Good on you, I probably did at 16 but have forgotten most of it. My occupational path required me to have expertise in other fieldsWell, I learned just about every thing I needed to know to pass what we now call an Advanced licence by the time I was 14.
I may not agree with your view but I respect your right to say it. However wether you like it or not - things have changed and I doubt if the powers to be are going to come around and take the licence off the current F calls. Better to improve the current situation with the F licence then to simply ignore it - it will not go away infact the number of F calls should increase over time and in a way this is good for the community, the more amateurs out there the better and stronger we are. As to maintaining tradition - tradition is more then being able to read a circuit - a hell of a lot more - I think a lot of the F Calls join because of the tradition of commun ity, of learning from others, of wanting to help in situations of local and national disasters, in maning the local rural fire brigrade radios and simply to have chat , a lot of reasons - all part and parcel of the RA Traditions that you limit to a knowledge of electronics and probably morse.
of experiencing W6NUT repeater. I had a lot of QSO's with some very friendly folk on other repeaters whilst I was there, but did not dare put a call out on this repeater. For those interested in what I mean search W6NUT in youtube, but be warned.
. But seriously, this is the logical extension of the approach taken with the ACMA F-call inspections last year, and any good lawyer would be able to argue that this was not the intent of parliament to effectively outlaw HF amateur radio through the inability of licensed operators to obtain or construct complying equipment.
