On 2/24/2015 6:29 PM, Jerry Stuckle wrote:

It was more than that. For many years, international regulations
required CW on frequencies below 30 Mhz. So the FCC was required by
international law to require it, also. I forget exactly when the
international regulations were dropped (late 80's? early 90's?), but it
was several years before the FCC dropped the requirement.

Additionally, it wasn't just the military which used CW. Merchant ships
used it also, well into the 90's (or later). For U.S. flagged ships, it
required a Commercial Radiotelegraph license; back when I was looking at
it in the 70's, that required 20wpm code groups or 25wpm plain text for
the first class. You had to have one minute solid copy out of five.

I never tested for the Radiotelegraph despite also holding a 1st Class
Radiotelephone ticket - I had enough trouble with the Amateur Extra
(which required 20wpm plain text at the time - one minute solid copy out
of five minutes, similar to the Radiotelegraph).


Yes, I know it was not just the Military,, and Professional CW operator
is another way of saying Radio Telegraph operator.

But even the international law is all mixed up in the Military need for
skilled CW operators.. it just too a long time for those laws to change,
and even longer for the US law to change.


That said, The Definition of amateur is basically "Does not get paid".
(yes, I know it is more complex than that) but that is the defination.

Of course, Today there are more hams in the US than Ever, Even today's
Broom Hilda comic (Today is 3.6.2005) is ham radio based (real ham).

Many of today's ham's are appliance operators, technically I do that
myself.. but many still know how to design and build as well and some
still do.. Yesterday I rigged my Rig so I can operate from the next
room,, This basically meant long Mic and PTT lines.. Got a Heil Mic from
the Ham Nation weekly contest (Nice price when you get it from George
) got the XLR-K cable from Giga-parts (I could build my own, have spare
Heil 8-pin mic connector and cable but the cost of driving to a store
that sells XLR connectors approaches the cost of the cable assembly, NOT
near a parts store) Got an extension XLR from a local thrift store, and
a guitar cord missing an end, (Turns out the other end was broken too)
Fixed cord, put PTT switch on missing end end, and .. IT WORKED,, Now
all I need is the Blue Tooth transmitter for sending sound to a portable
speaker. These old eyes do not do soldering on that tiny scale any
more.. once did.

But I think the true mark of the Amateur radio operator is that he is
more than just a radio operator.. he learns about the radio, how it
works, how to build 'em how to fix em, even if his eyes are past their
prime.


--
Home, is where I park it.

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