• IMongoose@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I think those only need 1 test to play with them, and that’s because they are regulated by the government. They want people to follow the rules because if they don’t it can come down on all of them.

    The biggest one of these that I know of is falconry which requires 1 falconry test, 1 hunt test, 1 inspection, and finding a two year sponsor. Falconry is specifically set up to gatekeep as to protect the sport in the USA.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      2 months ago

      Yeah, I have yet to encounter ham gatekeeping beyond “don’t broadcast without a licence and callsign”. The test itself is all important stuff, as I’m studying for it in Canada.

      It’s dead because what we’re doing right here is an easier way to talk to people around the world. You have to be nerdy enough to love the technology for it’s own sake, so that cuts down the pool pretty severely even before the cost and “red tape” come into it.