Unfortunately, I overestimated the amount of balls carried by the BoD.
Not only didin't they have the balls to recommend complete elimination
of the Morse exam, but in recommending that Morse testing be continued
for "EXTRA", the speed they recommended was the same count-the-dots 5WPM
which Novices have been passing for over a half-century.

Pathetic!

73, de Hans, K0HB


"N2EY" wrote
|
| The following is a direct copy of Hans' post in original format:
|
| BEGIN GOOGLE QUOTE:
|
| Reply-To: "KØHB"
| From: "KØHB"
| Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy
| References:
|
| Subject: The Pool
| Lines: 23
| Organization: Chaos & Confusion
| X-Priority: 3
| X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
| X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158
| X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165
| Message-ID: .net
| Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 00:41:13 GMT
| NNTP-Posting-Host: 67.250.209.220
| X-Complaints-To:
| X-Trace: newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net 1073263273 67.250.209.220
| (Sun, 04 Jan 2004 16:41:13 PST)
| NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 16:41:13 PST
|
|
| "N2EY" wrote
|
| Here's an update on various estimates of when Morse code testing
will be
| eliminated in the US. Note that four predicted dates are in the
past.
|
| Given that ARRL likely will lobby for continuing a code test for
| Amateur
| Extra (12-13WPM?) applicants, I predict that Morse testing will not be
| eliminated in this decade.
|
| While it's a cop out, it's probably the only way they can get 15
| politicians
| to sign up for a "New Amateur Radio Plan" without a palace revolt on
| their
| hands at the BoD meeting. They'll be able to go back to East
| Overshoe, Iowa
| and Resume Speed, Arizona and mumble platitudes to their membership
| about
| how "We've opened HF to non-Morse applicants, but where it really
| counts we
| actually increased the Morse requirement."
|
| That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
|
| 73, de Hans, K0HB
|
| END GOOGLE QUOTE

KØHB wrote:

Unfortunately, I overestimated the amount of balls carried by the BoD.
Not only didin't they have the balls to recommend complete elimination
of the Morse exam, but in recommending that Morse testing be continued
for "EXTRA", the speed they recommended was the same count-the-dots 5WPM
which Novices have been passing for over a half-century.



IIRC, most VEs give the code test using farnsworth method. That is, 13
wpm characters
spaced at 5 wpm rate. Harder to count the dahs dots. Idea is that one
can get faster
at code quicker, as you learn the sounds of letters instead of counting
the dots.

Way back when, I had to receive and *send* with an FCC provided straight
key 5wpm.
I think that the FCC found that nobody ever failed sending if they could
receive, so they
dropped the send test.