Matt wrote:
"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...
Having no interest in the mode is not a valid reason for dropping
it from
testing. There are rational reasons for dropping it (just as there
are
equally rational reasons for keeping it) but having no interest in
the
mode
is not one of them. That same argument could be applied to every
test
question and test element since there is sure to be at least one
person
who
has no interest in that question and/or element for every item on
the
test.

I've never operated satellite and never intend to and have no
interest in
ever doing so. Yet I had to answer questions on it. Do I think it
should
be taken out of the test? No, because it is something allowed by
my
privileges.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

As I understand it, the reason for the requirement to display
proficiency in
CW stemmed from times in the ancient past where CW was the primary
(if not
the only) option for communicating, and there was also the
requirement that
we be proficient so that we could understand emergency traffic and
pass it
on / respond to it.

Those were a couple of reasons - but there are others.

The CW emergency freqs (i.e. 500 KHz) are no longer
used or monitored by the vast majority (is not all) of the emergency
groups
(i.e. Coastguard) and CW is not really used by many people or
organisations
outside of the amateur community.

That's true - but hams were not allowed on those frequencies anyway.

There is really no valid reason for the retention of CW as a
mandatory
requirement for HF access

Many people agree - but others disagree. What constitutes a valid
reason depends entirely on personal opinion.

For example, Morse code is widely used in the amateur radio service. On
HF it is secondary only to SSB in popularity, and not by much of a
margin. That popularity alone, IMHO, is a valid reason to keep at least
a basic Morse Code test.

- many countries around the world have removed it

How many? Most of the countries have retained the test so far,
including Japan, which has had a QRP nocodetest HF ham license for
decades.

and surprisingly enough, now that it is no longer a requirement,
there is
apparently a resurgence of interest in the mode (here in VK for one).
If
you want to keep on using it, feel free, but please don't force
others to
learn a mode that is no longet essential, and indeed only barely
relevant.

Then delete most of the written test too, because most of it is
arguably less relevant.

Here in VK we removed the CW requirement for HF access just over a
year ago
and while the bands are only slightly more active, there hasn't been
the
flood of moronic operators that were being forecasted.

So there really hasn't been much change.

P.S. if I use some of the digital data modes, I can send and receive
100%
copy when CW cannot even be heard - go digital modes.
How popular are those digital modes?

73 de Jim, N2EY