<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>It's interesting this just came out today, Vinnie, as I just started putting my nose to the grindstone for my general about 4 days ago. It seems like maybe you should get it while you can, before something changes.<BR>----- Original Message -----<BR>From: "Vinnie Grosso" <vinnie@vinnievision.com><BR>To: 450@lists.vhfwiki.com<BR>Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 1:39:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern<BR>Subject: Re: [450] Fwd: ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio Question Pools<BR><BR>so this opens the door for the NCVEC to add more questions, if they like. And <BR>to open a new debate like the "code-- no-code" debate. All of it the wrong <BR>thing for Ham radio. I think the guy that proposed it, like Some folks, have a <BR>superiority complex. This is why 11 meters remains so popular. Also what <BR>*everyone* seems to forget, is that air waves are "public" and jump across <BR>boundaries without stopping.<BR><BR>just my 2 cents<BR><BR>On 20 Mar 2009 at 15:18, djmay@comcast.net wrote:<BR><BR>> <BR>> Food for thought...<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ----- Forwarded Message -----<BR>> From: "ARRL Web site" <memberlist@www.arrl.org><BR>> To: djmay@comcast.net<BR>> Cc: Subscribed ARRL Members:;<BR>> Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 9:32:33 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada<BR>> Eastern<BR>> Subject: ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur<BR>> Radio <BR>> Question Pools<BR>> <BR>> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB016<BR>> ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio<BR>> Question Pools<BR>> <BR>> ZCZC AG16<BR>> QST de W1AW <BR>> ARRL Bulletin 16 ARLB016<BR>> >From ARRL Headquarters <BR>> Newington CT March 20, 2009<BR>> To all radio amateurs <BR>> <BR>> SB QST ARL ARLB016<BR>> ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio<BR>> Question Pools<BR>> <BR>> In April 2008, Michael Mancuso, KI4NGN, of Raleigh, North<BR>> Carolina,<BR>> filed a petition with the FCC, seeking to increase the size of<BR>> the<BR>> question pools that make up the Amateur Radio licensing exams.<BR>> Mancuso sought to increase the question pool from 10 times the<BR>> number of questions on an exam to 50 times more questions. On<BR>> March<BR>> 19, 2009, the Commission notified Mancuso that it was denying<BR>> his<BR>> petition.<BR>> <BR>> In his 2008 petition, Mancuso claimed that the current question<BR>> pool<BR>> is too easy to memorize and "that there has been a significant<BR>> increase in the number of Amateur Radio operators receiving<BR>> their<BR>> licenses over at least the last decade or more who do not appear<BR>> to<BR>> possess the knowledge indicated by the class of license that<BR>> they<BR>> have received. Most discussion about this topic, both on the air<BR>> and<BR>> on Internet forums, generally refers to these widespread<BR>> observations as the 'dumbing down' of Amateur Radio. It has<BR>> been<BR>> widely assumed that the cause of this observed situation is<BR>> based<BR>> upon the subject material addressed by the license<BR>> examinations,<BR>> that the material requirements specified for the examinations<BR>> does<BR>> [sic] not meet some minimum level of knowledge expected by some<BR>> or<BR>> many in the Amateur Radio community."<BR>> <BR>> The FCC pointed out to Mancuso that ea<BR><BR><BR>Vincent Grosso<BR>Vontage and Cell 917-546-6661<BR>The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent it<BR>Carl Mangold<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>450 mailing list<BR>450@lists.vhfwiki.com<BR>http://lists.vhfwiki.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/450<BR></div></body></html>