Don't get me wrong the material is difficult but compared to other technical challenges in my life not impossible.
Just what does "dumbed down" really mean ?
When I first saw the NAVY manual for RM 3 & 2 in the 70's it was comprehensive, detailed and daunting. Now I consider it a good, basic, reference. When I first saw (not passed) the FCC administered exams the amateur specific had to be memorized but the theory was no different. When I took my commercial exams I was immersed in commercial land mobile and broadcast radio as well as operating marine. 1st Phone (now GROL) was at least the challenge that today's extra exam is and possibly more.
To me dumbed down is la azy and incorrect observation of the changes to the exam content. We barely had transistors and were still non PLL VFO when I started. Satellite operation via Oscar was in its infancy. Digital modes consisted of RTTY. Receivers , transmitters and transceivers had just made it under 50 pounds and were steadily dropping in weight. IRLP and echolink were unheard of. Repeaters had just made the switch from AM to FM and CTCSS wasn't considered necessary. Simple 74 series chips and more complicated National/Fairchild/Linear Monolithics integrated circuits were just appearing .
Now we have countless digital modes.
Radios on a chip (SDR)
High powered Mosfets and LDMOS
Direct digital synthesis
Totally different license structure, frequency allocations and band plans.
Tune and load are disappearing as recognizable terms.
Changes to CFR47~97.xx
and
The elimination of the OOK cognition requirement. (the code)
Antennas are still antennas
Kilovolts still kill.
Hollow state still barely survives
Diodes are still one way.
Transistors are still NPN and PNP (okay UJT for those playing along and want to nit pic)
AM, SSB, FM, and CW haven't changed.
Safety is still safety.
Ohm's law is still the law.
Maxwell was and still is correct.
The math has not changed (see above)
The exams have changed with the times but the basic information is still there.
If you eliminate that percentage of amateur licenses that believe the world as they knew it ended on February 23, 2007 you have little but opinion to base any argument on that amateur radio has been dumbed down.
So you pass your extra exam. You receive a CSCE that says you are an extra. Now if you want to be an extra that's up to you. If you want to all but design and built your next radio that's up to you. If you want to pursue CW proficiency that's up to you. If you want to add all that has gone before you as well as chase the bleeding edge of technology that is up to you.
If all you want is to memorize the 742 question pool and have access to the additional bandwidth as an appliance operator that too is up to you.
