wrote:
[...]
A big factor in the attraction was the attitude expressed in the
books. None of them said learning radio, getting a license or building
equipment was difficult. None said a ham had to be older than a
certain age, have a certain income, education or IQ level, be of a
certain gender or ethnicity, etc. The required math, physics,
chemistry and electricity, and Morse code, weren't presented as
obstacles; just stuff that anybody could learn. The whole process was
and is a lot of fun. A challenge, not a "hoop" or a "barrier".
[...]


Let me clarify one point: I never suggested that Morse code was an
obstacle because it was too hard. I have known any number of people who
were put off by Morse, myself included, because it was archaic and
unrelated to electronics. I have worked in the electronics field and I
have met any number of people who knew a substantial amount about
electronics in general, as well as ham radio, but were not hams. They
often mentioned Morse when asked why that was.
If you can look at it objectively (I realize that it is an
emotionally charged subject), you cannot make a plausible claim that
there is anything inherent to radio or electronics about Morse. Morse is
a linguistic construct, like a semaphore flag code, that was devised in
order to enable communications using a device that was incapable of
transmitting voice. It is as if prospective hams were told that before
they could be allowed to handle electronic gear, RF emissions and high
voltages, they first had to learn how the ancient Egyptians wrote with
hieroglyphics. Then, they would have to write a page of hieroglyphics
themselves and then read a page that someone else had written. If you
think that that is absurd and that hieroglyphics have nothing to do with
radio and that you would not be willing to waste your time on such a
pointless and irrelevant digression, then you understand the frustration
of electronics enthusiasts with the old system and with those who
embraced it.
As far as the difficulty is concerned, I went from SWL to Amateur
Extra in 9 weeks (3 separate test sessions, 3 weeks of studying per
test). After leaving the material for about a month, I resumed studying
and obtained a General Radiotelephone Operators License with a Radar
Endorsement in about another month. I felt that the entirety of the
material, on all six tests, amounted to the equivalent of about a
semester of General Chemistry.

--
Klystron

On Feb 27, 3:35 pm, Klystron wrote:

I never suggested that Morse code was an
obstacle because it was too hard. I have known any number of people who
were put off by Morse, myself included, because it was archaic and
unrelated to electronics. I have worked in the electronics field and I
have met any number of people who knew a substantial amount about
electronics in general, as well as ham radio, but were not hams. They
often mentioned Morse when asked why that was.

That's fine, people have all sorts of reasons for not being hams.

However, Morse Code is *not* archaic, and *is* related to amateur
radio, because
hams do use it extensively - today, right now.

If you can look at it objectively (I realize that it is an
emotionally charged subject), you cannot make a plausible claim that
there is anything inherent to radio or electronics about Morse. Morse is
a linguistic construct, like a semaphore flag code, that was devised in
order to enable communications using a device that was incapable of
transmitting voice.

That's one reason for it. But even after voice radio was invented,
Morse code
use in radio continued, because it has certain advantages over other
modes.

It is as if prospective hams were told that before
they could be allowed to handle electronic gear, RF emissions and high
voltages, they first had to learn how the ancient Egyptians wrote with
hieroglyphics. Then, they would have to write a page of hieroglyphics
themselves and then read a page that someone else had written.

Sorry, that's not a convincing analogy, because nobody uses Egyptian
hieroglyphics
in amateur radio - and they never did. But Morse Code was and is used
in amateur
radio. That's a big difference. Knowing Egyptian hieroglyphics doesn't
help one
with amateur radio operation, but knowing Morse Code sure does!

IMHO a better analogy is this: Suppose that all drivers had to
demonstrate the
ability to drive a car (in first gear, at 5 mph) with a manual
transmission in order
to get a driver's license, even if they only intended to drive
automatic-transmission
cars (which far outnumber manual-transmission cars today).

If you
think that that is absurd and that hieroglyphics have nothing to do with
radio and that you would not be willing to waste your time on such a
pointless and irrelevant digression, then you understand the frustration
of electronics enthusiasts with the old system and with those who
embraced it.

See above. Morse Code has a lot to do with amateur radio. Whether that
means it should have its own special must-pass-to-get-a-license test
is
a completely different matter. And it's been settled by FCC.

As far as the difficulty is concerned, I went from SWL to Amateur
Extra in 9 weeks (3 separate test sessions, 3 weeks of studying per
test). After leaving the material for about a month, I resumed studying
and obtained a General Radiotelephone Operators License with a Radar
Endorsement in about another month. I felt that the entirety of the
material, on all six tests, amounted to the equivalent of about a
semester of General Chemistry.

I went from Novice in 1967 to Technician and Advanced in 1968, then to
Extra in 1970.
In those days there was a 2 year experience-as-a-General-or-Advanced
requirement to
even try the Extra exam. I never thought the exams were very difficult
if someone knew
a bit about the subject.

73 de Jim, N2EY