"KØHB" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...

Actually people who are not required to learn something at a basic level
too often bypass the activity altogether because they perceive it to be
harder than it is. Therein lies the loss.

I don't buy that line of reasoning at all.

I was never "required" to learn to set up a "Lindy Rig", but saw other
fishermen doing it and it looked like fun, so decided it must not be too
difficult, so I learned how.

I was never "required" to learn to swim, but saw other kids doing it and
it looked like fun, so decided it must not be too difficult, so I learned
how.

I was never "required" to learn how to kiss a girl, but saw Clark Gable
doing it, and it looked like great fun, so I decided it must not be too
difficult, so I learned how.

I was never "required" to learn Morse Code, but heard it on the Zenith and
was curious about those beeps and boops, so I learned how (a decade before
I decided to be a ham).

I was never "required" to learn RTTY, but saw other hams doing it, and it
looked interesting, so I decided it must not be too difficula, so I
learned how.

You probably get the drift.

73, de Hans, K0HB


But you left out all the things you chose not to do because it "didn't look
interesting" or because "it looked too hard."

Have you tried everything that you have seen others do? And on what basis
did you choose to try some things and not others? Simply because in your,
as yet inexperienced eyes in that arena, it looked interesting? Have you
never tried something because some one else with experience said you should
give it a try? Have you never had the experience of finding something to be
fun and interesting upon being required to do or coaxed to do something that
you thought you wouldn't like?

The real question is not so much the Morse code test per se but what is the
set of basics that all hams should be familiar with whether or not they
personally use that knowledge? Those things should be required whether or
not they are interesting or difficult.

By the way I happen to think that all should be required to learn to swim
whether or not they think they may use it. I happen to consider it a basic
skill in life that all should know.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...



But you left out all the things you chose not to do because it "didn't look
interesting" or because "it looked too hard."


Of course! Especially that part about "didn't look interesting".

Have you tried everything that you have seen others do?

Nope. For instance, I never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, and I've
never tried to jump a motorcycle over 13 burning school buses, and I've never
entered a pie eating contest, and I've never done a whole lot of other hobby
things that didn't appeal to me. Lifes to short to dance with hobbies I don't
like.

The use of Morse in amataur radio is entirely optional. All licensees, even
those not tested, are free to chose to use it (or not). While I'd be perfectly
happy to see written test questions about Morse, just as there are written test
questions about other modes, there is no longer any legitimite argument for a
skill demonstration, other than your "try it, you'll like it" argument.

The real question is not so much the Morse code test per se but what is the
set of basics that all hams should be familiar with whether or not they
personally use that knowledge? Those things should be required whether or not
they are interesting or difficult.

I agree entirely! Yes, I really do.

But "be familiar" and "demonstrate a skill" are not the same thing.

I am required (as I should be), for example, to "be familiar" with a wide
variety of subject matter to obtain an Extra class license, but only in the case
of Morse am I required to "demonstrate a skill". What's wrong with that
picture? Why shouldn't we be required to "demonstrate the skill of safely
measuring high voltage" or "demonstrate the skill of planning a good ground
system" or "demonstrate the skill of tracking down the source of a TVI problem".
All of those basic skills seem much more part of the "basic skill set" that all
hams should possess, more so than requiring a demonstration of skill in only ONE
of a growing list of communications methods and modes.

73, de Hans, K0HB

"Dee Flint" wrote in message
...


By the way I happen to think that all should be required to learn to swim
whether or not they think they may use it. I happen to consider it a basic
skill in life that all should know.


That's interesting. I tend to be more libertarian (small "l"), leaving such
decisions up to the individual rather than a societal (government?) "all should
be required" mandate. While it's easy to make the argument that swimming is a
useful skill beyond it's recreational value (just as you might make a slightly
weaker argument that Morse is a useful beyond it's recreational value), society
really has no vested interest strong enough to dictate "all should be required"
to develop the skill of swimming. If they did, then the next layer of
busy-bodies would busy themselves deciding which swimming strokes ought to be
required, which section of the beach we'd be allowed to use (depending on our
tested swimming speed), and requiring that all non-swimmers live only in arid
locations like Arizona and New Mexico.

73, de Hans, K0HB