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