03/09/08

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SPARKS
The Tri-State Amateur Radio Society Monthly Newsletter.

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One Man's Opinion February 2007

   Amateur radio will reach another milestone on February 23 of 2007. On that date, the Morse code requirement to obtain the higher grades of ham tickets will vanish forever. Being a CW proponent all these years, I cannot say I am rejoicing over the demise of the code test. There were a lot of pro and con arguments to either retain it or drop it.
  In fact, I felt very strongly that reducing the CW requirement to the very slow speed of five words per minute, and introducing the ten-question quiz over the code copy, left much to be desired. I favored the one minute of perfect copy on paper, proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that you could indeed copy code.
  As many of you taking a code exam at our VE sessions noticed, I did not encourage the use of the ten-question exam. I looked at what you had copied on paper. If nothing legible existed on paper, then not much use in taking a quiz and guessing at the answers, or taking fifteen minutes to decipher what you had written down (if anything) on your copy sheet.
  I had sensed over the years that eventually code would fade away as a requirement. We had eliminated the sending test, reduced the receiving speed to a mere five words per minute, and no longer insisted on one minute of perfect copy. The ten-question exam allowed the applicant lots of latitude for guessing what had been sent.
  Even with all those opportunities, some claimed they could not master even the basic requirements of the code exams. There was growing opposition to retain the code requirement to qualify for a ham license. We read many arguments pro and con over the years about CW. The analogy was learning to drive a stick shift automobile versus automatic shift. One no longer has to demonstrate how to drive a stick shift car to obtain a driver’s license. True, but I am glad I learned to drive one. Today I can motivate anything on four wheels, be it four on the floor, or an auto shift.
  Am I glad I learned code, and that I can copy well over thirty-five words per minute? Yes I am. Do I feel you missed something if you have never made a CW contact? I do. But, then again, I am a rare breed anymore. If you sat down in front of a rig complete with headphones, a Vibroplex bug and a note pad and pencil, with the radio tuned to the CW bands, would you be able to make a contact? On the other side of the coin, if you put me in front of a rig that operates only PSK, Packet, RTTY, and Pactor or Amtor, I am not sure I would know what to do.
  I feel more at home with my CW keyer, tuning the lower part of 20 or 40 meters, looking for others who enjoy CW contacts. Have I tried the digital modes? Yes I have, and I did not care for them. Do I like the idea of code requirements fading away? Not really, but times have changed. Technology has improved; better modes have emerged that are less stressful on the operator and more efficient. Do I plan to continue to use CW as a method of communications? I sure do, as long as I hear others using it. I will be among them, with a sense of pride and fond memories of many thousands of contacts made during the “glory days” of Morse.
  For now, we bid a fond farewell to Mr. Morse and his code. You have served us well; have a great retirement! However, it is my hope that, before your complete demise, others will find you a very good friend in their radio adventures. You never know until you try it. Who knows? We may still win some converts.
  Next time you are in the neighborhood, I will show you with pride many thousands of QSL cards from all over the world, confirming QSOs I made using CW. I will also point with pride to my CW DXCC certificate with a 280-country sticker on it. Then, with a whimsical smile, I will cast a satisfied look at my Bencher paddles and MFJ memory keyer! Fond memories. But there are many more to make! Of course my friends, this is “One Man’s Opinion.”
 

 
“This is One Man's Opinion.”

 73 Bill K4LRX