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.    
      
   Daryl   
      
   ===   
    þ OLX 1.53 þ A new cemetery opened in town: folks are dying to enter.   
   --- SBBSecho 3.03-Win32   
    * Origin: FIDONet: The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org (1:19/33)