Mike Coslo pounded his brass on Feb 20, 3:29 pm and posted this:

Alun L. Palmer wrote:
"Dee Flint" wrote in
:

"Alun L. Palmer" wrote in message
0...

No one can do everything they want to, not even the Extras. We must

comply with the mode regulations, special power limits in the old
novice subbands, and we should comply with the band plans.

Certainly, but that doesn't stop us from advocating that those rules
be
changed. A rule that those who can't read on/off keying by ear can't

refract their signals from the ionosphere is lacking in logic of any
kind.

An argument can be made that no one should be tested at all.
Freebanders do it all the time. All rules are arbitrary.

That's an absurd counter to what Alun said.

NO ONE was talking about "freebanders."

NO ONE was talking about "no test at all."

Alan spoke of the equally-absurd notion by some that
personal radiotelegraphy skill "enables" operation of
radios on HF. Absolutely NO qualification for such a
thought held by many control-freak morsemen in ham
radio. There's NO such "enablement" except in the
emotional fantasies of some.

The talk was of the MORSE CODE TEST, not the
written tests. Try for some semblance of focus.

But somewhere, somehow, a group of people decided that those
were the
rules. Those rules came from rules that were in force previously. The
rules change constantly. That's a fact.

Those "facts" have little to do with this so-called
technical necessity to personally know morse in
order to make an HF or MF transmitter work. Tens
of thousands of "radio operators" ranging from
military to civilians have successfully operated HF
radios without possessing any ability to do morse
code. For years. Worldwide.

One of those changes 10 or so years ago was to give access to
*most* of
our allotted frequencies to people without having them take a code
test.
Also a fact.

Not quite correct. The Report & Order establishing the
no-code-test Technician class U.S. amateur radio
license went into effect in 1991. That's over 13 years
ago. A fact.

Those Technicians were NOT allowed any privileges
below 30 MHz, also a fact.

The Technician class license was the fastest-growing
class in U.S. amateur radio (among all classes) from
1991 to the recent Restructuring. A fact. One that the
morsemen are loathe to discuss; if not "loathe," then
they are generally hostile to that concept. :-)

Removal of the Morse code test has made the testing process
easier.
This has allowed people who have only a passing interest in Ham radio
to
get their license. Passing interests pass, and they allow their
licenses
to lapse.

Oh! Tsk, TSK! What sort do these newcomers
encounter when entering amateur radio as newbies?
They meet some angry olde men of morsemanship
babbling absurdities of how "superior" they are
because they can do high-speed radiotelegraphy
and that (according to them) defines "real hams."

"No-coders" are shunned by those olde morseaholics,
regarded as second-class sub-humans who are said
to be "stupid" because they can't or don't develop the
psychomotor skills necessary to emulate a morse
modem. Those self-righteous macho-wannabe
morsemen simply don't understand that the hobby of
amateur radio was never defined solely for
radiotelegraphy.

Meeting the bitterness and social pariahdom imposed
by those self-righteous morsemen would make ordinary
hobbyists look elsewhere for fun. There are many, many
different kinds of hobby fun elsewhere.

The Morse code tests are so hard that the No-code Technician
either
becomes so discouraged that they quit, or their convictions are so
strong that they would rather not be a Ham than take the Element one
test.

Oh, my, the "conviction to the 'cause'" and
"dedication to the ham community" is an intrinsic
part of being a "real" ham?!? Tsk, another self-
righteous emotional personal concept which has
NO basis in reality.

Ah, yes, one can almost picture the NOS "recruiting"
posters and aphorisms springing up about "Learn
Radiotelegraphy to Join 'The Service'!!!" Outdated
garbage phrases left over from the 1930s... :-(

You can decide for yourself which sounds more likely.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. "Loading" a "reason?" That's absurd and
illogical.

The ONLY thing tangible about this stupid necessity to
pass a morse code test is the hate and bitterness of
the olde morsemen who bitch and whine about "no-
coders" who weren't "man enough" to Do As They Did.

Please explain the "rules" involved in "showing commitment"
to this "amateur community" and what special non-FCC
forms have to be submitted to "gain approval"? And just
who rules on this alleged commitment and dedication?

There is no "herding" involved. The "gate" wide open.

Mama Dee, you know very well the regulations were made
to favor the olde morsemen. Guess who lobbied for that?
:-)


No. The gate is shut and only those who can jump over it can get in,
but
jumping is purely optional once they get in. (More weird metaphors,
although I suppose I started this one).

I pounded and pounded and pounded that key until I broke the
gate
down.......... (yoiks) 8^)

Tsk, tsk, tsk, Coslo. You just do NOT understand what
that "gate" is. You capitulated to the olde-tymers, bought
into the system, became an "extra" so that you could lord
it over other, lesser-class amateurs (the seeming norm among
the extras, particularly the NCTA extras).

The olde-tyme morsemen in hamdom wanted their private
HF playground where they could pose and posture and
otherwise carry on like the "superior" radio operators they
thought they were. So, the original 5 WPM morse test rate
was upped and upped until, years later, the 20 WPM morse
test defined the "extra" class.

If you wish to redefine U.S. amateur radio as the Archaic
Radiotelegraphy Society (ARS), feel free. Champion morse
code all you want. Lobby to keep the morse test so that you
will have some new playmates (maybe) in your radio playground
for your later years. Feel "superior." In the new millennium
only amateur radio uses morse code for communications; all
the other radio services that once used morse have dropped it.
The maritime radio users have voice and data as their major
modes of open-ocean radio communications...the olde-tyme
"sparky" is almost extinct. Keep watching as attrition and
very few newcomers make ham radio (as you know it) become
equally extinct.