Will we ever get the license structure right?

Ever since the incentive licensing fiasco of the 1960s, amateur radio operators have been complaining about the licensing structure. I’m not sure why we seem to constantly debate the topic. I guess hams think that if we just keep tweaking it, we’ll finally get it calibrated just right and everyone will be motivated to upgrade to Extra and the bands will be jammed 24/7.

One of the latest proposals is on eHam. There, W2EV, asks us to consider giving Technicians some limited phone priveleges on the HF bands. He writes:

Technicians already have (vastly unused) CW privileges on 80 meters, 40 meters and 15 meters. Suppose they had HF voice privileges on those same bands, too! Something as simple as the same spectrum that General Class licensees enjoy, but restricted to 10 watts (I’m just spit-balling the power-level, for discussions’ sake).

Of course, this proposal was met with much opposition, many of whom said that the General Class test is not that much harder than the Tech test, and it’s really not that much to ask that people who want to operate HF upgrade to General. Another interesting comment was that Techs be given digital privileges in addition to CW privileges. I kind of like that idea.

Another, more radical approach was proposed by that iconoclast, Jeff, KE9V. He suggests doing away with testing altogether. I think a lot of what he has to say is true, but there are several problems with his approach.

First, article 25.6 of the ITU Radio Regulations states:

25.6 2) Administrations shall verify the operational and technical qualifications of any person wishing to operate an amateur station. Guidance for standards of competence may be found in the most recent version of Recommendation ITU-R M.1544. (WRC-03)

That is generally taken to mean administering tests, although Recommendation IRU-R M.1544 does seem to give some leeway. It recommends, “that administrations take such measures as they judge necessary to verify the operational and technical qualifications of any person wishing to operate an amateur station.” I suppose this verification could take place by a method other than by testing.

Therein lies the rub. Jeff doesn’t really propose a new method for issuing licenses, except to suggest that local clubs somehow facilitate the process. I’ve been to a lot of clubs over the past ten years or so, and I don’t think that many of them are really set up to do this. Nor do they have the desire or wherewithal to do it.

I don’t think we’re  ever going to get it right. Besides, if we did, what would we complain about?

The post Will we ever get the license structure right? appeared first on KB6NU’s Ham Radio Blog.

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