Hi...
What gives, is that foot traffic is a drag on sales... A phone customer is
going to buy most (95%) of the time... He is not is not asking to play with
"that other radio" and having a pile of equipment on the counter (which
increases the risk of theft and damage, not so incidentally), and keeping the
clerk tied up for an hour, or more... A multi thousand dollar sale on the
phone usually takes less than ten minutes and leaves the clerk free for six,
or more, additional sales in that hour... Foot traffic will take more than an
hour for one multi thousand dollar sale, and OFTEN does not consumate the
purchase in the end... Those businesses who will survive in ham radio (and
many others) will put more of their salary dollars into phone / internet
sales, and less into store front sales... The evolution of society
continues... Love it - or - Leave it... You have no other choice...
Denny
>From nt5c@easy.com (John Warren) Fri May 24 18:34:36 1996
From: nt5c@easy.com (John Warren) (John Warren)
Subject: License Testing Requirements
Message-ID: <1379181249-132636749@BANJO.EASY.COM>
Tony Brock-Fisher wrote:
|I always figured it was just a matter of time before they finally
|dropped CW from the international treaties. I had hoped they would
|replace it with some other technical testing requirement that would
|act as a filter...
That's the first sensible thing I've ever seen Tony write
(i.e. it's the first time I've ever agreed with him).
Ideally, reaching Extra Class should be like majoring at college. They
don't make EVERYBODY pass an Organic Chemistry test, regardless of whether
they are majoring in English Literature, Physical Education, Computer
Science, or whatever. They try to give the students a good GENERAL
background, and then teach and test intensively in the SPECIALTY at which
the student wants to excel. It's too bad that the need to reduce costs will
inevitably prevent us from doing the same in amateur radio.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a basic test in the regulations, simple
electronics, propagation, etc (Basic License Class, 2M and 70cm FM only),
and then one had to choose "majors" in which to move up. Options might be
such topics as Satellites, Amateur TV, SSB Operations, and CW Proficiency.
I'm sure this august group of contesters (got that word in) will think of
other topics. Serious, but specific tests would be given for each major
(probably at two levels - General and Extra), and - exactly as in college -
many people would qualify in multiple majors. Operating privileges would
correspond to the levels/majors passed.
I've always thought that the most technically advanced and innovative
people in amateur radio today are the Satellite folks. With this plan, they
could rightly become Extra Class - just like the sophisticated types who
happen to like CW, and us SSB barbarians.
Too bad it's just an expensive dream.
John, NT5C.
|