tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post8747067687863327260..comments2023-09-30T14:59:05.385+01:00Comments on G4ILO's Blog: The RSGBAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-12308122460587850522011-03-31T20:08:49.067+01:002011-03-31T20:08:49.067+01:00First, I’d like to say how much I enjoy your site ...First, I’d like to say how much I enjoy your site & blog, Julian. I’ve lurked up until now, but felt I’d like to chip in on this one.<br /><br />I entirely agree with you that this is not the time to be radically restructuring or redirecting the RSGB. Now is the time to learn whatever lessons are necessary from whatever ills have occurred and move on. Most important is to appoint a new GM who can lead the Society in the years to come. Possible alternative directions for RSGB affairs are entirely unrelated to the conduct of one officer and should be considered separately on their merits, not leapt into as an opportunist reaction to unfortunate events. In any case, if the new appointee is of any worth, he or she will surely conduct a review of the RSGB’s operations at an early juncture and advise the Board accordingly.<br /><br />On the subject of the licensing structure, I am a firm supporter of the new regime. I was first licensed as a GW6 in 1982, and, to be brutally frank, the old RAE was entirely unfit for purpose in terms of equipping me to operate on the air. We were examined mainly on technical matters, many of which I’ve rarely used or needed to know, and there was no need whatsoever to have even <i>seen</i> a radio transmitter in order to pass the examination. Let alone to have actually connected up a rig or conducted a QSO! Neither was there any instruction in the practical arts, even those as lowly but essential as soldering up a PL259.<br />And yet I was let loose with 400W from Day 1, to create whatever havoc I could on every band & mode over 30MHz. On Earth and off it. Including, bizarrely, being allowed to use Morse, for which I hadn’t even been examined, let alone demonstrated any ability!<br /><br />Whatever else it was, that regime was not a good way to educate and incentivise new entrants or to control band access. At least Foundation licensees have some practical and operating experience before they “go solo”.<br /><br />Slow Morse, scratchy vinyls and cassette tapes utterly failed to drive Morse into my non-musical brain. I even wrote my own Morse tutor program for the Dragon 32 to no avail… So HF was another country.It wasn’t until the writing was firmly on the wall for the Morse requirement that first I acquired an MW3 call and then discovered John Samin’s excellent MRX Morse tutor program, which finally enabled me to struggle through. Motivated in no small part by the suspicion that I would forever after be tarred as a Class B who hadn’t really come up to the mark if I didn’t Pass The Code! But it didn’t make me a Better Amateur: I have never used Morse on air, and I doubt I ever will.<br /><br />Like you, I’ve encountered some excellent Foundation and Intermediate amateurs who are enthusiastic about the hobby and can put anyone to shame, operationally or technically. One of the most active & competent amateurs I know is an Intermediate licensee whom I’m proud to have tutored through his Foundation. And you only need to tune round the bands to find examples of truly atrocious practice from licensees of many decades’ standing.<br /><br />It’s never fair to tar everyone with the same brush. Neither is it fair to penalise the majority who follow the rules, simply because others might abuse them. Society’s already lurched too far in that direction in many other fields. (You’ve probably touched on that in One Foot in the Grave, I imagine ;-) )<br /><br />Besides, where would it all end? Shutting down amateur radio entirely, of course. After all, what is to stop a Full licensee turning the wick up too far on that kilowatt linear and operating in contravention of their licence? They’d almost certainly not be caught…<br /><br />73<br />Nick, MW0JGENickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01262018810720346456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-76197763169564243172011-03-30T22:04:05.212+01:002011-03-30T22:04:05.212+01:00I think the "problem" with the foundatio...I think the "problem" with the foundation/intermediate/advanced licence classes are that once one attains the foundation licence, which let's be fair is not a huge undertaking for someone with an interest in technology and electronics, there is no reason to progress if one doesn't care for the letter of the licence or does not want to gain further knowledge.<br /><br />A foundation-class amateur could run a linear on any band and is highly unlikely to ever get into trouble for it.<br /><br />I believe the foundation licence should give access to VHF/UHF and /some/ portions of HF, but certainly not the whole lot.<br /><br />Likewise, the intermediate licence should give further access, but again, not everything.<br /><br />Only when one achieves the full "advanced" licence should the entire allocated spectrum be opened up for use.<br /><br />Well, that's my thoughts anyway... Surely doing something like that would give new licensees incentive to progress?<br /><br />Despite this, I like the three step program; I for one would not have had the time to study the RAE the "old" way, so going through the three courses/licences enabled me to get my M0 callsign over a period of a few years while improving my operating skills at the same time.<br /><br />I wish the new General Manager the best of luck!MrJoshuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12711571207967093236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-891476993343567192011-03-30T13:43:47.137+01:002011-03-30T13:43:47.137+01:00Hi Jon.
I respect your opinion, but in this case ...Hi Jon.<br /><br />I respect your opinion, but in this case I must disagree. I know many people who have come in via the Foundation route who are excellent amateurs in all respects. To deny them this due to the activities of a minority doesn't seem fair.<br /><br />In any case, I think that those seeking to take this opportunity to reform the RSGB are modernizers who would take it even further down the road that you profess to be unhappy with. My argument was that we shouldn't change things too much. I don't think turning back the clock is really an option. But I am thankful that the RSGB has not gone down the route taken by the ARRL in the US of turning ham radio into an emergency communications service and actively encouraging people to get ham radio licenses expressly to participate in "emcomm" activities.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-1591532105851515372011-03-30T13:09:22.370+01:002011-03-30T13:09:22.370+01:00Hi Julian, I am a regular reader of your always i...Hi Julian, I am a regular reader of your always interesting blog and in general I have agreed with your sentiments. However I disagree with you concerning the RSGB. It has gone too far down the road of "dumbing down" of entry to the hobby. I was also a member for many years but have recently declined to renew my membership in protest. the implementation of the Foundation Licence has led to an influx of a marge minority people who have imported their "freebanding" and CB habits with them. Amateur radio is a technical pursuit; most of the recent licencees have no interest in this side of the hobby;it is seen as glorified CB. And for this I place the blame solely with the RSGB.<br />Jon G4FUTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com