He'sDoneItAgain wrote in newsUIgh.524$QU1.447
@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net:

Looks like "no-code" is finally here...

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...C-269012A1.pdf

Why I find the "no code" licensing troublesome.

I first experienced ham radio at the age of 7. Now at two weeks short of
52 I find the whole cw experience satisfying from a competitive
perspective. Learning the code wasn't hard. Increasing my speed was the
difficult part as most have also discovered.

Did I whine or cry, did I hold my breath, did I toss a fit in front of
the examiners? No, no and no!

I practiced hard and when I thought I was ready I took the test and
flunked! Boo! Hoo! So what? Not passing a test is not the worse thing
that could happen. It told me something. Its failure said I was only one
word short of passing. Through the encouragement of the examiners I took
a re-test and passed later that day. WOO! HOO!

I understand that some people lack the ability to pass a 5wpm test much
less 13 or higher. I'm one who can not go higher than 13. If I try my
brain turns into that "other" white meat. grin

My belief is that all operators should be able to pass at the very least
3-5 wpm. Why, not simply because it's a time honored method of
communications, but because when digital and voice systems go dead or
satellites won't function properly, in a real emergency cw, even at a
greatly reduced power level can get a message through.

I want to be a pilot or a surgeon but the testing is to difficult.
(Waving the magic wand, whoosh!) Ok, now the testing for a pilot or
surgeon has been made easier. Does that make them safer or anymore
proficient? Obviously we kicked professionalism down a notch or two.

Ham radio is more than only a hobby. As operators we assist our local
communities and law enforcement agencies. When others couldn't get a
message through, we did. During times of war before the Internet and
personal computers amateur radio operators assisted the government in
passing messages to families and loved ones.M.A.R.S., ever hear of it?

As far as I know it's still around today.

Making it easier to have some things like the Internet to keep phone cost
down and famlies closer together is great. You shouldn't have to be an
Einstein to use that mode of communications.

On the other hand, ham radio is a wee bit more complicated and the
operations of any station should only be performed by a licensed operator
who can show proficiency not only in voice or data communications, but in
a backup method such as cw too.