The SS-B Closes In

[W3RSW]

Very nice allegory      I like it, particularly the waffen SS font.
Might be a typo between frames one and two.
The Upper freq. should be declining rather that rising as the AM window is squeezed.

[W7XXX]

Here is the history of the AM and the SSB conflict in music as played on a flamenco guitar. See MP3 clip below. You can hear the angel music at the beginning, then SSB turns the bands ugly, then things seem to get better with the gentleman's agreements ... then there is nothing but turmoil until the off harmony end....

Disclaimer: This is for entertainment purposes only and not to be recorded in the archives of amateur radio history as gospel.

[KA1ZGC]

Might be a typo between frames one and two.
The Upper freq. should be declining rather that rising as the AM window is squeezed.

Huh? Last time I checked, 3893 < 3900, and 3883 < 3893.

[W3RSW]

Huh? Last time I checked, 3893 < 3900, and 3883 < 3893.

Oooops , I was reading it backwards.
Dyslexic 

[AB5S]

Just for fun ... here is a closer view of my prophesy circa 1990's....

heh heh... I like it.

"Izza Ex-Tra Now!"
http://home.netcom.com/~arc5/izextra.jpg

[WB2YGF]

[flame suit on]

Meh...I don't think the correlation between having to learn Morse code and being a good Extra class ham is all that tight.  I am sure there are at least as many 20 WPM LIDS as there are highly skilled professionals who would have made great hams, but were turned off by having to learn the code.

[AB5S]

[flame suit on]
 I am sure there are at least as many 20 WPM LIDS as there are highly skilled professionals who would have made great hams, but were turned off by having to learn the code.

Well, to be fair; I supported dropping code for lower class licenses.
We are forced to bend with some winds, lest we break.
But we don't have to bend over double and *smooch.*
Dropping code for the Extra was a needless mistake, and it will cost us.
That said:

I'm sure there are many people who want to be rock stars,
but are turned off by the work needed to learn how to play a guitar.
I'm sure there are many who want to be astronauts, but
are turned off by the physical and mental requirements.
If a person is "turned off" by the work needed to be excellent,
he should resign himself to mediocrity.

Our society continues to drop standards because
people are lazy and unmotivated,
demanding instant gratification without effort,
and vote for (mis)leaders who enable their sloth.
There needs to be a dividing line between the blundering herd,
which goes from womb to tomb and leaves nothing behind
but expended resources, dung and hot air,
and the "one percenters," who will do the work.

One old fart's opinion ;-).
73 Dave S.

[Tom WA3KLR]

Jack 'ZyelR,

If not an NPRM consider it the WA3KLR Band Plan as opposed to the IARU Band Plan or the ARRRGhL Band Plan.  If they can have one I can have one.

Now should the minimum spacing between AM QSOs be 6 kilohertz or 12 kilohertz?  (I am soliciting ARRL non-members also for feedback!)

[W1UJR]

Where is W2OY when we need him?

See attached audio file.

[W9GT]

[
I'm sure there are many people who want to be rock stars,
but are turned off by the work needed to learn how to play a guitar.
I'm sure there are many who want to be astronauts, but
are turned off by the physical and mental requirements.
If a person is "turned off" by the work needed to be excellent,
he should resign himself to mediocrity.

Our society continues to drop standards because
people are lazy and unmotivated,
demanding instant gratification without effort,
and vote for (mis)leaders who enable their sloth.
There needs to be a dividing line between the blundering herd,
which goes from womb to tomb and leaves nothing behind
but expended resources, dung and hot air,
and the "one percenters," who will do the work.

One old fart's opinion ;-).
73 Dave S.

Well stated Dave and I agree.  However, we have to be careful and not blame newcomers to amateur radio for the relaxation of the license requirements.   This issue has been beaten to death in previous postings on this board and I have previously been lambasted for expressing my opinion.  I do, however, understand and respect the position that we need to encourage new people by setting a good example and helping to instruct them in the fine points.  It is self-defeating to bad-mouth new licensees because they didn't have to jump through the same hoops that we did to get our tickets.

I am not any different from many "seasoned" hams who feel some degree of resentment over the changes in the licensing process.  I do, however, always want to encourage the growth of the hobby and I understand that it just isn't fair to people who are just starting out to blame them for the changes.  I guess we just need to continue enjoying the hobby for what it is and promote the specialties within it that we enjoy.  There are still many people who enjoy CW as well as AM phone in spite of the fact that those modes are considered archaic and outdated by many.  Even though demonstration of CW proficiency is no longer required, a large number of new licensees are enjoying learning and getting on CW every day.

