RadioBanter - View Single Post - With CW gone, can the CW allocations be far behind?

July 22nd 03, 12:41 AM

In article ,
(Geoffrey S. Mendelson) writes:

In article , Mike Coslo wrote:

This cannot be, for no one wants to take anything away from Morse code
users.

Why not, 8 years ago, the Arrl did a survey.

That's pretty close - 1996

They asked amateurs who had
passed a morse code exam if they EVER used morse code.

No, you are mistaken. On several counts.

They asked 1100 US hams, chosen at random. Of these, 100 were Novices and 200
each Techs, Tech Pluses, Generals, Advanceds and Extras. So they asked hams who
had not taken a code test as well as hams who had.

The question was "How much do you operate Morse code?" and there were only
three possible answers: "Regularly", "Rarely" and "Never". No definitions of
what those terms mean, no questions on other modes, etc. (After all, a ham who
is not on the air at all never uses Morse code on the air).

Two out of three
responded "no". I.e. 2/3's of the hams surveyed NEVER used morse code.

Wrong again!

35% answered "Never"
37% answered "Rarely"
27% answered "Regularly"
1% did not answer.

It is obvious that the question is so flawed as to be meaningless. For example,
how much Morse operation is "regular"?

Note that the question doesn't specify HF operation, or ask if the ham is
active at all, if he/she is equipped for HF operation, etc. etc.

Of course in those days they spun it as "1 out 3 sometimes uses morse code".

Wrong again!

64% (37+27) sometimes use Morse code, according to that survey. That's a fact,
not spin.

So if it came to a vote you'd have a hard time keeping things as they are.

Maybe.

Try this "survey": Actually listen to the CW/digital subbands and see how much
activity there really is. Try 40 meters below 7050 some evening.

73 de Jim, N2EY