There has always been this ongoing pixxing contest regarding what the standards should be to have an amateur radio license.
With regard to personal opinions on the forums, it always seems to come down to this:
An applicant has to prove he or she is "... at least as good as I THINK I am ...", no matter if that "I" person is a high school dropout, pilot, technician, engineer or Nobel laureate.
Pretty subjective and funny, if you think about it. And no operator, no matter how bad their habits EVER says "I don't belong here!".
Some may think that way. Most don't. And of course Dunning-Kruger Effect is common.
The simple fact is, 99.99999% of hams today couldn't repair a modern radio, let alone build one (unless its a "Lego" kit) to save their lives, nor do they have access to the equipment needed to do so. And it was pretty much the same back in the '60's. (Remember Heathkit, Allied, etc.?).
Let's do the math!
99% is 99 out of 100
99.9% is 999 out of 1,000
99.99% is 9,999 out of 10,000
99.999% is 99,999 out of 100,000
99.9999% is 999,999 out of 1,000,000
99.99999% is 9,999,999 out of 10,000,000
IOW, you're saying only 1 in 10 million hams couldn't repair a "modern" radio, let alone build one.
But that's clearly not the case. 99% might not be able to, but not 99.99999%.
And I remember the 1960s and the kits. Hams built them in the tens of thousands - for many years, the HW-101 was the most popular amateur radio transceiver ever sold. You may call them "Lego kits", but they took a bit more than that.
Also - there's no requirement to use "modern" gear. All that matters is reasonable signal quality.
Most of all, the US amateur radio license tests have always been very basic, and not near the level needed to design or build receivers and transmitters.
Regardless of skill level, the hobby can be enjoyed well as long as we are cooperative and respectful of each other. That and a little reading regarding the very, very, very basic operating rules we do have will carry the day.
Sure. But what should be done about those who aren't cooperative and respectful? And/or those who won't read not follow the basic rules?
73 de Jim, N2EY