XPost: uk.radio.amateur, rec.radio.amateur.policy   
   From: headstone255.but.not.these.five.words@yahoo.com   
      
   Time was when the only possessors of personal communications   
   equipment were the plodderies, squadderies and we radio hams.   
      
   Over the weekend I was in permanent 9 hour QSOs with 25   
   other people on a single PMR frequency as we fence judged   
   a BE equestrian cross country event. The use of these radios   
   and the concomitant conversations at least had some purpose,   
   some relevance.   
      
   None of them needed to be examined on their ability to operate   
   pushbutton radios, because personal communications is now   
   in the range of facilities available to the man on the Clapham   
   omnibus 24 : 7 : 365 1/4.   
      
   Amateur radio has largely degenerated to a pushbutton world   
   peopled by those who operate only, who do not understand the innards   
   of their rigs (especially when it comes to sideband and sidetone?)   
   and who return their rigs to emporia if ever needing repair.   
      
   Prior to WWII (Started by Brit, of course, because had Germany   
   withdrawn from Poland as demanded, Brit would not have declared it)   
   there was no technical examination, no RAE, no foundation, intermediate   
   or "advanced" examinations. All that was need was a certified   
   declaration from a person of social standing that the candidate   
   had a genuine TECHNICAL interest. There was, of course, a 12 WPM   
   Morse test to be passed.   
      
   Now that the Morse requirement has passed and the radio amateur   
   is indistinguishable from the man on the Clapham omnibus in terms   
   of his familiarity with and possession of personal communications   
   equipment, is it high time to abolish all qualifying examinations   
   for amateur radio, and for it to be lumped in with CB radio, the   
   latter never having had any examination requirement anyway?   
      
   Also, as amateur radio is no longer an esoteric specialist   
   interest, the advantage of such a free-for-all is that there   
   will be no further purpose in the continuation of the RSGB and   
   all its works.   
      
   --   
   Take this NG back from the ravages of the usual nonces.   
   Start a technical thread today and behave in a gentlemanly fashion!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)