From: "cl" on Sun,Apr 17 2005 11:33 pm

"bb" wrote in message
roups.com...

cl wrote:



The biggest problem with most is "laziness".

Was that your problem? If you hadn't been so lazy you could have
learned the code in under a week?


Eh - I had the code down in 2 weeks for the Novice exam. AND I'm now
an
Extra. Been licensed since the early 80s.
Yeah, I probably could have learned it in under a week, if I pushed
myself.
Most anyone will tell you - it isn't good to do such.

Sorry, according to many in here you have to approach it as
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE!!! :-)

Besides, at that time,
I was chasing rug rats - so study time was premium.

Excuses, excuses, excuses! :-)

Most recommendations are
15 minutes to a half hour a day. That hardly makes it possible in a
week. I
used the words " "AT LEAST" 2 WEEKS". Some are faster learners than
others,
that is a given. BUT my point was, you have to get started to learn
ANYTHING. You can't absorb it through osmosis. Back to the timing
thing, I
hope someone from the military can step in to tell us how much time
they
were given to get the code down. I think they had to "Cram".

"Caveat," I was in the military, the United States Army,
voluntary enlistment beginning 13 March 1953. Went from
Basic to Signal School at Fort Monmouth, NJ. Amount of
Signal School time spent on morse code? ZERO! NO class,
NO "cramming."

At that time the ONLY military occupation specialty
in the Army requiring morsemanship was Field Radio.

Field Radio then required passing 20 WPM, was taught
at Camp Gordon (later Fort Gordon, now the home of the
Signal Corps). Drop-out rate was roughly a quarter of
all starting...that I know about. Those that didn't
make it, but had some apitude for electronics, got to
go to Inside Plant Telephone, Outside Plant Telephone,
Carrier, Teleprinter Operator, Field Wireman...or the
Infantry. :-)

My Signal School classes taught Microwave Radio Relay
(at a time when there was little of such operational).
Radar was also taught at Fort Monmouth, had the same
basic electronics as Microwave. I got assigned to a
Fixed Station Transmitter site in Japan. Got all of
about a day's worth of on-site "training" to operate
one of three dozen HF transmitters having a minimum of
1 KW output. NO MORSEMANSHIP NEEDED THERE. NO MORSE
USED at the third-largest station in the Army Command
and Administrative Network.


Maybe you never will use it again.

Perhaps. I've found little use for it so far. Maybe once I'm an
old
fart, have loads of time, and wax nostalgic for things that never
were,
I'll take it up and enjoy it, and demand that all learn it.

Probably the same age bracket as me. I do listen to call signs now and
then
on the scanner to pick out the services they represent - if I don't
immediately know who the service is. I do listen some times to code on
the
H.F. Bands.

...or what you think is morse. :-) There's very LITTLE
morse code on HF nowadays...EXCEPT inside the ham bands.

There are many things you learn in life and may never use
again, unless you plan to play on Jeopardy.

Tell that to Ken Jennings! :-)

Many people learned the skeletal
system in health class, microorganisms in Biology class. It doesn't
mean
they use it now. Probably forgot it as soon as they graduated. But,
it was
"required". It's not a big deal people. Once you get past the "do I
have to"
and start doing it, you'll amaze yourself at how fast and easy it
can
be.

Indeed. I never had the "do I have to?" attitude as there was no
code-free license when I became a ham. Yet it took me about 9 weeks
of
daily practice.

And you stuck with it!!!!!!!! You didn't quit, and it got you where
you
wanted to be. OR had to be - for your class of license. 2 weeks, 9
weeks, so
what... you did it. A milestone to be proud of. No one can fault you
for
that effort.

Riiiight, Coach Lector. :-)

After my release from active duty in 1956, I thought it
good to get a Commercial Radiotelephone License. Lots of
job opportunities with that then. Couldn't find a Q&A
book in town but I got a copy of the entire FCC regulations
from a good guy at a local broadcast station, studied that
and got my First 'Phone on the first sitting in Chicago,
90 miles away (didn't walk, rode the train, kept my shoes
on even if there was no snow). Moved to L.A. at the end of
'56, started at Art Center School of Design to become an
illustrator. Worked during the day at Hughes Aircraft,
found out that illustrators didn't make much money, liked
electronics (already spent three years in Army
communications) and switched to Electronics Engineering.
Took me 15 years to complete that due to job requirements
making me miss whole semesters. Got engineering
responsibility, title, and pay before any "certificate"
(suitable for framing) awarded (sheep did not sacrifice
their skins for graduates, regardless of what is said).