Just my thoughts as a semi-OT licensed in '59.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[W7XXX]

[flame suit on]

Meh...I don't think the correlation between having to learn Morse code and being a good Extra class ham is all that tight.  I am sure there are at least as many 20 WPM LIDS as there are highly skilled professionals who would have made great hams, but were turned off by having to learn the code.

There is no correlation ... none ...none at all, but that isn't the issue. The code was the only thing stopping many from getting the Extra class. I would agree to dropping the code had the written part of the test been revised to more difficulty and including vintage electronics such as drawing schematics, etc. knowing ham history, and also having SERVED TIME AS A GENERAL CLASS FOR 5 YEARS.

Sure there are hundreds of LIDS that learned 20wpm, but now there are thousands of LIDS without the code jamming up the bands. Instead of resolving an antiquated licensing procedure, they created a mass welfare state, being given privileges they didn't earn. The code was irrelevant to modern hamming so its deletion should have been replaced by some other relevant proof of knowledge and time served.

Gnaw on this ... we see no code licensed extras attempting to make CW contacts in the extra portion of the 80 mtr band running less than 5 wpm. It is not a big issue, but just goes to show the result of deregulation. The deleting of CODE was NOT about an unfair practice or the no need for code anymore, but rather a way of licensing thousands of hams to BUY all the mass foreign made ham gear. It was all about greed not about updating amateur radio licensing and procedures.

Why doesn't the ARRL and FCC deregulate the power an AM station can run? Why not at least 1kw OUTPUT on AM?

What difference does it make if a rule is started requiring a 6kc spacing between qso's? Who is going to enforce it? What about all the operator that never ID? What about the ones using others ID's? What about all the hams running illegal power? What about all the ones using profanity?

Unless the foreign mass manufacture of ham gear is stopped, there is no hope ... it will only get worse.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I agree. There were no bad operators before foreign manufactured radios came on the market.

[W4EWH]

[flame suit on]

Meh...I don't think the correlation between having to learn Morse code and being a good Extra class ham is all that tight.  I am sure there are at least as many 20 WPM LIDS as there are highly skilled professionals who would have made great hams, but were turned off by having to learn the code.

There is no correlation ... none ...none at all, but that isn't the issue. The code was the only thing stopping many from getting the Extra class. I would agree to dropping the code had the written part of the test been revised to more difficulty and including vintage electronics such as drawing schematics, etc. knowing ham history, and also having SERVED TIME AS A GENERAL CLASS FOR 5 YEARS.

[Adjusts asbestos longjohns]

You are both correct. Although I'd bet that the "Old law" Extras such as I are much better behaved on CW than we are on phone, it's true that knowing the code doesn't teach common sense or courtesy. I also agree that many "no code" Extras would have benefited from a more demanding technical test, although I would drop some of the theoretical questions and include more practical knowledge, especially about emergency communications.

I have said this before, here and elsewhere: CW was a requirement for hams because Uncle Sam wanted a trained pool of operators that he could put to work quickly if a war broke out. When CW went away¹, so did the need for hams to know it.  The question that never seems to get brought up is this: "Where do we go from here?"

Do the SSB'ers hate AM'ers? I doubt it: they're just ashamed that they don't have the same camaraderie and irreverent attitude as the guys they hear on AM. Do SSB'ers intend to drive AM off the air? I doubt that, too: if AM is gone, they have no devil to rant about, and thus nothing to make themselves feel good. I've said this before, too: many "deficient personality" types take up ham radio or other hobbies because it's a safe place to be a jerk. After all, if they did it at home, the temple gates would slam shut for a month (Kudos to W1IA), and if they did it at work they'd get fired. Ergo, they make asses of themselves by annoying us - or anyone else who will listen.

[Re-adjusts asbestos longjohns]

The solution is to call off the battle: reach out to those who plague us, and offer them help to improve their stations, their skills, and (you heard it here first) their on-air personalities. It's not AM vs. SSB: it's the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, and no one can remember why or how it started.

