On Jan 5, 10:27 am, "Michael J. Coslo" wrote:
On Jan 4, 7:15 pm, Jeffrey D Angus wrote:

What's next? Secret handshakes and weird rituals?

I read the bylaws and they do seem to be a pretty exclusive group.

I'm not a member, but I don't see any secret handshakes or weird
rituals.

What I do see are requirements that prospective members prove
themselves by actually getting on the air and working existing members,
using CW, at a given speed or better.

What I see as the flaw in their system is that they state that they
want to create a renaissance in CW. Okay, that's a worthy goal. I do
question how they are going about it.

But setting the bar at 25 wpm is not going to produce that goal.

Why not?

And
reading through their web pages, it is not difficult to derive a
conclusion that they are working at a atmosphere of exclusivity.
Exclusivity and renaissance are pretty much at odds. Plus there is the
strange part in the FAQ about one's sponsors possibly making a
applicant take a test. That's just inconsistent and odd, and smacks of
sub-groups, and people who are more equal than others.

I see it very differently.

CWOps isn't the only game in town. FISTS has been around a long time,
for example. SKCC has attracted thousands of members in just a few
years. Second Class Operator's club is another example. All have pretty
minimal entry requirements. That's not a bad thing.

ISTM that the idea for CWOps is to have a club focused on those with a
somewhat-higher level of skill in Morse Code, who actually use the mode
on the air regularly. The requirement for QSOs with members looks to me
as a way of insuring a personal connection between members.

So I think there's room for a club like CWOps, too. It will be
interesting to see how membership grows.

I'm happy to be member number 891 in the Second Class
Operator's Club.

Which reminds me - I gotta sign up for that one.

---

One thing I remember clearly from my early days in amateur radio is
actually seeing and hearing real live Radio Amateurs using Morse Code
at a high level of skill.

I think it was Field Day 1969 when I encountered a grizzled OT working
CW on the low end of 40, working them faster than I could keep track of
through the fierce QRM of the crowded band. Even though FD had only
been going for a couple of hours he'd made more QSOs than many
stations would make all FD.

"Which one are you copying?" I asked

"All three" said the OT, logging another one. "Now get me another
beer"

I went to get it, and decided right then that someday I'd have that
level of skills.

73 de Jim, N2EY

wrote:

ISTM that the idea for CWOps is to have a club focused on those with a
somewhat-higher level of skill in Morse Code, who actually use the mode
on the air regularly. The requirement for QSOs with members looks to me
as a way of insuring a personal connection between members.

So I think there's room for a club like CWOps, too. It will be
interesting to see how membership grows.

I gave up long ago trying to predict what motivates ham radio operators.
Personally, this whole idea of having to be nominated by current
members turns me off, but I know that I am far from typical in that
regard. If the process of obtaining membership in this club actually
results in increased cw activity, more power to them. If it ends up
being a method for people to pat each other on the back without ever
keying a transmitter, then it's completely worthless.

Personally, I wish that they had instituted a tiered membership for
people who are learning cw. One way to increase cw activity is to
motivate trained operators to get on the air, but another way is to
motivate new hams to learn and use cw. If being a member of an
exclusive club is a strong motivator for hams, then recognize the
newcomers and reward them for increasing their proficiency.

73, Steve KB9X

On 2010-01-06, Steve Bonine wrote:

I gave up long ago trying to predict what motivates ham radio operators.
Personally, this whole idea of having to be nominated by current
members turns me off, but I know that I am far from typical in that
regard. If the process of obtaining membership in this club actually

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

And folks marvel at its decline...

--
Jeff, KE9V

In Jeff Davis
wrote:

On 2010-01-06, Steve Bonine wrote:

I gave up long ago trying to predict what motivates ham radio
operators.
Personally, this whole idea of having to be nominated by current
members turns me off, but I know that I am far from typical in that
regard. If the process of obtaining membership in this club actually

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

Exclusive? How so?

Nobody has to be invited to actually use CW on the air. Membership in
this or any other club is not required.

There's no longer any code requirement for licenses in the US or most
(all?) of the rest of the world, so its use is now completely voluntary.

Even so, large chunks of the bands are still populated almost
exclusively by CW ops.

And folks marvel at its decline...

If people don't use CW, it's because they don't want to, not because
someone won't let them.


--
Bert Hyman W0RSB St. Paul, MN

On 2010-01-06, Bert Hyman wrote:

Exclusive? How so?

Nobody has to be invited to actually use CW on the air. Membership in
this or any other club is not required.

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

Nothing wrong with it but the result will be the same hundred old guys who
all belong to the same tired hundred clubs all with the same stated purpose
of "saving" ham radio by protecting and promoting Morse.

Been there, done that, got the shirt and it still doesn't work...

If people don't use CW, it's because they don't want to, not because
someone won't let them.

Also true. Now if I could just make a few contacts without being shaken down
for my FISTS, SKCC, NAQCC, etc, etc, etc, numbers....

73,
--
Jeff, KE9V

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

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

Then don't join.

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

Now if I could just make a few contacts without being shaken down
for my FISTS, SKCC, NAQCC, etc, etc, etc, numbers....

You can have a QSO with me, then. I have a bunch of those numbers but I
don't ask folks for them during QSOs unless there's a specific
reason (such as they ask me).

IIRC the whole exchanging-numbers deal came from the Ten-Ten folks,
who mostly use 'phone...

73 de Jim, N2EY

On 2010-01-06, wrote:

You can have a QSO with me, then. I have a bunch of those numbers but I
don't ask folks for them during QSOs unless there's a specific
reason (such as they ask me).

I'd like that very much Jim!

At 50 I don't think I'm the oldest guy in the room but it sure seems like a
long time since I enjoyed a QSO without being asked if I had this or that
number to exchange. And I blame that on the endless string of little CW
clubs that sprout like mushrooms in the spring...

Perhaps that's why I was being a little too hard on this latest club venture.

Apologies if any were offended.

73,
--
Jeff, KE9V

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 6, 9:13 am, Bert Hyman wrote:

If people don't use CW, it's because they don't want to, not because
someone won't let them.


I think that Jeff was referring to the club in question, not to CW in
general.

At least for me, the issue is promotion of the mode, how new Ops might
be brought into the mix.

For some folks, this is not an issue, for others, it is a concern.
Some of the concern might be historical, some folks just happen to
like something, and therefore like to promote it.

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?

I believe it does need a little promotion, at least at the present
time, because there is a pretty big gulf between people like me,
people that don't know it at all, and the really proficient
operators. There aren't all that many people in the middle any more.
Perhaps after a new balance is achieved, there will be less need for
promotion, but at present, I believe it is critical. We don't need to
convince the already proficient, we need to work with the new people.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -

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

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