All,

I happen to have a conversation with a friend who like myself is working on upgrading from General to Extra. The conversation turned to whether upgrading from General to Extra would really be of any value. Now I am really interested in your thoughts, but I do not really want to hear a bunch of crap either because I know there are some really strong opinions on expanding knowledge etc. You can learn and expand knowledge without upgrading your ticket obviously, so that is not the issue.
THe conversation surrounded the question of added privileges in operating in lower parts of the HF band. So, the question is beyond the added band privileges and the fact you can call yourself and Extra:
(1) Why did you upgrade and
(2) Does it really make that much of a difference?
I think one of his issues was learning the technical material such as the math etc. would be a challenge and since he really is not interested in building equipmentt. He obviously appreciates his responsibility for operating his equipment and maintaining his equipment so he operates as a responsible Ham.
Again, I am not looking to start a hostile thread over appliance operators vs those who want to learn the technical knowledge. So, before you respond, step back and consider the topic before just firing off comments based on your initial reaction because those comments may not be constructive. Hey not everyone feels the need to upgrade and I personally see nothing wrong with that. SOme are more interested in the communications skills aspect of operating than the technical side as has been observed on this list in the not to distant past.
THanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration and responses.

73
Scott/N3BYY