Morse code is only being used by a few hams to talk to a few other
hams. Just cruise the bands and you will find that out. It has been
abandoned by the military and commercial services. The ham community
is testing for a skill with no use in the real world. And a skill with
no value in the much hyped emergency communications world that hams are
supposed to be ready to assist in. That is not to say that the hams
that do master morse code are not skillful people, indeed they are. But
like those who persist in learing Esperanto, they are learning a
language with few speakers. Why not test prospective hams for their
proficiency at carrying on skilled and courteous communications in
something more widely used, like the human voice or digital modes.

You say college is "full of meaningless tests and courses." With such
apparent knowlege of the subject why don't you share with us the
degrees you have attained that were based on meaningless courses and
tests. Given that most college courses are preparatory for a career of
one kind or another I am truly surprised that this country has moved
much beyond the early industrial age if your statement is true.

I'm still waiting for a coherent explanation of what Yankee Can Do" is
and how it applies to attracting of new hams to the hobby and designing
meaningful tests.

You and dxace are quite adept at one liners when you can't otherwise
carry on an intelligent discussion.


Se=F1or Sombra wrote:
Yankee Can Do

Read the Greatest Generation By Tom Brokaw
Talk to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
Talk to the New York Police and Fire Dept about 9/11
Read about Steve Fossett' Round The World
That is Yankee Can Do
These folks didn't let the challenges fake em out

College is full of meaningless tests and courses, yet folks take it
all in
stride.
With your attitude you probably don't have a driver's license

Morse thruput can be 40WPM
PSK31 is about 30 to 50WPM
RTTY is about 80WPM
Many folks here probably can't type at these speeds
So much for slow thruput
It is about communicating not speed.

Whatta ya doing in this slow communication mode ??? How fast can
you type
???

All the below is BS.


--
Lamont Cranston



wrote in message
oups.com...
Hmmm...since you seem to think that learning an antiquated and
absurdly
slow way of communicating isn't the stumbling block, please tell us
why
young people are not signing up in droves like they did in the 50's
and
60's. And please tell me what "Yankee Can Do" means and how it is
supposed to attract badly needed young blood to a rapidly aging
hobby.

Sad to say, but your attitude parrots that of the ARRL and it is
exactly what is going to kill this hobby. Yes, I know it hurts the
pride a bit to realize the test so many hams once had to pass does
not
produce meaningful results. Much of the ham test is about as
relevant
as requiring buggy skills of prospective automobile driving
licensees.
And requiring that new hams pass the old test because the oldtimers
had
to will just continue to turn the new blood away.

Ii would be nice to say that hams provide a service in times of
emergency, but the specific instances where they actually benefited
the
emergency worker or had a positive impact on locals are fewer and
fewer. I've tried listening to H&W nets in hurricane season and
they
seem to degenerate into chaos more than provide a useful service.
People trampling over one another, sending code on top of voice,
etc.
It is as though many of them were trying for the contact rather
than
trying to help.

If the designation of licensed radio amateur was a desirable goal
then
wouldn't we see more young people trying to attain it? But just
the
opposite it happening. The graying of the hobby and the inexorable
reduction in the number of active hams is obvious to anyone who
listens
in.

And if the greater ham community and the ARRL collectively decides
to
continue playing gatekeeper by requiring meaningless tests to
become a
licensed radio amateur there will come a time that that nobody will
be
knocking at the gate.