Scott,  The main reason I upgraded was just to prove to myself that I could
still do it.  A General was enough for me for over 45 years and then a
couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to see if I could relearn enough
to get the extra.  I did and I am glad of it.

73,

Bob wa0kzb


-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Scott Howell
Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 5:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: To upgrade or not

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