XPost: uk.radio.amateur   
   From: roger@hayter.org   
      
   Alan  wrote:   
      
   > Roger Hayter  wrote:   
   >   
   > > A level of practical competence that I had acquired from books by age   
   > > 14, so unremarkable, but a level of social tolerance and sociablity   
   > > greater than some of us wished to acquire, especially at that age.   
   >   
   > Yes, me too (practical competance), the point being that this now   
   > mandatory, and done under supervision, meaning that today's Intermediate   
   > amateurs can solder safely, construct circuits, use test equipment, operate   
   > and calibrate radio equipment, tune antennas, and set up a station.   
   > Previously, it was all theory and anyone with a decent memory and no   
   > practical skills, could pass. I fail to see why others from the   
   > RAE-generation are so opposed to the newer generation having to demonstrate   
   > practical as well as theoretical competence. Surely, this is a positive   
   > change, no?   
   >   
   > BR de Al   
      
   I'm not opposed to it.   Except in the sense it has now become a social   
   endurance test rather than an exam.   If it were formal education and   
   formal testing through, say, a technical college rather than through   
   potentially dubious local volunteers I would only applaud it.  I did   
   rather object to the suggestion that entry was harder, though apparently   
   you only meant to the full licence.   
      
      
      
   --   
      
   Roger Hayter   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)