License Restructuring

It has been quite a while since the ham radio community had as big a controversy as the FCC's decision to restructure amateur licensing. To judge from letters to the editor and postings on the Internet, amateur radio is facing a crucial time; some predict the end of the hobby we so love.

I've been a ham for more than thirty years; got my start as a Novice, then went up through the ranks until a few years ago when I decided it was about time I finally gave the Extra exam a try.

For years I heard folks say, "The theory's no problem--it's that 20 words per minute code I can't do." Well, although I had struggled mightily getting to 13 wpm, I knew that with practice I could eventually reach the required 20. It was the theory that scared me. I need not have worried.

With some daily review of theory and regular code practice I not only passed, I aced the CW and only missed one on the written! With hard work and perseverance I proved that you don't have to be a whiz-kid to get an Extra class license.

With all the effort I put in, you would think I would be a poster-boy for the "I worked hard, so can you" school of thought, or that I would jump on the "They're 'dumbing down' ham radio" bandwagon. You would think wrong.

I think license restructuring is just the shot-in-the-arm ham radio needs.

At the heart of the discussion is the reduction of the code speed. For many, the ability to send and receive Morse code is the essence of amateur radio. A large number of hams believe the code acts as a filter to keep the "riff-raff" off the ham bands. Some think there are hoards of foul-smelling rotten-tooth CBers banging at the gates, ready to scatter chicken bones and old truck tires around the ham bands, and that Morse code is the only thing that keeps the barbarians out. The truth is, the ability to copy Morse code does NOT automatically make one a better person. A quick scan of certain parts of 75 meters or a review of FCC enforcement actions will show that the barbarians are already within--and they can copy at least 13 wpm!

I have taught many amateur radio classes over the years and I've seen all sorts of potential hams stymied by their inability to copy code fast enough to pass the General ticket. I'm not talking about lazy folks--the "I want something for nothing" crowd the cranky old timers keep complaining about--but, decent, hard-working people, folks who would make excellent operators but, who can't copy 13 wpm code no matter how many hours of practice they put into the process.

At the risk of being branded a heretic, there is also the question of regulatory relevance. In radio's early days, when everyone pretty much shared the same wavelength, there was a regulatory need to insure that hams could copy distress signals or calls by commercial and government stations to QRT. So long as code was widely used, it made sense--from a regulatory standpoint--to keep the Morse requirement for hams.

Now, amateur operators are virtually the only users of Morse code. Sure, it was a sad day when the last shore station shut down CW operations, but it was also sad when the corner drug store shut down its soda fountain. Would I rather things stay the same? Emotionally, yes, but logically I know that change is the one constant in life.

Even though adherents proclaim that "Morse code gets through when all else fails," the reality is that there are more practical, more efficient modes of operation, and despite the romance associated with it, code is seldom used to handle emergency communications anymore.

Does this mean Morse code is obsolete or that it should be banned altogether? Don't be ridiculous! Operating CW is a blast! There's nothing quite as satisfying as the "almost telepathy" aspects of a good Morse QSO. And, it's absolutely thrilling to make contact with the other side of the planet using a simple rig and CW. Just as folks still ride horses for fun--even though the automobile is pretty much standard for day-to-day transportation--so will Morse code use continue. But, would you want to be tested on horsemanship to get your driver's license?

Throughout amateur radio's history, changes in licensing and operating modes have been seen as threats: when CW replaced spark, hams claimed the End of Civilization As We Know It; when phone became popular, CW ops said, "it's all over;" when sideband made the scene, AMers threatened to sell their gear; when the Novice license was introduced, it was feared the bands would be filled with "kids, lids, and space cadets;" when Incentive Licensing reared its head, many predicted doom; when the no-code Tech license came about, some old timers said they were going to quit. And yet, ham radio has continued on.

A big aspect of the license restructuring debate is the notion that the lowering of requirements somehow cheapens one's own efforts. Whether you had to walk 10 miles in the snow to sit in front of an FCC examiner with halitosis and draw a superhet schematic from memory with a big number 2 pencil, or whether you sat before a volunteer examiner who talked incessantly as you checked off your "multiple-guess" answers, no one--NO ONE--can take away your accomplishments! Just because someone else had to pass 5 wpm code and you had to pass 20 wpm doesn't mean your efforts are somehow diminished. What someone else does or doesn't do with his or her life is not relevant to what you do with yours.

Maybe it's just nostalgic thinking, but it seems to me there was a time when there was more of a sense of brotherhood among radio amateurs. I guess it just reflects society as a whole, but now there seems to be a lot of mean-spiritedness around. My fellow hams who angrily proclaim, "I'm going to sell all my gear," or "I won't talk to any of these 'welfare-Extras'," or "I'm turning in my VE credentials," are simply being small. To those who claim they're getting out of ham radio I say, "So long and good luck with your new hobby of shaking your fist and yelling at the neighbor's kids." To those who promise to be spiteful I ask, "How did you get to be so mean?"

With radio spectrum now viewed as a commodity, there is a great need for us to be ever vigilant lest the frequencies we enjoy be bought and sold from under us (and don't think for a moment that the HF spectrum is safe from covetous commercial interests)! There is strength in numbers and unless we want amateur radio to simply grow old and die, we must do everything we can to keep the hobby alive so upcoming generations can share the magic.

Does this mean "lowering our standards?" No, it means adjusting them to fit the dawn of the 21st century. Amateur radio is more than just a hobby--for many of us, it's a way of life. It's a way of life I want to share with others, so I welcome the new licensing structure. I think that rather than "opening the floodgates to the wrong element," restructuring will lower irrelevant barriers which have kept out many souls intrigued with the magic of reaching out through the ether, but who couldn't--for one reason or another--master the arcane skills needed to be licensed. Rather than the death of amateur radio, I think we could be seeing the dawn of a new golden era.

73, de Bob K5IQ