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May 8th 04, 03:38 PM

(Brian Kelly) wrote in
m:

Alun wrote in message
. ..
Tony P. wrote in
:

In article ,
daviesl2003 @aol.com says...
I think that since Morse Code is old, but not completely useless, I
feel it should no longer be made to be learned to gain access to
the HF bands.

Do I feel that Amateur Radio be made a free for all? No, it should
not. There should be a test, but not a really hard test, but not a
easy one either.

I'll even admit, I'll never get a new Icom 7800, at $10,000.00 -
I'll be lucky to maybe get a used 706 at about 400 or 500 or so.

I didn't find the series of tests difficult at all. The 5WPM and
13WPM were fairly easy too, as I had time to practice the 5WPM while
on a rainy camping trip. Good thing I brought plenty of batteries
and a code practice tapes.

I'll grant that 5wpm is relatively easy, but still a lot of work

13WPM was gotten by actually working HF with what privileges I had
as a Tech+. From there, up to 20WPM and all done.

I'd say it's a bit harder for those with no interest in using CW

I had no particular interest in the topics covered by probably half
the courses I had to pass to get a degree. But I did pass 'em
(grousing all the way) and the priveleges flowed. The philosophy
behind volume of work invested in learning = volume of privs goes back
at least to the guilds of the early Renaissance.

You would have thought we would have learnt since then, rather than aping
the practices of hundreds of years ago.

I think the biggest detriment to testing now is the publication of
the question pools. People can get into the hobby via rote
memorization,

True in some instances, but most people don't have photographic memory

which by the way is what schools teach kids, not how to think but
how to memorize.

So over time the hobby is just going to be awash in nitwits,

I don't think so. Not any more than it already is, anyway!

and then
fade away. There are too many other options to communicate.

...which is another issue altogether. The Internet has hit the hobby
pretty hard.

What's your point?

My point is that we need to recruit people into the hobby.

Ham radio license tests should be reduced to
passing a test on mouse operations in order for ham radio to compete
with the Internet? Passing a one-button mouse test garners a Tech
ticket, two gets a General and two plus a scroller wheel gets the
examinee an Extra?

w3rv

Where do you get that from? I don't think we should reduce theory standards
atall. I just think we need to abolish the code test.

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