and
they get a CSCE for a General Class license WITHOUT having to take an
exam. That's the ONLY license class with that.

EV>Now that the Novice Class License is no longer the entry level why doesn't
EV>the F.C.C. drop the Technician Class License and just offer Operating
EV>Privileges for only the General and Amateur Extra Class Licenses?

  A large chunk of hams...Novice, Techician, and Advanced Class
licensees, would then be left out in the cold. The Technician Class
license is all that one needs to get into the hobby, and many are
content with that...plus, over half of the licensed hams are
Technicians. The FCC quit issuing Novice and Advanced Licenses back in
2000, but holders of them can still renew them at the appopriate time.

  Never mind the fact that the gear manufacturers would have far fewer
customers, and organizations (ARRL and otherwise) would have far fewer
members. The hobby is dying, as so many are...because we can't seem to
"stop the bleeding" of those who are letting their licenses lapse, or
who are becoming Silent Keys.

  While I have an Amateur Extra Class license, that was ONLY because I
wanted to become a Volunteer Examiner, and eventually a VE Team Liaison.
When I'm on the air, I'm EXCLUSIVELY in the Technician Class bands, as I
ENJOY them. Besides, HF propagation for the last several years, has been
absolutely pitiful. The last time I worked HF was with a Special Event
Station with the Arkansas And Missouri Railroad Troop Train, back in
May, 2011, on 20 meter Railroad Mobile HF.

  Then, you have all those traffic and specialty nets (including the
Trains Net that I do on D-Star, and it's growing every week...plus
Skywarn Severe Weather Nets), that are the only time some folks get on
the air.

  There's something in the hobby for every license class. While I tried
CW, the nervous system damage from 2 lightning strikes over the years
makes it impossible to transcribe what I'm hearing to letters. I never
cared for contesting...and do all my QSLing now via eQSL. For their 20th
anniversary, I purchased a Platinum Lifetime Membership.

EV>... Johnson & Johnson Tagline: ###############

  That's just a Band-Aid for a tagline that was cut and pasted into the
QWK reader. <G>

Daryl

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