wn9nbt@ecn-ee.UUCP (07/16/84)
#N:ecn-ee:14900002:000:418 ecn-ee!wn9nbt Jul 16 09:51:00 1984 I've heard that the Canadians have a no-code packet license and have had very few applicants. Something was posted to the net recently about the Japanese no-code license and I heard a few verbal comments that it had a very negative impact over there. These are things that I've heard, but does anyone have any facts on the 2 situations ? I'd be interested in hearing them. __... ...__ Dave pur-ee!wn9nbt
stephany.WBST@XEROX.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (07/20/84)
I heard that less than 250 no-code liceses have been issued so far inCanada since Jan of this year. Joe N2XS
tech@auvax.UUCP (Richard Loken) (07/25/84)
urp The Canadian packet licence is an extremely difficult exam I am told. It appears to me (somebody has disagreed at least once before) that the licence is aimed at Electrical Engineers and other highly skilled people who are looking for a corner to experiment in. Richard Loken
Ozaki.FX@XEROX.ARPA (08/07/84)
From: JE1RYH <Ozaki.FX@XEROX.ARPA> I guess this is a little bit out of time, but here is the situation of Japan. We have 4 classes of license -- Telephony class, Telegram(CW) class, 2-nd class, and 1-st class --, the first one is the easiest one and does NOT require code exams, unlike the other three. Therefore, about 85% to 90% of Japanese hams are of this class. We do have several limitations with this class, such as they can run 10-watts only, the bands allowed to operate are 3.5MHz, 7M, 21M, 28M, 50M, 144M, 430M, 1200M, and so on. Because of this EASY exam license, JA have so many hams -- maybe #1 population in the world -- and even 5-yrs old kid could pass the exam. They say that this no-code license have done many good things and also bad things. One good thing is that (as I mentioned above) so many hams means so many equipments, and YAESU, KENWOOD, ICOM and other Japanese rigs become the best qualities in the world now(does anyone disagree with this???). Negative impact with this license is that some hams (I wouldn't say 'many') operate just like CBers, because the exam without code is so easy that even 5-years old kid can pass -- that means they really don't have to know anything about technical stuff. Well, I would not say whether this situation is good or bad, but this is what happened with no-code license in Japan, anyway. Now what do you think? --... ...-- . ... ---.. ---.. -.. . .--- . .---- .-. -.-- .... /Yuki(JE1RYH, ex WB0SXU)
allan@noao.UUCP (08/10/84)
Yuki, Your article on no-code in Japan was very interesting. What are the requirements and privileges of the other three classes? In Great Britain there are 2 classes of licence, known as class A and class B. Class B only requires a written exam and gives all privileges above 144MHz (and maybe on 70 MHz too, I forget). Class A requires the same written test and also a 12wpm code test (sending as well as receiving), and gives full privileges on all bands. Can anyone else out there give information on the situation in other countries. Peter Allan (KA7RFO) Kitt Peak National Observatory Tucson, Az
Andreas.Nowatzyk@CMU-CS-A.ARPA (08/11/84)
West Germany has 3 classes: A, B, C
All of them require a written test and some formal prerequisites. In
addition, A and B require code test at 30 and 60 char/min. Tests are
divide into 3 sections and the min score required depends on the class:
(eg. for technical skills A > 65%, B > 75%, C > 50%). Class characteristics:
A: Most HF bands with Pout < 150W, all other bands, Pout < 75 for f > 146Mhz
B: All HF bands with Pout < 750W, all other bands, Pout < 75 for f > 146MHz
C: No HF bands , Rest similar to A
Notes: There is less spectrum available: No 220MHz at all, only 10MHz
on 70cm and 2Mhz on 2m. There is a monthly fee for a active licence
of about $1/month. Finally, the situation on 2m is no worse than here
and there are no problems on higher bands.
-- Andreas (DC5ZV)hardie@sask.UUCP (Peter Hardie) (08/13/84)
Canada has three amateur licenses: amateur, advanced amateur and digital. The amateur exam consists of a multiple choice exam on regulations, a written theory exam and 10wpm code test. This gives you access to all bands but only morse code is permitted on HF. (There are a couple of endorsements you can get on your license but they aren't important here) The advanced amateur exam has a multiple choice regulations test (again), a harder, written theory test and 15wpm morse code test. This gives you access to all bands and all modes except pulse modulation. The digital exam consists of the same regulations and written theory as the advanced amateur exam, but the code test is replaced by a further written exam on digital techniques. If you already have the advanced license then you only need to take the written digital part and this also gives you pulse modulation on top of everything else. If you only have the digital license then it gives you all permitted modes on all bands from 2 meters and up. I have all three licenses. The digital license seems to focus on packet radio theory and VHF/UHF propagation and although the math is quite simple you have to know what you are doing to answer the questions on packet radio throughput. The digital license certainly was not as popular as the DOC probably hoped. For what it is worth, my opinion is that studying for a reasonable technical exam takes as much effort as learning the code and therefore anyone too lazy to do one is also too lazy to do the other. I do NOT believe that the digital exam requires a B.Sc. to be able to pass it ... it is just as technical as the advanced exam but the focus is on digital techniques instead of analogue. The DOC has recently issued a notice in Part I of the Canada Gazette that it intends to change the amateur licensing system. If anyone has details of what they are up to I'd like to hear from you. My guess is that they will do away with the digital license and perhaps make our system similar to the British one with class A and B licenses. They may even change the written exams to multiple choice. Pete Hardie VE5BEL MAIL via ihnp4!sask!hardie