On 27 Aug 2005 21:55:12 -0700, "
wrote in
.com:
From: Frank Gilliland on Aug 27, 7:08 pm
On 27 Aug 2005 15:30:42 -0700, "
wrote in
ps.com?:
snip
Dave is a Pro-Code-Test Advocate. Dudly is more-or-less a PCTA.
Dave wants to fiercely attack ANY No-Code-Test Advocate (NCTA).
Frank, you've come out as an NCTA and thus are on Dave's ****list.
Then Dave is barking up the wrong tree. I'm not a ham but I do see the
value of keeping the code as a requirement.
Okay, I stand corrected. No problem to me.
However, under the ROE (Rules of Engagement) in here, if you
agree with me in the slightest on anything, that puts you in
"aligned with me" and in Dave's ****list. :-)
Typical partisan politics: you have to be on one side or the other, no
independent thinking allowed.
Not only is it one of the
most efficient and universal forms of radio communication, learning
the skill demonstrates both a willingness and dedication to the hobby
and it's history. Besides, 5wpm isn't so hard that it leads to chronic
insomnia or constipation, but some of these no-coders whine about as
much as Dudly does when he's asked for proof of his military service!
Code isn't that big of a deal. Learn it, pass the test, then either
use it or don't use it but at least you'll have a skill you didn't
have before. IMO.
Opinion noted. I have a surfeit of acquired skills already,
don't need any old ones. :-)
I don't need to demonstrate how to hand-crank-start a car to
the state motor vehicle department. I've done that anyway.
I don't need to learn musketry skills......
snip for brevity
The difference between our opinions seems to be in our perceptions of
the service. My own perception is that the ARS, while intended to be
used for various reasons, is primarily a hobby. And obsolete or not,
CW is still a significant part of the hobby as a whole. I think it
should be dropped when the mode has been abandoned by the -hams-, not
just the ITU.
You can apply this argument to your analogies for dropping the code:
For example, you don't need to pass a horsemanship test for your
driver's license because horses have been almost completely abandoned
for traveling on the roads. On the contrary, CW is still widely used
in the ARS. So in this respect I don't think it's very fair to equate
horsemanship with code.
And again, since it's just a hobby, the requirement of 5wpm just isn't
any big deal. I learned Morse at an age when things like that are easy
to learn, but I can understand how trying to learn it at a later age
might cause a little anxiety. However, there is a huge assortment of
anti-anxiety drugs available these days (and plenty of doctors who
hand them out like candy). No, that's not a legitimate reason to keep
the code requirement, but it -is- a reason not to make such a big deal
about it.
What I think -is- a big deal is the dumbing-down of the written test.
Giving out the question pool to memorize before the test is a complete
and utter joke. It's nothing more than a memory test, -not- a test of
knowledge and skills. Who's bright idea was that, anyway?
One thing I have learned in the last half century is that our
government CAN and DOES accept cogent arguments on changing
existing regulations to better suit all citizens. At the
same time I also learned that there is a large body of citizenry
that absolutely forbids any thought of changing "their" beloved
standards and practices in legislated law! :-)
The requirement will eventually be dropped. That much is inevitable.
The question is really about -when- it should be dropped. Either way,
I still have no intentions of getting a ham license -- that is, not
unless ARRL of Borg decides to assimilate the 1750m band.
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