73,

Bill W1AC

1.) If we need a date to put on CW's tombstone, the Coast Guard decision to stop monitoring 500 KHz would do as well as any other.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

You make some good points Bill. But I think you are dead wrong if you think that there are no SSB ops who hate AM/AM ops. I think you were speaking generally, and there I agree. But it only takes a few specific cases of AM haters to cause an inordinate amount of problems.

I recall being regularly QRMed/jammed by SSBers on 3875 kHz back in the 90's. So, one night a bunch of us got on the frequency using SSB. We operated and acted just as we did on AM. Guess what? There was NO jamming - none all night, for a span of 4 hours or more. It had nothing to do with our camaraderie, personalities, the amount of fun we were have or anything else. It had to do with the MODE we were using. There are plenty of SSB ops/groups that have fun and good camaraderie. Maybe some resent the fun we have, but they resent that we use AM far more.

You ask the question, where do we go from here? I don't know that we need to go anywhere. AM continues to grow in popularity and on air activity. As Don-K4KYV says, find a clear frequency, turn up the wick and ignore the QRMers.

[KB5MD]

Then there are the sometime AMers that gripe about SSB but don't hesitate to
get down in the so-called window and have there group on SSB when there are AM qso's in progress 3-4 KHz away!

[W7XXX]

You make some good points Bill. But I think you are dead wrong if you think that there are no SSB ops who hate AM/AM ops. I think you were speaking generally, and there I agree. But it only takes a few specific cases of AM haters to cause an inordinate amount of problems.

I agree!

I know for a fact that there are those that resent (hate) AM based on bandwidth.

I know for a fact that many AM'ers also operate SSB and usually on modern gear. Are they really AM'ers or MM'ers (Multi Moders)?

I know for a fact that 11 meters AM is full of lids that never learned code.

I know for a fact that what I know for a fact doesn't matter, in fact very few hams, of any kind, give a fat rats tail.

SSB use to stand for Single Side Band but I took the liberty of changing it to Super Bad Breath. I say this in fun as in reality the problem is not the mode but the operator. We have digital jammers now, so SSB isn't the only offender. Jammers some times use an AM carrier and it is just as annoying as monkey chatter.

Strange the many that oppose Morse code, use internet abbreviations, CB 10 codes, old Morse code spelling, and Q codes. Could Morse code have been an influence on these codes? Maybe yes, maybe no, but codes do play a part in modern communications. Knowledge of Morse code never hurt anyone.

RRR es 10-4 on the qrm es qrn om es lol es pimp abt the jam r. i c u on utube agn 73 fer now xyl calls.

[KA1ZGC]

11 Meter AM ops would still be lids if they knew the code. Don't kid yourself.

As far as rigs and licensing go, consider this:

When I got my Novice, I took it through a VE because the FCC wasn't giving tests anymore, and that was my only option. Don't blame me for that.

When I got my General, I only took a 13 WPM test, because they weren't giving 15 WPM tests anymore. Don't blame me for that.

When I got my Advanced, it was a kneejerk impulse with no studying involved and I passed. Not my fault, either.

The people currently getting no-code licenses are getting them because that's the only license being offered now. Holding that against them is seriously misguided.

Since nobody's teaching these newcomers anything about anything (because it's much less effort to piss and moan about the fact they don't know anything), it should be no suprise that they've been buying pre-made rigs from the manufacturers who offer the most flexibility and "features"; rather than buying single-band kits, which are about the only things still made in this country, and let's face it: most of what is generated by American companies for ham radio consumption looks like tossed-together garbage. The Japs out-did us, admit it. That's why Hallicrafters finally folded after their ghastly FPM-300, and Drake is out of the ham radio business altogether (they got smart and turned their attention to sattelite gear for broadcast service).

On the other hand, I got licensed as a Novice in 1991 at the age of 19, my first rig was a Drake TR-4 which I resurrected (while everyone else was getting their code-free Techs and buying riceboxes, HTs, G5RV kits and pre-made J-poles), and have always had American-made tube gear in my shack. See for yourself, it's all in the gallery. Not everyone who came into this hobby after a given point in time should be painted with the same brush.

Blaming a lack of code requirement, asian-made radios, the FCC, or any of these for the fact that some sidebanders feel it's their duty to jam us is nonsense. The jamming started long before the code requirement was dropped, long before the asians took over the rig market, and long before the 1500W PEP rule.

