"KØHB" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Bert Craig" wrote


I don't know what's so fascinating about it, Kim. It stands to reason
that
to make an "educated" decision regarding anything, one should be...well,
somewhat educated on the subject.

Sounds reasonable to me.

That includes some practical experience.

Not necessarily. I've made decisions to do (or not to do) many, many
things
without a lick of practical experience. I have decided not to be a
surfer,
I've decided not to eat chocolate covered insects, I've decided not to
engage in same-gender sex, I've decided not to be a vegetarian, I've
decided
not to be a Hindu, all with some 'education' on the subject but without a
bit of practical experience. I'm sure some folks make the same decision
about whether to learn Morse code.

Fair enough, Hans. However, in the case of the 5-wpm test, it's difficult to
fathom how so much effort can be placed on opposing it when such little
effort is actually needed to ace it. Does that apply to everyone, no. But at
5-wpm, I believe it applies to the majority. I suppose it's the absence of
the willingness to even try to learn something new that I find
objectionable. It's commonly hidden behind the "I know I won't like it so I
don't even want to learn the basics" defense.

However, many of these anti-code
folks are about to diminish the value (As a whole.) of a hobby I dearly
love...despite having a very generous chunk of no-code RF real estate.

Bert, with all due respect, how are they diminishing the value of Amateur
Radio? I truly enjoy Morse code, and use it frequently, but I'm not
persuaded that we need a Morse qualification test any longer. I'm a
member
of FISTS and I'm a member of NCI. I see both organizations as having
goals
which advance Amateur Radio for me. FISTS encourages people to use Morse
code, and NCI encourages regulatory agencies to modernize the
qualification
process for new licensees.

Well, to be honest, Hans...Amateur Radio is a whole lot more than just
regulatory to me. I believe that the regulatory agencies have sufficiently
modernized the qualification process with the removal of the 13 and 20-wpm
exams. Having said that, I further believe that many here, on both sides of
the debate, have actually forgotten what the debate is over...the 5-wpm
Element 1.

I personally don't think that the 5-wpm is a "barrier" to anybody except
those who are unwilling to try in the first place. Additionally, there's
been a no-code Amateur Radio license class available for over a decade now.
(Via 35 multiple-choice questions for which the Q&A pool is published?!)

I think Element 1 is the bare minimum to be part of a well rounded
curriculum, YMMV.

If some new guy/gal gets on HF without knowing Morse code, the value of
Amateur Radio has not been diminished for me.

73, de Hans, K0HB

Compared to you, I'm as green as Kermit the frog on the CW bands. But I have
noticed a thing or two. I've yet to hear a dit sent in anger. Jim, N2EY
assures me that I will eventually, but I'm still waiting. (And I'm on 30
and/or 40 every night now.) I have listened to some local (As well as some
distant.) VHF/UHF repeaters and some of what I've heard made me feel as if
Amateur Radio had been a tad diminished. I've heard the "F" word used on 20
and I won't even touch the subject of 75.

IOW, Hans...the trees are falling in out forest, but they're too far away
for us to hear them. But it's still our forest as a whole.

73 de Bert
WA2SI