Bill Sohl wrote:
"Mike Coslo" wrote in message
...

Kim W5TIT wrote:


Dan, I can understand your exasperation with people who choose not to

learn

CW or decide that they don't like it. However, that is as far as the
understanding goes. It seems impossible to me that you can't understand
that people know what they do, or don't, like.

We all have to learn things that we may not like all that much. I had
to sit and learn classes in school that I found boring to distraction.


The issue is that morse has lost the need for exclusive
testing as a separate test element. Your analogy isn't equivalent
to boring school classes because the goal of those classes is and was
within the objectives of providing a complete education.

I might beg to differ. I took many classes that were just about
irrelevant to just about anything. They were mandated to be taken
though. And that to me sounds just about like the arguments aginst Morse
code testing.


FCC
licensing is not, however, the means to mandate a specific
skill capability for one mode.


For instance, I happen to absolutely know I would not enjoy jumping out

of

an airplane to parachute. I've never tried it, no. But I don't intend

to

because "it's just not me."

But if you wanted to parachute out of planes, you would indeed have to
jump out of a plane. I know that sounds redundant or maybe redumbdant,
but it helps prove my point. You aren't that interested in that sort of
hobby, so you don't do it. It is strange that so many people have a
problem with my basic premise: that people who aren't willing to learn
the requirements are not all that interested in the ARS. In this case,
the requirement is the Morse test.


Sorry, you are expanding a lack of interest in morse as
a defining element as to one's overall interest in
amateur radio. That is simply untrue. There are thousands of
hams that have ZERO interest in morse, many have even
passed the tests to advance, yet they are excellent hams.

No I am not! I'm saying that if you don't learn the prescribed items,
you are not all that interested.

Let's take the hot button Morse code away from the topic for a second,
and use the example posted by some other person here recently. In his
post, he mentioned that some Service buddies who already know Morse code
would take the ARS tests as a way of getting off base and for a change
of pace for a day. They did well on the Morse part of the test, but with
one apparent exception, failed the written exam.

Learning the written portions of the exam was not all that important to
them. After all, they were just doing this for a lark.

They were not really all that interested in getting thier ticket.

People who took the time to study and learn for the *written* portion
of the test had more interest in being a ham than those who did notwant
to take the time to study for the written portion of the test.


It is exactly the same thing. I've been careful to point out that my
argument is completely separate from whether Morse should be tested at all.


Bottom line: Knowledge of morse is neither a positive or negative
indication of any individual's interest(s) in ham radio.

It is if you have to pass a test for it before access.


- Mike KB3EIA -