"John Smith" wrote in message
...
You ask me "what is wrong with cw?" I ask you, "Why is amateur radio
dying?"--I think the answer to both is a single one--there was a time when
dropping code would have saved ham radio--I fear that time has come and
gone... cw has no real use to anyone, anymore... it is like having to
learn to type to use the internet... no such requirement... however,
because typing DOES have a use--you will find many learning to type after
they realize the need...

... the "anateur exams" are certainly no hinderence, they always have been
as simple as pie--a college grad trained in the art of "test taking" could
study for a day and pass the most challenging... they have been made even
simplier still... yet amateur radio declined and continues to do so--

... now "critical mass" has been reached, so many other forms of
communication exist that amateur radio is on its' death march... radios
are
so far and few between... and so little demand... they are too expensive
with most to bother with... you could give ham licences away in the
streets
and not improve that...

... no, the OMs' alzheimers and lack of ability to see the future has
killed
ham radio--you'd think the old guys must have hated it--to have stood by
and
watched it die--if what you say is correct--and they DID have all their
mental facilities about them and still allowed it...

Warmest regards,
John


Hello, John

I suspect that Morse testing will be dropped. When, I'm not sure, but some
countries have done so already. I honestly believe (but could be wrong)
that most of the older amateurs (say the 20 wpm extra gang of which I am
one) do not believe that Morse should be required.

Hopefully, that will end some of the contention amongst some of us. The
reality is that amateur radio does need some infusion of young blood.
Having just celebrated my 58th birthday, I can appreciate that LOL.

There are a lot of different forms of communication. I suspect that some
people will be attracted to amateur radio simply because of the vast amount
of experimentation that can be done at reasonable powers (you don't need
kilowatts, but a few milliwatts may not suffice).

I've been moderating one Yahoo group (and now co-own it) which is devoted to
helping folks get their tickets. The biggest thing is not to have the hams
flame the cbers or scanner enthusiasts. We are all interested in radio (or
television - or other modes, for that matter) and the flame wars are the
biggest deterrent (not Morse code), at least in my mind. Flame wars do
*not* happen. Moderation until folks calm down and removal or even banning
if they continue. There are too many good folks in cb and amateur radio
(not to mention scanner and sw folks) to let the flamers wreck everything.

As far as mental ability, I tried like heck to kill mine when I celebrated
my birthday. The only result was a big headache LOL.

You and I might have a minor disagreement, but it appears you are willing to
discuss it. So am I. As to typing, I had an interview some number of years
ago and when it was mentioned that the individual that was to be replaced
was producing their newsletter, I mentioned that I could type over 65 words
per minute on a bad day into a headwind. When they said "we don't type
anymore, we use computers", I stated that I believed it was time to call a
halt to the interview. Certainly keyboards have changed a bit (I remember
close to 50 years ago, my father had an old typewriter with a "cents" figure
on it), but the keys (alpha and numerics) are laid out the same. Yes, the
computer keyboard has an extra set of keys with numbers (use the numbers
lock) on it. Still, I have no problem with 65 words per minute. I admit
I'm down a bit from the time I had to fight a 100 word per minute teletype
to get burst of 92 words per minute out, but I still have no real problem
either typing or programming.

Some of us are trying to pass the torch to younger folks. The plain fact is
that amateur radio need younger folks (not to mention more women).

If you might be interested in joining, please e-mail me off group. The
address is


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA