What's going on here ... the talk of restructuring to remove morse code
requirements has been going on for over 18 months. Many, many countries
have already removed the morse code requirement to gain access to HF. Sure
there's been a lot of backlash from those who still want to keep code alive.
I know this is the government, but, what is taking so long? Can't they come
to some decision quickly. Anyone have a proposed timeline of when this will
be settled.

"Joe Guthart" wrote in
:

What's going on here ... the talk of restructuring to remove morse code
requirements has been going on for over 18 months. Many, many
countries have already removed the morse code requirement to gain
access to HF. Sure there's been a lot of backlash from those who still
want to keep code alive. I know this is the government, but, what is
taking so long? Can't they come to some decision quickly. Anyone have
a proposed timeline of when this will be settled.




I did, but it was last year!!

Maybe someone in the FCC is a pro code test ham who is delaying the
process? The FCC in general has been in favour of removing the requirement
for a long time.

The US may be the last country to abolish the code test, the way things are
going. Mind you, AFAIK the code test has still not been abolished in Spain
or Italy(?), although I don't think there's a code test anywhere else much
in Europe anymore.

In article , Alun
writes:

"Joe Guthart" wrote in
:

What's going on here ... the talk of restructuring to remove morse code
requirements has been going on for over 18 months. Many, many
countries have already removed the morse code requirement to gain
access to HF. Sure there's been a lot of backlash from those who still
want to keep code alive. I know this is the government, but, what is
taking so long? Can't they come to some decision quickly. Anyone have
a proposed timeline of when this will be settled.

I did, but it was last year!!

Maybe someone in the FCC is a pro code test ham who is delaying the
process? The FCC in general has been in favour of removing the requirement
for a long time.

Alun, despite the protestations of the olde-tyme hammes, the FCC isn't
much interested in favoring a hobby activity. Never has been despite
what the league has said in their own self-serving propaganda.

Apparently some of the movers and shakers in the FCC's higher
echelons want a "consensus of the community" or some such
idealistic blatherphrase. If "enough agree" one way or the other, they
might decide. Or might not. Ham radio (a hobby) isn't high on their
things-to-do-today ranking.

The ARRL isn't helping matters any. They insist and insist on having
some form of code testing there. But, the ARRL is a minority
group in U.S. amateur radio and can't possibly get a valid ranking as
a majority opinion maker. [they shot themselves in the foot on that
membership thing long ago but aren't able to sense the pain...]

The US may be the last country to abolish the code test, the way things are
going. Mind you, AFAIK the code test has still not been abolished in Spain
or Italy(?), although I don't think there's a code test anywhere else much
in Europe anymore.

The olde-tyme hammes of yesteryear sound their protest to the
judges! They demand a recount! [slowly they begin their chant to
the accompanyment of balalaikas...]

The Archaic Radiotelegraphy Society stumbles on...

In article , Alun
writes:

Maybe someone in the FCC is a pro code test ham who is delaying the
process?

Maybe. Or maybe it's just not a high priority to FCC.

The FCC in general has been in favour of removing the requirement
for a long time.

That's what I thought, based on the Report and Order to 98-143. But maybe
that's changedsince 1999.

The US may be the last country to abolish the code test, the way things are
going. Mind you, AFAIK the code test has still not been abolished in Spain
or Italy(?), although I don't think there's a code test anywhere else much
in Europe anymore.

What about the former "Soviet Bloc" countries? Scandinavia? How about New
Zealand, Asia, Africa, South America?

Canada is only now proposing to change the code test rules. And Japan, long the
poster country for no-codetest-HF ham licenses, hasn't changed anything.

Is the 5 wpm test really such a big deal?

73 de Jim, N2EY

"N2EY" wrote


Is the 5 wpm test really such a big deal?


Yes.

In article et, "KØHB"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote


Is the 5 wpm test really such a big deal?


Yes.

Why?

73 de Jim, N2EY

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote in news:20040921201024.04815.00000600@mb-
m17.aol.com:

In article et, "KØHB"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote


Is the 5 wpm test really such a big deal?


Yes.

Why?

73 de Jim, N2EY


It puts people off, especially those who have no plans to ever use CW, and
there are a lot of those.

Code and Riley suck!
"KØHB" wrote in message
nk.net...

"N2EY" wrote


Is the 5 wpm test really such a big deal?


Yes.

On 21 Sep 2004 00:12:02 GMT, Alun wrote:

The US may be the last country to abolish the code test, the way things are
going. Mind you, AFAIK the code test has still not been abolished in Spain
or Italy(?), although I don't think there's a code test anywhere else much
in Europe anymore.

Most of the countries where the code test has been dropped do not
have the same requirement for rules changes that the US has, such as
consideration of public input and comments, publication of notice of
rulemaking, petitions for reconsideration and court appeals, etc.

They just DO it ..... (usually because someone in the regulatory
Administration thinks that it is a good thing to do without public
input....)

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

"Phil Kane" wrote in message . net...
On 21 Sep 2004 00:12:02 GMT, Alun wrote:

The US may be the last country to abolish the code test, the way things are
going. Mind you, AFAIK the code test has still not been abolished in Spain
or Italy(?), although I don't think there's a code test anywhere else much
in Europe anymore.

Most of the countries where the code test has been dropped do not
have the same requirement for rules changes that the US has, such as
consideration of public input and comments, publication of notice of
rulemaking, petitions for reconsideration and court appeals, etc.

They just DO it ..... (usually because someone in the regulatory
Administration thinks that it is a good thing to do without public
input....)

How about when the ITU thinks its a good thing to do?