On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 19:47:38 GMT, "CW"
wrote:

First...To clarify, I don't care if some one has to learn the code to
get on the air or not. Nor do I care if it's a qualification, but...
I do see it as many things are going today, where people want more for
less.

You took a story about a lazy SOB of at least general class and turned it
into a pro code rant. So, the obvious conclusion from this would be that the
more code you know, the stupider you get. Was that your point?

How could you come to that conclusion. Unless the ham in question had
been licensed for a while at most he'd have had to do was 5 wpm.

Learning has absolutely nothing to do with character.
As the old saying goes, "Send a jackass to college and what do you
get? An educated Jackass".

The amateur radio *service* (defined as a service by the FCC) has a
place for the technically oriented, the mechanically oriented, and the
"communicator". Each can be an asset to the service and often a
person proficient in one may not be proficient in one of, or any of
the others.

For instance, I can weld, I've built my own transmitter, amps, and
antennas in the past. I'm fairly proficient with a lathe and milling
machine. I'm a pilot with over 1300 hours total and over a 1000 in
high performance, complex retracts and I'm instrument rated. I
installed my current antenna system,
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/tower.htm and I still do my own tower
climbing. I quite work at age 47 and went back to college to get a
degree in Computer Science... And yes I have the Extra with 20 WPM
passed, BUT with all that I can't saw a board in two and get it back
together straight.

Personally I see about as much connection with the CW and technical
ability as I do with my degree, or Extra class license and my
inability to get that board back together straight. Rather I see a
symptom of society today where people want and expect more, but expect
to exert less effort to get it.

Even if the licensing structure were changed to require every one to
pass the CW test at some arbitrary speed, it would not change the
character of those people one bit. With or without CW the individual
is going to have the same character traits before and after the test.

Some of the worst offenders on the bands are Extras. I think they
expected some kind of recognition for reaching the goal and when they
didn't receive it, they demanded attention in the only way they knew
how. They never realized the

Some individuals are success oriented (always setting new goals and do
things for the sake of doing them), some are object oriented (working
to acquire more toys), and some are recognition oriented ( do things
for public recognition). That list is in descending order when it
comes to desirable character traits. There are other character
traits, both desirable and undesirable, but the CW requirement is not
going to change them either. To some CW is seen as a challenge, to
some a chore, and to some it is to be avoided.

Just as music is often first learned mechanically, with practice it
becomes automatic. You see the note(s) and your fingers automatically
press the right key, or pick and hold the right string. So too in
flying. You practice until muscle memory takes over, or with ice
skating, or typing. I don't have to think where my fingers are going
while I type this. I don't have to think about an A being didah, or
a B as dadididit. When writhing it down you have to learn how to
spell as you hear word sounds, not individual letters.

So too as in music, skating, or flying, not everyone has the
capability, or coordination to master the art. That the art is only a
portion of the whole should not keep them out. OTOH if the inability
is due to lack of ambition....forcing them to memorize the code is not
going to miraculously turn them into the epitome of ambition either.

A certain percent of the population is going to be blessed (or cursed)
with any specific character trait. With or without CW a percent of
those are going to end up in our ranks. They always have and most
likely will continue to do so.

OTOH, as the Extra is mainly a prestige license any way, I'd like to
see them put the speed for the Extra back up to 20 WPM. :-))
After all, I had to do it so why not them :-))

'Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)


"Jerry" wrote in message
. ..
As *some* of you know, I build and sell the Carolina Cyclone line of
screwdriver antennas. Sometimes I run
into some "doosies". I don't (normally) do installs because
they are more trouble than they are worth. But.......I was