On Sep 8, 1:33�am, AJ Lake wrote:
wrote:
My personal theory on why it [code test] was eliminated is this:
Since the early 1980s, the FCC has been required to do more and more
stuff with less and less resources. So they have constantly sought out
ways to reduce their workload, particularly for radio services that
don't bring in $$, like ham radio.

And another theory is that the code mode is simply obsolete so why test
for it. No more horse driving government tests either. Course
for people who like it, they can still work CW and drive horses.

That theory doesn't hold water because Morse Code isn't obsolete on
the HF/MF ham bands. You hear a lot more hams using Morse Code on
those bands than you see people riding or driving horses.

A much more reasonable theory would be that most states do not test a
driver's ability to operate a manual transmission.

But even though the last remnants of the Morse Code test were removed
back in February 2007, there are still plenty of hams using it on the
air.

Yea, but there's less and less each year as the old guys die off.

That doesn't seem to be happening. Groups such as FISTS and SKCC have
increasing numbers of members. Participation in contests using Morse
Code isn't declining increasing even with terrible sunspot numbers.
Look at the results of the ARRL 160 meter contest for the past several
years - and it's all-CW.

I know
you work CW so you know that the vast majority of your CW QSOs are with
people in their 60's and over.

No, they're not. Sure there are lots of hams who are senior citizens
but there are also a lot who aren't - and who use Morse Code on the
air.

Plus the whole US population is getting older. People are living
longer and having fewer kids, for one thing. The median age for US
residents back in 2000 was 39 years and some months (according to the
Census Bureau). And it keeps increasing.

One foot in the proverbial grave.

How old are *yiu*? I'm 54, been a ham 41 years.

What led me to my theory is that the FCC didn't just drop the Morse
Code tests, they simplified and reduced all the testing as well as the
administrative procedures. For almost 30 years, every change was in
the direction of making less work for FCC, to save resources.

This past Field Day, for example, the group I went with had one
Morse Code station and three voice stations, all similarly equipped.
There were three Morse Code operators and far more voice ops, yet the
Morse Code station made more QSOs than all the voice stations
combined. This wasn't a surprise, either.

You don't really call those guys with the computers and keyboards
who ruin the CW bands on contest weekends CW ops do you ???

Why not? All the computer does is keep the log and maybe call CQ. The
'phone stations had the same computer logging system, all networked to
a central server. Yet the CW ops outdid them easily.

As for "ruining the CW bands" - the only "CW bands" in Part 97 are the
bottom 100 kHz of 6 and 2 meters. All the other bands where CW is
allowed share the space with other modes, such as RTTY and PSK31.

It's just beautiful when the bands are full of hams making QSOs. Not
"ruined" at all.

73 de Jim, N2EY