On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:04:19 -0000, "The Magnum"
wrote:


I find it surprising that the Full licence requirement no longer requires
Morse. It seems to be on a self destruct course which is a shame as most of
you hard working Amateurs Full licence's seem to have been belittled by
this. If a Full Licence doesn't require Morse then the licence doesn't mean
as much. I think that is a mistake. Technical competence seems to be a
bygone word.


I find this puzzling. Please explain to me why you think a Morse Test
pass at 12 wpm makes someone technically proficient? Surely a
practical examination in some aspect(s) of circuit design, home
construction and use of basic test equipment would be of far more
value. I'd very much like to see such a practical section introduced
as a replacement for the Morse Test.

I've been a CW op all my amateur radio life (ie since 1961) and for
the previous 10 years as an SWL. Not once have I felt superior to the
many G8 friends I have who have never taken the morse test but whose
technical proficiency in electronics is far greater than mine. One
very good friend of mine, a G8, is a Professor of Electrical
Engineering at a well known UK University. He's written countless
papers on antenna design, microwaves and the like, yet, for years, he
was deprived the chance to operate on the HF bands simply because he
had no interest in CW .... how ridiculous. I also know many G8s who
can send and receive Morse well in excess of 12wpm but who chose not
to take the morse test. They use morse on the VHF/UHF and microwave
bands for weak signal work such as meteor scatter, EME, etc.... far
more demanding in terms of homemade gear and antenna systems than an
HF bands CW QSO (most likely using commercial gear and commercial
antenna).

CW does not make you a better radio amateur but it does give some
folk on this newgroup an inflated opinion of themselves. Perhaps that
test and the RAE are only exams they have ever been able to pass? ;-)

Peter, G3PHO