"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message igy.com...
"Brian" wrote in message
om...
"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message
igy.com...
"Carl R. Stevenson" wrote in message
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"N2EY" wrote in message
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"Proficiency" starts at 10 wpm.

That's absurd ... proficiency is a relative term that must be
quantified.
One can be proficient at a variety of levels in any activity requiring
some sort of acquired skill.


We might consider the arguments presented in the book "The Art and Skill
of
Radiotelegraphy".

Why?


Re-read the following sentence as it states why.

The author had done extensive study on Morse code
teaching methods, learning abilities, etc.

Cool. Who is the author, what is his callsign? And what is the
copyright date?


Since I've given the title of the book, surely you can do the research
yourself for that data. Hint, it's available as a free download off the
internet so you can find it with any search engine. However the fourth
edition is copyrighted 2003 and is by William G. Pierpont, N0HFF.

I'll bet he wrote it long after the code began to wane in any (every)
radio service.

His definition of proficiency is
along the lines of what level must a person obtain to prevent forgetting
it.
Basically his research showed that those who achieved 13wpm did not
forget
the code even if they did not use it. They would get "rusty" so to
speak
and their speed would fall off if they did not use it but they would not
forget it. Once they resumed using it, their speed would fairly quickly
climb back to their previous level. That would seem like a reasonable
definition.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee, you might want to suggest this as the definition of "Morse
Proficiency" to the FCC.


The FCC can define it anyway they like for their regulatory activities. The
author's definition is one that works in the real world, i.e. the point at
which the person is at little risk of forgetting the training.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee, wow, that's great. I love these little trips down memory lane.
And to hell with the FCC and their role in regulating amateur radio.
They don't define Morse Code but should, they don't define WPM rate
but should, then they require a pass/fail Morse Exam that excludes
otherwise qualified citizens from access to HF radio. And the VEC's
substitute a Farnsworth Exam where Morse is specified.

Letting the FCC define something "any way they" want is a recipe for
disaster.