an old friend wrote:
wrote:

Mike Coslo wrote:


I'm firmly convinced that many of the people that think of Element 1 as
the "great barrier" will be dismayed when they find out that there are
other barriers to Amateur radio.

"I tried but I'm just not able to learn the code." I heard it in the
1950's and I still hear it today. The global-standard copout which
probably goes back to 1912.


ah yes accusing everyone that disagrees of laziness we have been
hearing that a long time too

In 1912 there were reason you needed to be able to USE morse code,
today there is no NEED to USE it at all and yte we test for for it
awhile longer

I can't find any real reason why there is any need for testing for
anything in Amateur radio any more.

That doesn't mean that I don't support testing. It means that Hams and
our regulatory bodies have to get together and form a consensus on just
what we *want* Amateur radio to be. Do we want it to be a body of people
with some form of technical knowledge? So be it. We can do that But we
can indeed turn the Amateur bands into something else indeed. We can
channelize them, we can eliminate experimentation, we can reduce maximum
power levels, and we can ensure that only type accepted equipment is
used. At that point, we can eliminate testing altogether.




Putting together a station is probably
harder for most people than learning Morse code. Putting together a
*good* station is definitely so.

Agreed. The upcoming wave of nocode Extras and Generals will have to
face and resolve the same age-old problems us 20wpm OFs have faced for
decades when it comes to put up or shut up time as it relates to
actually operating in the HF bands. Like being able to spend the money
it takes to acquire decent HF equipment, having the ingenuity and


already got a decent rig, and one since it has VHF and UHF abilities I
have been the air for years with

Think about other people.


knowledge needed to home-brew decent antennas for constricted spaces


I don't need to to worry about constricted spaces I at least own 58
acress I don't think that even 160m will be a problem

Does everyone? Think big-picture. Our own personal circumstances are
not everyones.



for instance, ditto solving QRN and RFI problems, etc. Those have
always been far bigger HF show-stoppers than the code tests ever were
and will continue to be so.


and you make this statement why?

it seems to have no point

The point is that of the barriers to HF use, Morse code use is not the
biggest.

Those who want to get on HF badly enough will by one means or another.
Those who can't be bothered with learning the code, cut


not much longer


spending the money,

doing the learning and the physical work required to get on HF won't


learnign how to operate hf before geting on it a weird and impossible
idea

Perhaps people should drive automobiles for a couple years before
getting their licenses?

I learned how to operate on HF by being Elmered by other hams. There
still are things to learn before getting on HF successfully and safely.

Of course, that could change if we change amateur radio into what some
people apparently desire.

- Mike KB3EIA -