Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Harry_Bwater
It is no longer the corp of motivated technically competent individuals that filled the ranks in years past. Over the last 30 years the amateur license has become a farce. Instead of demonstrating proficiency in the radio craft the license applicant simply simply pays $15.00 for a Q&A manual, takes the exam from a —”Volunteer Examiner”— (wink-wink) and walks out with a federal permit to operate with over a 1000 watts of power after simply regurgitating the multiple choice answers. Lots of technical competence there, let alone the ability to operate under adverse conditions.

First off "Volunteer examiners" (wink wink) go through training courses, and I've been to several sessions sponsoring people who are testing. Your remarks are asinine and childish, and blatantly untrue, and your implication that somehow this is "below the table testing" is an outright lie.

As an electronics engineer myself, and a proponent of testing, I can tell you you're also incorrect on the testing itself. Yes, it is multiple "guess", but there are still technical calculations that are required for the higher tests (General and Extra). There is no farce about testing as you're implying. The math, and material is real. While you certainly can sit and memorize several hundred questions (and the 15 dollar books you mentioned don't always have the newest questions I might add) the ability for most people to do so is beyond a normal person. You MUST know the math, the calculations and the material and understand it.

You are an ass, and you're nothing more than a troll. I hold an Amateur Extra Class license, and quite simply, I doubt that you do, or could because you're an idiot who makes ASSumptions.

Mitt Romney on the other hand flip flops on several issues, and he is simply untrustworthy.
206 posted on 01/22/2008 2:48:31 PM PST by Rick.Donaldson (http://www.transasianaxis.com - Visit for lastest on DPRK/Russia/China/Etc --Fred Thompson for Prez.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 202 | View Replies ]


To: Rick.Donaldson
——First off “Volunteer examiners” (wink wink) go through training courses, and I’ve been to several sessions sponsoring people who are testing. Your remarks are asinine and childish, and blatantly untrue, and your implication that somehow this is “below the table testing” is an outright lie.——

An outright lie, not even near it. The FCC is constantly calling in licensees for reexamination since the inception of “Volunteer Examination” program. If it was just one or two occurrences one would write it off but large numbers of enforcement actions by the FCC recalling examinees for retesting and the almost universal failure for the examinees to appear as requested indicate a system that does not properly vette the applicants qualifications due to procedural failures at a minimum. Take the number of licensees recalled since the inception of Volunteer Examiners. If a college or university had 0.01% of that number of students recalled for re-examination it would be shut down in disgrace. Pretty pathetic in my opinion.

Two links below are listed as posted by the Amateur Radio Relay League relative to the many Amateur Radio Enforcement actions of the FCC over Volunteer Examiner sessions gone wrong. More appear on the ARRL site and others can be found on Google.

http://www.arrl.org/news/enforcement_logs/2002/0727.html

The above posting included notice of six separate license cancellations in two different areas.

The next link below indicates that five individuals from four different states were recalled by the FCC for re-examination.

http://www.arrl.org/news/enforcement_logs/2000/0719.html

It would seem this is a frequent and ongoing problem as published by the Amateur Service’s official representative organization and the FCC.

——As an electronics engineer myself, and a proponent of testing, I can tell you you’re also incorrect on the testing itself.——

I know of no university or college with any credibility that issues degrees at the BS level or above in “Electronics Engineering”. I have seen degrees in “Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology” which infers the holder is a technologist and not an engineer. My experience in the past has been when someone states they are an “Electronics Engineer” it is due their not recognizing the difference and have self proclaimed to be an engineer.

——Yes, it is multiple “guess”, but there are still technical calculations that are required for the higher tests (General and Extra). There is no farce about testing as you’re implying. The math, and material is real. While you certainly can sit and memorize several hundred questions (and the 15 dollar books you mentioned don’t always have the newest questions I might add) the ability for most people to do so is beyond a normal person. You MUST know the math, the calculations and the material and understand it.——

You have discredited your own position in the above paragraph.

——You are an ass, and you’re nothing more than a troll. I hold an Amateur Extra Class license, and quite simply, I doubt that you do, or could because you’re an idiot who makes ASSumptions.——

You are entitled to your opinion. I doubt seriously you can comprehend the inference in the previous statement when taken in context with your last paragraph above.

——Mitt Romney on the other hand flip flops on several issues, and he is simply untrustworthy.——

I have heard the rhetoric flying around about Mr. Romney’s alleged political escapades. Can you state with factually based personal knowledge which can be verified from a source with no ax to grind that the current rhetoric ciculating is true? I doubt it. (There I go making an assumption. :-)) Just because the press said it, that some politician said it, that it is written, that Dan Rather said it, that Rush Limbaugh said it or any of the other media sources said it, does not make it true.

If Mitt Romney does not have any respect for the amateur service I do not find his dislike to be unfounded. All I have to do is read the postings at the FCC, ARRL and other websites to see printed factual data indicating the less than mediocre requirements to obtain an amateur license.

207 posted on 01/27/2008 9:04:19 AM PST by Harry_Bwater
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 206 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson