On 1/6/2010 12:16 PM, Michael J. Coslo wrote:
On Jan 6, 8:13 am, Jeff wrote:

Morse has transitioned from being the lingua franca of amateur radio to a
n
exclusive club.

And folks marvel at its decline...

And that worries me.

(snip)

I would propose that a web based method of learning OOK Morse might
just do the trick. People have a tendency to be pretty fearful of
learning on the radio, the person on the other end might not be
terribly patient, and there are some people who just get bored
listening to slow Morse.

This system would give feedback on the copy and sending, practice
sessions, and testing.

Such a system already exists, and it's in use by members of the Morse
Telegraph Club, and others who use American Morse. I suggest you contact
Les Kerr, N7RZ, or check the "MorseKOB" website at
http://home.comcast.net/~morsekob/ for more information.

HTH.

Bill, W1AC
(Filter QRM for direct replies)

Michael J. Coslo wrote:
But some of us believe that the mode has merit, and would like to see
it continue. Now that element 2 is history, how do we promote the
mode?

Oddly enough, the only mode that was outlawed by the FCC was spark.

Yet some people still carry as if dropping Element 2 was somehow
banning CW (Morse Code) from the airwaves.

I just don't get it.

You know, there's other "out dated" modes that are still in use
on the Amateur bands. AM and RTTY to name a couple. And yet,
there NEVER was a proficiency test for either mode.

Speaking of outdated, there are quite a few people out there that
are proficient at sending and receiving telegraph (sounder) based
code as well, and not all of them are 85+ years of age.

Will somebody please point out that the calender says 2010 not
1930.

Things change, but there will always be room for and people who use
CW on the Amateur bands.

Oh, and in answer to your question, you promote it by using it.
And you make a point to tutor others how to use it. And that means
putting up with people like me that are a bit rusty when I happen
to get on the air. QRS doesn't mean calling CQ on my frequency
instead of slowing down so I can copy.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi


--
“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.”
Frank Leahy, Head coach, Notre Dame 1941-1954

http://www.stay-connect.com

On Jan 6, 12:17 pm, "Michael J. Coslo" wrote:

Now that element 2 is history, how do we promote the
mode?

Ten Ways:

1) Use Morse Code on the air. For ragchewing, DXing, contesting,
traffic handling, QRP, QRO, QRS, QRQ, whatever floats your boat. If
your favorite band is crowded, try another and/or get a sharper filter.
If you contest, even a little, send in your logs, photos, soapbox
comments, etc. Our presence on the air is essential.

2) Work on your Morse Code skills. Got a Code Proficency certificate?

But Morse Code skill is not just speed. Can you send and receive a
message in standard form? Can you do it faster than someone on 'phone?
Can you do both "head copy" and write it down? How about copying on a
mill? Ragchewing? Contesting? Being able to have a QSO at slow as well
as fast speeds? All are forms of proficiency.

3) Find a local club that does Field Day and go out with them,
particularly if they have little or no Morse Code activity on FD now.
Help with their Morse Code efforts however you can - operating,
logging, setting up, tearing down, etc. FD is one way to actively
demonstrate 21st Century Morse Code *use*. Talking to people about
Morse isn't nearly so effective as showing them.

4) Set up a Morse Code demo at a local hamfest/club meeting/air show/
town fair/middle school etc. Not as some sort of nostalgia thing but as
a demonstration that Morse Code is alive and in use today. Have
handouts and audience-particiaption if possible.

5) Conduct Morse Code training - on the air, in person, over the 'net,
whatever. Help anybody who wants to learn. Could be as simple as giving
them some code software, tapes or CDs, or as involved as a formal
course at a local community center.

6) Elmer anybody who wants help - even if they're not interested in
Morse Code at all. Your help and example may inspire them.

7) Write articles for QST/CQ/Worldradio/K9YA Telegraph/Electric Radio/
your local hamclub newsletter etc. Not about the code *test* nor about
Morse Code history, the past, etc., but about how to use Morse Code
*today*, and how you are using it. How about an article on what rigs
are best for Morse Code use, and why? Or about the differences between
a bug, single-lever keyer, iambic A and iambic B? Your FD experiences
with Morse Code? (QST, June, 1994) Yes, you may be turned down by the
first mag you submit it to - but keep submitting.

8) Get involved in NTS, QMN, ARES, whatever, and use Morse Code there.
The main reason so much emergency/public service stuff is done on voice
is because they don't have the people - skilled operators - to
use any other mode.

9) Join FISTS & SKCC and any other group that supports Morse. Give out
numbers to those who ask for them even if you're not a contester/award
collector.

10) Use the online environment to its fullest. The online training idea
is excellent. Another is to post Morse-Code-centric videos on YouTube
(one fellow did it with guitar lessons, why not Morse Code
lessons?).

"The test" is long gone and FCC won't bring it back. FCC won't preserve
our standards and values - we have to do it.

And our attitude is a key part of that (pun intended). If we're seen as
a bunch of old grumpy gus types, not many will want to join us. But if
we present ourselves as a fun-loving, welcoming, young-at-heart-and-
mind,
helpful group with useful skills, people will want to join us.

IMHO

73 de Jim, N2EY

On Jan 7, 12:13 am, Jeffrey D Angus wrote:

Oddly enough, the only mode that was outlawed by the FCC was spark.

FCC didn't outlaw spark use by hams. The Department of Commerce did;
FCC would not exist for several more years. (yes, I'm a stickler for
historical accuracy).

But it was only outlawed after hams stopped using it (1927 IIRC).

Yet some people still carry as if dropping Element 2 was somehow
banning CW (Morse Code) from the airwaves.

I just don't get it.

I think it's a semantics/attitude thing. People write "they dropped the
code" not "they dropped the code TEST". Or they name an organization
"No-Code..." not "No-Code-Test..."

It may be a minor difference to some, but not to others.

You know, there's other "out dated" modes that are still in use
on the Amateur bands. AM and RTTY to name a couple. And yet,
there NEVER was a proficiency test for either mode.

People who are going to use AM already know how to speak and listen.
And I don't think it's possible to get an amateur license if you can't
read, which is the main skill needed to use RTTY.

I think the big issue with Morse Code testing was that most would-be
hams don't already have the skills needed to use the mode, even at a
basic level. So having a test, even a basic 5 wpm test, meant actually
learning a new skill. Unlike "book learning", skills take practice and
active engagement of the student to learn.

All ancient history now.

Things change, but there will always be room for and people who use
CW on the Amateur bands.

I hope so. But there are a few who would completely ban Morse Code
*use* if they could.

Oh, and in answer to your question, you promote it by using it.
And you make a point to tutor others how to use it. And that means
putting up with people like me that are a bit rusty when I happen
to get on the air. QRS doesn't mean calling CQ on my frequency
instead of slowing down so I can copy.

Of course. Speed is relative. To the 5 wpm operator, 15 wpm is blazing
fast. To the 45 wpm operator, 15 wpm is crawling slow.

Speed isn't the only skill, either

See you on the low end of 80 and 40.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Jeffrey D Angus wrote:

Yet some people still carry as if dropping Element 2 was somehow
banning CW (Morse Code) from the airwaves.

I enjoy cw. It is a positive part of my life.

But there is exactly one reason why I have been able to experience this
pleasu The FCC _forced_ me to invest the effort, and endure the
pain, to build this skill. It was not fun at first. I got my novice
license when I had one year to build my code speed to 13 wpm or I would
be off the air. At first that process was drudgery. But at some point
it became fun. It has been fun ever since.

There's a good analogy with learning a foreign language. At some point,
it transitions from active effort to being natural. People in their
first week of learning Spanish can't comprehend the pleasure of being
able to read Don Quixote as the author actually wrote it.

Without the FCC's heavy handed pressure, I would not have learned a
skill that has given me great pleasure in my life.

So now that the requirement is gone, the number of people who have the
opportunity to enjoy the pleasure of cw will be much reduced. There are
people who will learn cw on their own, but not many. Most new hams
won't know that they're missing anything.

For those of us who enjoy cw, the issue of no-code was a difficult one.
My personal opinion is that, in spite of what I said above, removing
the cw requirement was the right decision. Yes, it will deprive some
people of an enjoyable experience. But we need new recruits, and the cw
requirement was a roadblock to new people entering the hobby.

73, Steve KB9X

wrote:
On Jan 6, 12:17 pm, "Michael J. Coslo" wrote:

Now that element 2 is history, how do we promote the
mode?

Ten Ways:

1) Use Morse Code on the air.

OK

2) Work on your Morse Code skills. Got a Code Proficency certificate?

OK

5) Conduct Morse Code training - on the air

OK

6) Elmer anybody who wants help

OK

(Note, I didn't list everything due to some hidden agenda, the ones
I did highlight are based on personal involvement.)

"The test" is long gone and FCC won't bring it back. FCC won't preserve

our standards and values - we have to do it.

OK, you lost me here. Are these the same standards and values that
were propagated by the code tested licensees on the upper phone
portions on HF?

And in another post you wrote:
I think the big issue with Morse Code testing was that most would-be
hams don't already have the skills needed to use the mode, even at a
basic level. So having a test, even a basic 5 wpm test, meant actually
learning a new skill. Unlike "book learning", skills take practice and
active engagement of the student to learn.

Isn't that a bit revisionist?

Entry level at the time meant simple equipment. Getting a CW transmitter
on the air was the first step. "How can I communicate with a hand key?"
With Morse code of course. Plugging a microphone into the key jack won't
work.

Secondly, the FCC (and I use that term broadly rather than have to list
every iteration of their existence) also wanted a trained pool of radio
operators. And as Jeff Davis said, Morse Code was the lingua franca of
communications back in the early days.

I just can't see inter agency communications between police, fire,
medical and the Red Cross being handled by some guy wearing a celluloid
eye shade, sleeve garters and hunched over a code key. *

*With a tongue and cheek reference to the costumes the two guys wore on
the Jay Leno Show during a Cellphone Texting VS Morse Code contest.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi


--
“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.”
Frank Leahy, Head coach, Notre Dame 1941-1954

http://www.stay-connect.com

On Jan 6, 5:28 pm, Bill Horne wrote:
On 1/6/2010 12:16 PM, Michael J. Coslo wrote: On Jan 6, 8:13 am, Jeff Da
wrote:

Morse has transitioned from being the lingua franca of amateur radio t
o a
n
exclusive club.

And folks marvel at its decline...

And that worries me.

(snip)


I would propose that a web based method of learning OOK Morse might
just do the trick. People have a tendency to be pretty fearful of
learning on the radio, the person on the other end might not be
terribly patient, and there are some people who just get bored
listening to slow Morse.

This system would give feedback on the copy and sending, practice
sessions, and testing.

Such a system already exists, and it's in use by members of the Morse
Telegraph Club, and others who use American Morse. I suggest you contact
Les Kerr, N7RZ, or check the "MorseKOB" website athttp://home.comcast.net
/~morsekob/for more information.


Hi Bill, I looked at the site, and unless I'm missing something, it
isn't what I was proposing. That looks pretty much like the standard
Morse code learning program. I want a place where people can talk to
each other, to bootstrap themselves to competency, as well as having
the standard learning tools. Hang out with their peers for a while.
Morse needs a nursery system, and it might just be easier to get them
involved and up to a speed where they don't make proficient Ops fall
asleep.

Another part is that it isn't just copying Morse that is an issue. The
abbreviations that Morse Ops use can be a little confusing. They know
what they mean, but so many use slightly different ones that a new guy
can get really confused. I remember when I first started listening to
live CW, I could copy the ARRL practice code okay, but listening to
Actual QSO's, I'd copy it down, and think "this has to be wrong, And
as a student of Morse who tends to "fly behind the plane", I'd get
stuck. So it would be good to slowly work the abbreviations in after a
while.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -

On Jan 6, 12:17 pm, wrote:
On Jan 6, 11:12 am, Jeff Davis wrote:



True, however, 'exclusive' is implied in the bylaws that call for nomin
ation
for membership, pop tests to prove competancy, etc. It's just another f
orm
of cronyism by a handful of folks not happy that the hazing requirement
to
obtain HF privileges has been removed.

Then don't join.

I surely won't. and not for "hazing". I don't see any hazing in
effect here, because the requirements are already attained by
prospective members. I will note that the potential tests the pledge
might have to take, depending on the will of their sponsors is just
odd. There should be a competency test, or their shouldn't be.


Almost *any* nontrivial requirement is bound to be labeled a "hazing
ritual", "cronyism", "luddite" or other derogatory term by somebody.

Kind of. I think a large part of the discussion, at least for me, is
the idea that this club furthers the use of Morse code. They state it
as one of their purposes. I don't think that their tactic will work.

I'd even go so far as to state that I don't really care if they are an
exclusive club. That's no problem. There is a need for people of a
like mind to congregate. But if a club is one thing while purporting
to be another, I'm inclined to remark about it.

On Jan 7, 11:15 am, Steve Bonine wrote:

Without the FCC's heavy handed pressure, I would not have learned a
skill that has given me great pleasure in my life.

And How! I'm not a big user of Morse code, but don't regret a minute
spent learning it.

My own specialty in amateur radio is Computer based stuff. My shack
has 4 computers, one main, one to control the HF rig and run digital
modes, one to monitor APRS, and one to record the local repeater for a
interferer. Then there's one on the car for my aprs coverage
experiments.

I wonder if there's a club for computer geeks like me who don't know
when to stop? hehe Probably more like a support group. Step away
from the computer Mr Coslo, just step away.........

On Jan 7, 11:16 am, Jeffrey D Angus wrote:
wrote:
On Jan 6, 12:17 pm, "Michael J. Coslo" wrote:

Now that element 2 is history, how do we promote the
mode?

Ten Ways:

"The test" is long gone and FCC won't bring it back. FCC won't preserve
our standards and values - we have to do it.

OK, you lost me here. Are these the same standards and values that
were propagated by the code tested licensees on the upper phone
portions on HF?

Now you lost me!

If you're referring to the few folks who make some parts of the 'phone
bands rather nasty, consider the following:

1) Those folks aren't using Morse Code when they behave badly on the
air

2) Those folks also passed written exams that included lots of
questions about the rules & regs

And in another post you wrote:

I think the big issue with Morse Code testing was that most would-be
hams don't already have the skills needed to use the mode, even at a
basic level. So having a test, even a basic 5 wpm test, meant actually
learning a new skill. Unlike "book learning", skills take practice and
active engagement of the student to learn.

Isn't that a bit revisionist?

No, not at all.

Suppose that in 1980 someone had developed a wonderful new way to learn
Morse Code that would take a typical person from 0 to 25 wpm in 1 hour,
simply by watching a videotape.

Do you think the code tests would still have been an issue?

Entry level at the time meant simple equipment. Getting a CW transmitter
on the air was the first step. "How can I communicate with a hand key?"
With Morse code of course. Plugging a microphone into the key jack won't
work.

Not sure which time you're referring to. Or what that has to do with
the discussion. Please elaborate.

Secondly, the FCC (and I use that term broadly rather than have to list
every iteration of their existence) also wanted a trained pool of radio
operators. And as Jeff Davis said, Morse Code was the lingua franca of
communications back in the early days.

And was used by other radio services well into the 1990s. A lot depends
on what you consider "the early days".

I just can't see inter agency communications between police, fire,
medical and the Red Cross being handled by some guy wearing a celluloi
d
eye shade, sleeve garters and hunched over a code key. *

Why not?

The FBI had their own HF nets using Morse Code. The military and
maritime folks used for many decades.

The main reason other services stopped using Morse Code was that they
didn't want to pay skilled operators. It was cheaper for them to buy
more-complex equipment.

But Amateur Radio is all about *operating*.

73 de Jim, N2EY