Count Floyd CountFloyd@MonsterChillerHorrorTheater wrote:
Yes, that's the ticket, back to the past. As if enough people weren't
abandoning ham radio already. I have never thought that code was
essential. It is just another "hoop" that someone has to jump
through. Once I passed the code test, I never used it again. Get
real, this is 2006, and with all the innovations on the radio
spectrum, code is the last thing on people's minds.

Well, if that's the case, why not test them on use of the new innovations?

How about making them demonstrate competence operating five different
modes of their choice? They can choose between HF SSB, VHF/UHF FM, CW,
SSTV, fax, RTTY, packet, what have you. That way folks who want to learn
code and might use code have an advantage, but folks who can type 130 wpm
also have an advantage...
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."