Those things may be contributing now (and I'm not sure I even buy that), but they were never the cause; and while pissing-and-moaning about them may make you feel better, it adds nothing to the discussion of how we are eagerly letting ourselves get bullied and beat up in the name of peace.

--Thom
Killer Agony One Zipper Got Caught

[k4kyv]

I'm sure there are many people who want to be rock stars,
but are turned off by the work needed to learn how to play a guitar.
I'm sure there are many who want to be astronauts, but
are turned off by the physical and mental requirements.
If a person is "turned off" by the work needed to be excellent,
he should resign himself to mediocrity.

Our society continues to drop standards because
people are lazy and unmotivated,
demanding instant gratification without effort,
and vote for (mis)leaders who enable their sloth.
There needs to be a dividing line between the blundering herd,
which goes from womb to tomb and leaves nothing behind
but expended resources, dung and hot air,
and the "one percenters," who will do the work.

One old fart's opinion

Another old fart (SK) tells it like it is:

George Carlin on Edumacation

Why doesn't the ARRL and FCC deregulate the power an AM station can run? Why not at least 1kw OUTPUT on AM?

Do you really think the FCC gives a rat's arse about how much power you run, as long as you aren't generating more hassles, or creating more work for them, with things like RFI complaints?

[W2ZE]

Those things may be contributing now (and I'm not sure I even buy that), but they were never the cause; and while pissing-and-moaning about them may make you feel better, it adds nothing to the discussion of how we are eagerly letting ourselves get bullied and beat up in the name of peace.

Here!Here!

Reality of it all is this folks:

If you run PW power, you are going to have to pick and chose your operating times carefully. The more strap-essent signal you run, the less this is the case.
I have talked to both the 3892 and marconi net ring leaders, and there is just no reasoning there. They make grandios claims of recording signals, and calling/writing the FCC to get those AM'ers off the air; but reality is, they don't and they won't.
As many have said in the past:

Strap and ignore![/b]

Mike, W2ZE

[Opcom]

Tom,

"channelized" frequency allocations?

Have to outlaw VFOs .   

I don't prefer channelizing and I don't prefer demanding a +/-8Hz accuracy. CB-like channelizing is not a very good idea for ham radio.

I don't think ssb users will agree to the same channelizing scheme that would be acceptable for AM. Channelizing for AM could waste spectrum when no AM station was present and channelizing for SSB could crowd the normal and acceptable AM emissions. If one considers a sharp cut at 3KC for audio resulting in a 6KC channel, then yes fine for SSB where the DC to 200Hz region isn't much in use and the real BW is more like 2800Hz giving a 200Hz guard band, but that does not work quite as well as it should for AM, where DC to 200Hz is in use due to the carrier and for the same effective BW now 3000Hz is needed on each side of the carrier and there is no guard band. It becomes a mess very quickly because the relative optimal bandwidths do not match up that well no matter what hypothetical bandwidths I have used here. And I say these are hypothetical because I have seen wider and narrower emissions on both modes depending on the equipment.

To digress for a moment because in any discussion of channelization bandwidth comes up:
It was proposed to the FCC by some technically uninformed hams to limit bandwidth in hardware, even demanding that filters be put between mike and the (insert mode here) rig. The rebuttal is that it's not the bandwidth going in that matters, and it would be an unreasonable burden to operators to have to modify their gear internally at several points to prevent emission more than a certain width.
Some rigs have very complicated analog signal processing, audio AGC, clipping, TX RF AGC/compression fed back to the audio stage, and then ALC on top of that, and this is not going to work on them. The field is full of such rigs. I will for this example cite the AN/GRC-106 which has a 4KC bandwidth on SSB/FSK, as defined by the USB filter on 1.75MHz, not easily re-engineered. The rig modulates fully whether whispering or shouting into the mike, perfect for the battlefield. So there's a real king of SSB rigs, yet it is wider than most commerical SSB ham gear. It ticks off SSB operators when the band is crowded. And it's an SSB rig! Some people cannot be accommodated no matter what the mode is. Most SSB operators are decent people. The few that are not are the kinds that would eat their own brother (i.e. the aforementioned military SSB rig being subject to their jamming because it's a little wide)


VFO accuracy:
Old VFOs and TX's, and other signal sources that are not "test equipment or appliances" drift slightly (Would my Icom IC-706 plastic radio even hold 8Hz?).