In between semesters, I thought it a neat thing to learn
this morse code stuff, get a fancy callsign to "sign
after my name" (youth can be misleading on what is
important). Got to roughly 8 WPM clean copy using
practice tapes (magnetic, reel-to-reel, cassettes had
not yet been invented in those 60s days). Stopped after
that plateau, wondered "whatinhell am I doing spending
all this time on morse?" I'd already spent three full
years on Army communications at a major station (220
thousand messages a month in 1955), had become a
supervisor, did finally work on microwave radio relay
operations in the service, was now an employee of Ramo-
Wooldridge Corp. in electronic warfare group, and the
Class D CBs had already started. I'd gotten the First
'Phone, worked on HF, was now working on more of the EM
spectrum than any ham of today can use, already had a
good home workshop and was coming along on professional
design. I didn't "NEED MORSE" to GET ON THE AIR. I had
already done that, perfectly legal, without fault.

I had tossed the idea of getting a "title" (the callsign)
since there was MUCH MORE electronics coming along. The
first of the ICs had already hit the market and some of
us were tinkering with the first personal computers,
rolling our own without benefit of MITs or Apple or SwTP
kits (hadn't come out yet). PLENTY of fun and games in
electronics AND radio to be interested in.

I DO use code now and then, but not daily like many others do.
Everyone has
their own thing. Some are into Packet, RTTY, AMTOR, etc, I'm
not...To each
his own. But we all had to learn "something" about those modes to
pass an
exam.

Oooooo! "PASS THE (code) EXAM!"

Geez, poor babies, like an amateur exam is "Nobel
Laureate" material? Like "rocket science?" Yeah...
a "life accomplishment!" :-)

I used to "pass a test" every week...on payday. If
I didn't KNOW what was needed on the job, to do the
things my bosses had given me responsibility for, I
wouldn't "pass that exam." No paycheck. Bye.

I never failed such an exam. I never failed any exam
in college courses, either. I just kept on working
in engineering design...and having to constantly keep
on learning. The state of the electronics arts have
NOT ceased to advance...not one iota of stopping.


Funny thing is, we're all arguing pros and cons and in the end, it
won't
matter. WE do not have control.

NO NO NO!!! WRONG IN HERE!!!

The NO-CODE TEST ADVOCATE extras "HAVE CONTROL!" At
least three have "forbidden" any non-amateur to EVER
say anything about getting INTO amateur radio! Such
folk are, as these gods of radio put it, "NOT INVOLVED!"

Damn the First Amendment (say those three). THEY "rule"
on What Shall Be in U.S. amateur radio!

Their clubhouse door is CLOSED to "outsiders." [so are
their minds, BTASE...)

So, if we're going to debate the issues we
have no control over, may as well keep it clean.

What is "clean?" Anything done the way the ARRL says
is "clean?" Anything done to show "committment" and
"dedication" to amateurism is "clean?" Does "clean"
mean that ALL must obey the olde-fahrt amateur extras
who cuss at all the (evil) no-coders?

Does "clean" mean the usual Double Standard in this
newsgroup? All the PCTA extras can cuss at others
but everyone else has to be OH so polite, civil,
obediant, and respectful to their MIGHTY personal
accomplishments?

Hardly any of us know the
other and it isn't worth making enemies over.

Quite true, but that is NOT practiced in here. Look
at the labels of "PUTZ," "LIAR," "COWARD" that are
tossed out freely by these MIGHTY PCTA extras!

Certainly not worth name calling....

It MUST be "worth it" to these stalwart, noble, good
and true MORSEMEN. They seem to thrive on it.

Whether I'm right or wrong, I do value opposing view points.
Everyone has a right to his/her own opinion.

Commendable and should be the operative ethic in here.

Unfortunately, it is NOT SO.

Pro or con, it is a matter of time. May be a year, may be 5, but it
will
come to pass.

Absolutely. But...that will be the END of the ARS
(Archaic Radiotelegraphy Society).



retired (from regular hours) electronic engineer person