Alun wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote in
:



Alun wrote:


Mike Coslo wrote in
:



Alun wrote:



The French have been waitng for some time for a government minister
to sign the rule change abolishing their code test. It was signed on
the 4th, and will take effect when published in the official journal,
probably either on the 14th or 21st of May, 2004.


Have any numbers on the impact of this Morse code abolition? The
earliest countries to dump Morse should have some numbers that reflect
the change one way or the other.

- Mike KB3EIA -




What sort of numbers? All their no-coders are licenced for HF, and we
could probably find out how many there are, but is that what you
meant? Violations of rules by no-coders? We have that number - it's
zero.

Hmm, I though it would be obvious. How many new hams are licensed
in
the countries that have eliminated the Morse code requirement

NOw that they are rid of the evil of Morse testing, one would
think
that many new hams are coming into the fold, so to speak.

- Mike KB3EIA -





All these countries had no-code licences. So now they can use modes other
than CW on HF without having to learn CW, which is finally as it should be.
Most of the true radio enthusiasts will get whatever licence they can, even
if it doesn't allow them to do what they really want.

I always used to meet people who told me they would get a licence but for
the code test. I think we could have had them in the hobby if we had
abolished code testing 20 years ago, but I think it is too late and we have
blown it. Nobody is clamouring to becme a ham anymore.

My life's experience has been that for every hobby or avocation, there
is a large group of people that "would do it except for....". What they
are actually tell you when they say this is " I have a passing interest
in this. But I'm not so interested that I will become a participant".

Whether it is the Morse code requirement, or the cost of a rig or
effort of putting up an antenna, or the cost of a telescope or the need
to travel to remote areas that are dark enough or the fact that you have
to stay up all night to observe, etc, etc.

People in amateur astronomy also obsess about the graying of the hobby,
and how do we get the kids involved? Fact is, a scope that can actually
be used for any kind of passable observation costs a fair amount of
money. And ohhh geee, the dufusses that wanted to get the little kids
interested in observing seem to have forgotten that Mommy and Daddy
don't want little Buffy or Jody (and by extension, Mommy or Daddy) to be
staying up all night and traveling to remote sites.....

In ham radio, a person not only has to have the interest, they have to
be willing and able to spend a fair amount of discretionary income on a
rig, put up an antenna, (if they are even allowed to) and all the other
things we have to do to get on the air.

Any wonder why lots of the new guys are the shack on the belt types?
For kids, usually dependent upon M&D for their money, M&D are often
happy to spend 100-200 dollars on a HT. They might not look so happily
upon laying out $800-3000 for an hf rig, and putting up that antenna.
All the young hams in my area are repeater people, save for Field day.

Finally, the comparison of ham radio to the internet is amusing at
best. There is almost not technical comparison between the two. Beyond
the technogeeks such as myself, that spend a fair amount of time keeping
other peoples computers on the stinkin' Internet, the technical acumen
level is mighty darn low. How much ability is needed to surf porn?

My points are that blaming the lack of growth (which is an arguable
thing in the first place) on the Morse code test is kind of like saying
that a frog with no legs that can't jump when you tell it to jump, is deaf.

It is a hobby for the dedicated and relative few.

- Mike KB3EIA -