Why CB has litle conflict on AM vs SSB:
One reason AM and SSB on CB get along is that the TX bandwidth inside the radios is often unnaturally narrow.
Another reason is that AM is generally used below channel 24 and SSB is generally used above channel 23.
Another reason is that aside from channel 19 and any local groups, the channels within the "range" of a listener are mostly unoccupied.
Another reason is that CB is a short-distance (supposedly) niche with a couple three uses today: chit chat, trucking, and traveler information.

HF Ham radio is much different due to the great distances possible, higher power limits for almost everyone, and the many more active users.

[W7XXX]

Thanks for the George Carlin, Don ... my wife says his rant and rave sounds like me.

I agree, they don't care until complaints are filed. I have one neighbor that bought a vcr tv combo that picks me up even without the cable connected. When the cable company and police came to investigate, I showed them the FCC disclaimer when one buys a piece of unshielded junk like this vcr. I fired up the transmitter showed them it was below legal power out, showed the technician from the cable company (an old navy technician) how it looked on my scope and they were satisfied, but told the neighbor they could complain to the FCC if they wanted. They did and the FCC didn't investigate after reviewing the police report. Had I had a rig capable of illegal power, I am sure the FCC would have come to visit. If it was legal to run more power, I would and the neighbors with their unauthorized shortwave vcr, would have to accept it. BUT it ain't gonna happen. FCC as a whole doesn't care about ham radio anymore.

KA1ZGC ...The issues I discussed in a previous post are not when jamming started, but it did add to the problem. I have been building radios and listening since 1956 and licensed in 1964. Many of the jammers are not intentional and simply don't understand the first come first serve rule of ham radio. There is however intentional jammers that plan and organize jamming. They are not new either, but it seems to me much worse with the give away license program. They get tired of contesting and all the other things one can do as a ham, so they become jammers. They are the same mentality of the types that design internet virus. Sometimes it is boredom IMO. Why is it that many hams think every citizen of the USA needs to be a ham? It usually comes down to a special interest ... join a ham club ... support a repeater, join the ARRL and pay dues, and buy gear.

I don't blame you for taking advantage of the system, if one wants to be a ham then they do whatever is required at the time of their licensing.

How are you going to feel the day they dispose of licensing ... no test required?

I have always been willing to help newcomers interested in vintage homebrewing. I enjoy it. I spend way more time discussing homebrewing on the internet than transmitting on the ham bands. I use to spend it building, but my health doesn't allow it much anymore.

As I told you in my PM, I will be glad to share my knowledge and experiences in homebrewing my 3x 813 xmtr. One suggestion I have now is to buy some of the 50's ARRL Handbooks and also the Bill Orr Radio Handbooks of that era. Do some studying and decide what you want to do. Then start collecting the components. I have sold off most of my high power components, so I can't help there.

Don't take it personal when some of us bemoan the bygone days. No one is blaming one such as yourself for taking advantage of the VEC licensing or becoming a ham ... because you have genuine interest.

I think it is great we have younger hams such as yourself wanting to build an AM transmitter.

[KA1ZGC]

First off, I have received no PMs from you whatsoever, so I have no idea what you're talking about.

Second, using phrases such as "taking advantage of the system" suggests that you regard me (or anyone not licensed before you) as a second-class citizen. It's very patronizing. I assure you, sir, I "took advantage" of absolutely nothing to get my license. My license is every bit as valid as yours.

If they eliminate licensing altogether, I will probably feel no different than I do today. To get a license today doesn't require the same effort that it required when I got licensed, either. I don't use that as an excuse to pre-judge a person's character, nor will I if the license requirement is dropped.

As far as the "do some studying and decide what you want to do" line goes; well, thanks for talking down to me even more, but I've been licensed for 18 years now, have done plenty of studying, and plenty of homebrewing, thankyouverymuch. Please don't assume I'm some kind of idiot just because I'm younger than you, or didn't get licensed the same way. It kind of flies in the face of trying to convince me otherwise.

As far as the advice offer goes, you can keep it. I'll take my advice from those that can treat others with some respect.

Thanks, and have a nice day.

[W1EUJ]

Born 1981 - too lazy to show up for the 60's.

Licenced 1996 - no-code Tech, just a memorizer.

Upgraded to Extra on 5 WPM 2005 - if I had spend more time during college on code instead of girls, Ida got that 20 WPM.

Switched calls from N1XZB, for the street cred.

Became a VE 2007 - the child becomes the master.

