"George Orwell" wrote in message
...
Al Klein said:

Eliminating a requirement is dumbing things down. But no one would
expect you to be able to understand that.

Well, let me ask, from the point of view of a potential noob to the hobby.
What use is the code requirements?
I can't really see in today's era, the need for them? I've been surfing
around looking at ham and talking to
an old friend that had a license and it look interesting to me.

But, given that many professional people like myself are stretched for
time, what good does all the licensing
and code requirements do for you besides build up boundries to doing
something new and fun?


If you will read Part 97 (the rules that govern amateur radio), the
government doesn't care about you doing something new and fun. The section
on basis and purpose makes it quite clear that their objectives are quite
different. They want people knowledgeable in ham radio and who are
interested in expanding that knowledge.


I'm in a pretty technical field, and I study to keep up in that field
everyday, the last thing I want to do,
is have to spend my weekends studying to talk on a radio. If less
stringent requirements were there, I could
easily afford the tools of the trade, and would like to just jump in and
start working with a ham setup. I'm
particularly interested in exploring the amateur radio/computer
connections.

I have no problem informally looking up information and learning on my own
(heck, that's what I'm doing in
the USENET group to begin with)...but, I just don't have the time for
archaic rules, regulations and codes
that as far as I can see...really serve no real purpose but, to keep out
busy people that might like to
participate.


Until and unless you have actually participated in amateur radio in a wide
variety of aspects, it is difficult to asses which rules, regulations,
knowledge, etc are archaic and which should remain as requirements. Notice
that the majority of people advocating ditching requirements are those who
have not yet passed those requirements, regardless of their age. Note that
the majority of people advocating keeping the requirements have passed them
and have experience in amateur radio again regardless of their age.

As far as "busy people" go, again refer to the basis and purpose as given in
the rules. The government is not concerned about your choice of how you use
your time. It has no bearing on what their goals are.

Can you give me valid reasons as to what useful purpose in today's age
they serve?


Every piece of knowledge has its uses. The difficult part is winnowing
through it and decide what should be tested and what should not.

Here's why I think code should still be tested:
1. It is still one of the basic building blocks of ham radio. For example,
one of the "hot" digital modes is PSK31. The developer drew upon personal
experience and incorporated features derived from that mode to make a robust
digital mode.
2. Because it is not "book learning", too many people will avoid it since
it is different than the type of learning they are accustomed to. They will
falsely think it is hard when in reality it is different. Requiring them to
learn it gets them over that resistance hump.
3. Each and every mode has its strong points and weak points. Each of us
that participate in ham radio should attempt to gain personal experience in
those modes so that we know by that personal experience what those strengths
and weaknesses are.

If you are interested, I could construct various scenarios where mode X is
the best mode. However, unless you specifically want to know, I won't
clutter up the newsgroup at this time with discussions that have been
repeated many times by many people already.

Dee, N8UZE