In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

robert casey wrote:

Mike Coslo wrote:

I see that the FCC is not anticipating any changes in the Morse code
licensing requirements before 2006.

Is ther eanyone that has deferred getting a General or above
license because they thought Element one was going to go away soon?

If so, Has it been worth the wait?


Way back when (in 1976) I learned around 7 WPM and
passed a 5WPM code test down at an FCC field office.
And I'm not that good at such tasks. Took about
6 weeks to learn the code to 7WPM. So you can
start today on the code, and probably be able to
pass the code test and have the upgrade or first license
of general or extra grade and get on HF. And you'll
have it 2 months from now instead of a year or more from
now. HF is a lot of fun, and is quite different from
2 meter FM. So, like that sneaker company that paid
the basketball superstar more than their entire payroll
of their Vietnam factory, "Just do it".

I've been trying to get that message out for some time now.

You should have gone on the NTS for such a message...

When I
first became a Ham in 1999, there were some that told me to hang on
because the Morse requirement was going away soon.

When I got a commercial license in 1956, some of the hams I
knew then were all saying morsemanship is the "ultimate skill"
for amateurs, therefore one "must" take a morse test for an
amateur radio license.

Some 48 years later a bunch of morsemen in here keep saying
all radio amateurs "must' take a morse test to "prove their
dedication (or whatever) to the ham community." :-)

In 1958 a bunch of hams I knew then were all outraged and
almost frothing at the mouth (latte' was not yet in vogue) about
those damn "civilians" not having to take a morse test to get on HF
for Class D CB! :-) That was 46 years ago. A few years later the
CB license needs were eliminated.

Over 5 years later,
and nothing has changed. If I would have waited until it goes away, I
would be waiting at least 7 years, and I wouldn't take bets on it going
away even then.

Morsemanship FOREVER!

Some morsemen won't allow their code keys to be taken from
their cold, dead fingers even after they've assumed ambient temps.

All them morsehams MUST prove their "dedication" to the hamcause,
ya see.

The morsemen had to test, so, by all the powers above, *ALL* hams
have to do it when they enter. If they don't, they aren't "real" hams.

So...51 years after I first fired up on HF all them morsehams keep
saying all them newcomers MUST take a morsetest to get on HF.

Some of those hams are "spiral cut" but that applies only to their
sorry excuse for mental emotion.

What I *would* make bets on is that the anticipated "instant
elimination* thinking that was going around since the treaty requirement
went away have done more to dampen the ranks of new advanced level hams
than the retention of Morse code.

So...now you've got this "instant gratification" thing going again?

Tsk. Over half a century past I never bothered with "advancing via
morse" and went ahead and got into the electronic industry for a
career...and retired (from regular hours, that is) in it.

You read the ARRL newsletter and what the ARRL says is pure
100% Gospel. "No changes in morse requirement." Yeah, right.

ARRL still hasn't gotten more than a quarter of U.S. amateur licensees
in membership. They don't reflect any majority.

Yup, Just DO it!

Why? Jump through old hoops because you jumped through old
hoops?

Ech.