Became OO 2008 - somebody has to keep those wide AM stations in check.

W7XXX, look into the eyes of a man ruining your hobby. I'm rolling down your street, me and the FCC, and we are coming to replace your homebrew with a Yaesu FT-DX9000. Make some room on your bench, we're pulling up now...

VVVVV

[W7XXX]

First off, I have received no PMs from you whatsoever, so I have no idea what you're talking about.

Second, using phrases such as "taking advantage of the system" suggests that you regard me (or anyone not licensed before you) as a second-class citizen. It's very patronizing. I assure you, sir, I "took advantage" of absolutely nothing to get my license. My license is every bit as valid as yours.


As far as the advice offer goes, you can keep it. I'll take my advice from those that can treat others with some respect.

Thanks, and have a nice day.

I apologize KA1ZGC, I had you confused with another KA Zed AM ham that PM'ed me for advice. My comments were directed in answer to his PM and your post., so I understand your confusion and getting excited.

I do not assume any of the things you conceive I do. Some of the generalizations we make shouldn't be taken so serious, like the reference to slopbucket or boatanchor. it doesn't mean the operator of either is inferior to the other. Recently I was in qso on AM at 3875 and one of the group says, "I think i will pullthe plug on this boatanchor and go up to 3890 and operate a little slopbucket. No one was offended.

I understand there are some AM'ers that will not continue a qso if one of the newer AM hams joins in ... but that is not me. Most of my qso's are with hams running modern solid state gear Asian made gear or riceboxes as we call them. it doesn't mean the operator is inferior or not as smart as the guy running boatanchors or homebrew, because some of the best old time electronics communications engineers I know run all modern gear.

I use the term welfare ticket simply meaning no code, it doesn't mean you did not work for it, it just means you didn't have to bother with the code that eliminated many from upgrading in the old days. it is a gift compared to the old ways.

[Opcom]

[flame suit on]
 I am sure there are at least as many 20 WPM LIDS as there are highly skilled professionals who would have made great hams, but were turned off by having to learn the code.

Well, to be fair; I supported dropping code for lower class licenses.
We are forced to bend with some winds, lest we break.
But we don't have to bend over double and *smooch.*
Dropping code for the Extra was a needless mistake, and it will cost us.
That said:

I'm sure there are many people who want to be rock stars,
but are turned off by the work needed to learn how to play a guitar.
I'm sure there are many who want to be astronauts, but
are turned off by the physical and mental requirements.
If a person is "turned off" by the work needed to be excellent,
he should resign himself to mediocrity.

Our society continues to drop standards because
people are lazy and unmotivated,
demanding instant gratification without effort,
and vote for (mis)leaders who enable their sloth.
There needs to be a dividing line between the blundering herd,
which goes from womb to tomb and leaves nothing behind
but expended resources, dung and hot air,
and the "one percenters," who will do the work.

One old fart's opinion ;-).
73 Dave S.

I have an opinion that is not exactly opposite, but close to it. My argument applies only to the CW portion.

The "indolent" argument, not unlike the old worm that never dies, will likely never go away and I'm tempted to roll my eyes every time I hear that vacuous old moan (often accompanied by much wailing and gnashing of teeth). In lieu of the CW portion, I would have favored a more difficult written examination or a demonstration of theoretical knowledge and actual proficiency in a technologically advanced mode. I as much said so regarding the ease of the written tests in a comment to the FCC during the period of time reserved for comments on the CW testing issue.

I wonder if a person's technical ability and contributions are not worth something in the world of technological progress today? Putting so much value on proficiency in one single mode across the board is not logical any more. I'm one of a detachment responsible for a military radio and data communications network for voice, data, VoIP, video, WWW, and e-mail, covering 10,000 square miles+ and operating on analog and digital HF through UHF (plus the satcom portion which I won't go into) for several years now.

We need some good communication-electronics men by the way if anyone is in Texas and has an interest in doing some paid military commo during emergencies for the state.

The extra written test was no challenge for my knowledge of communications technology or practice. It wasn't even as challenging as the FCC General Radiotelephone test I passed in '86. If anyone wants for an example of work left behind to the benefit of others, they are invited to see patent 6,313,878 and soon-to-be-granted and most excitingly high tech application 20070187603.

So, I don't accept the argument of laziness.

not a rebuttal, just my take on the CW-for-extra!  8-P