Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:

As an electrical engineer who has tinkered with electronics for 40 years, I
never found time to practice & learn code. It was obsolete even back then.
If they drop the code requirement, I'll get a ham license and talk as well
as listen.
Zoram

"David Stinson" wrote in message
...
Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:

As a ham radio operator for 40+ years, I agree, but I note that progress has
been made.
Today, not only is Morse code obsolete, but ham radio itself is obsolete!



"Ghost Chip" wrote in message
news:xxT1b.7731$QT5.564@fed1read02...
As an electrical engineer who has tinkered with electronics for 40 years,
I
never found time to practice & learn code. It was obsolete even back
then.
If they drop the code requirement, I'll get a ham license and talk as well
as listen.
Zoram

"David Stinson" wrote in message
...
Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:

BFoelsch wrote:
As a ham radio operator for 40+ years, I agree, but I note that progress has
been made.
Today, not only is Morse code obsolete, but ham radio itself is obsolete!



I've only been a ham for 34 years and as far as I'm concerned it was
obsolete then as it pertains to the over-glorified things like a
"reservoir of skilled technicians and communications experts". No
biggie, but its still a great hobby. I can work DXCC on a cellfone in
less than an hour and I get WAC daily via SPAM.
If efficiency of communications was the only issue then hamming would
have died a long time ago.
Oh, did I mention it as hobby? I don't see RC Airplanes being
"obsolete" because we now have Boeing 757s.

-Bill

BFoelsch wrote:
As a ham radio operator for 40+ years, I agree, but I note that progress has
been made.
Today, not only is Morse code obsolete, but ham radio itself is obsolete!



I suppose that for many the internet has replaced ham radio. (I guess
that makes
hackers the equal of CB'ers, except that the hackers have a MUCH higher IQ!)

I hope that many hams will continue to take some pride in their skill with
morse code and continue to use it. In a true emergency, cw will get through
when nothing else will work. You can build a CW transmitter with the
barest pile of junk salvaged from an old radio or TV set. (well maybe not
a MODERN radio or tv set.....). There is even the story of using a GDO as
an emergency CW transmitter. Let's see you try that on SSB, AM, or some
of the new digital modes!

I finally got my extra class ticket after the code requirement went down
to 5wpm
(I had an advanced class licence, so that makes me a 13wpm extra). The
written
test was hard enough, I had to bone up on college level engineering
stuff. Being
a computer EE I never had to mess with smith charts before. The
technical test
will serve as enough of a barier to keep the riffraff out!

David Stinson wrote:

Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:



Too little, too late. Ham radio is dead already, after decades of
elitism and insistence on a long-obsolete and inefficient digital
communications protocol. Add the propensity to reduce the hobby to "My
store-bought rig is bigger than your store-bought rig" and the demise of
a once noble endeavor is complete.

The spirit of real amateur radio *does* live on, however. There are
still individuals and groups interested in experimentation,
home-brewing, equality and public service. It's called "Pirate Radio".

Cheers,
Fred
--
+--------------------------------------------+
| Music: http://www3.telus.net/dogstarmusic/ |
| Projects: http://dogstar.dantimax.dk |
+--------------------------------------------+

David Stinson wrote:

Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:

I'm so old I remember when there were quite a few who could
build their own rig!! From scratch!! Cheers, JLS

Ghost Chip wrote:

As an electrical engineer who has tinkered with electronics for 40 years, I
never found time to practice & learn code. It was obsolete even back then.
If they drop the code requirement, I'll get a ham license and talk as well
as listen.
Zoram



The "Technician" license does not require code, and will let you use all
ham bands
50MHz and higher. You just need to take a fairly simple written test. See:

http://www.w5yi.org/vol-exam.htm to find a test site, and
http://www.qrz.com/ham/index.html for practice exams

David Stinson wrote:

Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:


Like you were born knowing everything.

Behold, Fred Nachbaur signaled from keyed 4-1000A filament:



David Stinson wrote:

Let us welcome the new additions to our ranks:



Too little, too late. Ham radio is dead already, after decades of
elitism and insistence on a long-obsolete and inefficient digital
communications protocol.

Aye.

Years ago when I was a HAM, I was interested in 6M AM and SSB. I was
shamed by others saying "it's FM or nothing there" and being told "we
won't communicate with you" for being such a "renegade".

--
Gregg
*Perhaps it's useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
Visit the GeeK Zone - http://geek.scorpiorising.ca