Cecil Moore wrote:
Carl R. Stevenson wrote:
That's a problem ... the fact that those boxes are proprietary means that
the manufacturer can charge more than they ought to cost ...

People like me are willing to pay the price for the
performance. That's Capitalism at work. People who are
not willing to pay the price are left buried in the
sands of time.

Maybe.

Or maybe just the opposite happens.

Perhaps someone finds a way to reduce the price without reducing the
performance. With capitalism at work, that person sells a lot more
devices,
because many of those not willing to pay the price for an SCS box are
willing to pay a lower price for something similar.

And it may be those who were willing to pay the SCS box price who are
buried in the sands of time.

I think that Cecil's point was that there is no detector that can be used
to detect Morse by ear that can compete with a near optimum system
that uses digital modulations, FEC, etc.

Especially given my 68 year old ears with holes in my
hearing from too many Colt .45 blasts.

CW has always required some assistance from the electronics,
the encoding of switch closures into RF pulses and the
decoding of RF pulses into audio bursts. What does it matter
if a few more pieces of electronics are used for encoding
and decoding?

How is the electronic
detector that changes RF to audio characters all that different
from a device that changes RF to visible characters on a display?
What is the real difference from a human brain translating an
audio dit-dah onto the letter 'A' and simply seeing the letter
'A' displayed on a screen? It is only a matter of time until
CW receptions can be translated into voice simulations just
as ASCII files can be translated today. In fact, I could easily
accomplish that feat in my spare time.

What is the real difference between a motorcycle and a small
automobile?
Both require an engine, transmission, wheels, tires, and various
mechanical
components. Both are simply powered roadway vehicles. Automobiles tend
to
be safer, more reliable, less weather-dependent, and to require less
skill. Autos
are also more comfortable and offer far more features.

Why should anyone think that riding a Harley is better - or that much
different -
than driving a Honda?

73 de Jim, N2EY