What use is an F-call?

I've now had my foundation license just over 200 days. If I had a dollar for every time I was asked: "When are you upgrading your license?" I'd be able to retire, well, at least eat out. I'm unsure about the sentiment. I understand when it's asked from a place of encouragement and improvement, but often times it appears cloaked in the notion that an f-call is merely a stepping stone to a "real license".

Allow me make some observations. If I had an advanced license and I decided to engage in QRP, low power broadcasting, then I'd get accolades for my ability to get to another station on the smell of an oily rag. If I built a magnificent antenna from scratch, I'd get enquiries about the design and suggestions on improvements. If I came up with a particularly nice design for a power supply, or a filter for a generator, or any number of contributions, I'd be welcomed into the ranks of a "real amateur", whatever that might mean.

You might have noticed that I could have skipped the notion of needing an advanced license, because in fact, all of this can be done with a foundation license.

You may think that I am having a go at those who snigger about the f-wit license. That's not for me to say. Instead I'm trusting that if you hold an f-call, that you gain confidence in your skills and privileges and that over time you too will become a (quote) "real amateur".

When I learnt to fly, I visualised a bubble around the aircraft. Inside the bubble is safe, outside is certain disaster. As you manipulate the controls you might move around inside the bubble, or make it larger or smaller. Initially the bubble seemed infinite in size, but as experience was gained the bubble shrunk. It may well be that my experience in Amateur Radio can be described as a bubble, though probably not in terms of safe-and-disaster. When my skills in Amateur Radio improve and increase, I might determine that the bubble that restricts the foundation license stops me from exploring into fields that I'd like to investigate.

Until that time, I'm perfectly happy with my f-call. I'm proud to have it, honoured to be a member of the Amateur Radio community and pleased to be able to explore this landscape.

I'm Onno vk6flab