So that answer would be, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

So this system is installed on all boats and planes of all sizes both
private and commercial? I seriously doubt that.

Where it is needed, and a simple marine channel 16 radio would not be good
enough. Check into the rules and laws if you want a real good answer to this
question.

Satellites and GPS are far more reliable than HF. Keep in mind code
was
invented and used because there were no microphones invented yet.
Likewise, HF was ok before we had satellites and GPS. When a friend of
mine recently traveled overseas, I was able to track the entire flight
from
several free websites that you just enter in the flight number and you get
a
constant read out of speed, altitude, location and maps to show you
exactly
where the plane was the whole time. With technology like this, no one
even
needs to call for help anymore, when the signal stops, we know exactly
where
it was when it stopped and can go looking for it.

Why do so many people want to throw all this technology away and force
everyone to stay with antiquated forms of communication like HF and Morse
Code?


No we do not wish to throw away all the new technology. We want to keep a
viable communications mode in case that new technology fails.

Do you keep a horse in your garage in case your car fails? No one is going
to carry around an HF radio with a code key in case the real radio fails. If
anything, you would have an extra radio that would work on the same standard
emergency channels.

That is all.
The invention of the typewriter and later the word processor does not make
handwriting completely obsolete.

Try to send an email with handwriting on a piece of paper. Perhaps you
should post to these groups with handwriting too.

What next? Will they start a movement to force all of us to get rid of
our
washing machines and have to use old washboards instead so THEY will be
happy?

I for one, gladly embrace new technology that makes life easier and
better. Wanting to play around with HF and Morse Code for a hobby to
get a
nostalgic feeling of yesteryear is fine, but be realistic and don't come
up
with ridiculous ideas to force others to use it.


This new technology that you embrace was invented by the same people who
want to keep code.

Wow, what bull**** talk. It is the people who find code so easy to learn
that have the problems with the theory and technical stuff, so they can't design
or invent anything. And so many of the engineers that do design the
technology we use, are not allowed to operate hobby ham radios on certain
frequencies because they don't know morse code. Human society is a joke.

Complex infrastructures should always be backed up by
simple basic methods.

Yes, but talking into a microphone is the most simple basic method we have in
radio, using complex codes is what no one needs to know.

For the last time......

The military, police, fire, paramedics, etc. all do NOT learn or use morse code.

It has no use, even for back up or emergencies, or they would be using it.

The International Maritime Organization officially phased out Morse code Feb.
1 for ships in peril, replacing it with the high-tech Global Maritime Distress
and
Safety System.

FOR COMMERCIAL VESSELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, if you are out in your row boat, carry a channel 16 marine walkie talkie with
you.

So that answer would be, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Right...A guy on a 20 ft sailboat is going to buy a system that costs
more than his boat...

He doesn't need one, the VHF channel 16 radio will be good enough for as far as he
should ever be going out. And we don't feel sorry for stupid people who take
stupid risks, so them dying is how nature weeds out the weak and stupid.

Satellites and GPS are far more reliable than HF. Keep in mind code was
invented and used because there were no microphones invented yet.
Likewise, HF was ok before we had satellites and GPS. When a friend of
mine recently traveled overseas, I was able to track the entire flight from
several free websites that you just enter in the flight number and you get a
constant read out of speed, altitude, location and maps to show you exactly
where the plane was the whole time. With technology like this, no one even
needs to call for help anymore, when the signal stops, we know exactly where
it was when it stopped and can go looking for it.

How many people do you know with small private boats, that have the
normally COMMERCIALLY USED GMDSS system onboard? This is not a trick
question...You can take your time, if this hurts your brain.

None of my friends with small private boats go out farther than the range of the
channel 16 marine radios will cover. But yes, everyone I know does have a GPS
system on board. My friends don't fool around and like to have the best of
everything. If you can afford a boat, you can afford the fancy radios that go in
it.

Most people running 20 ft sailboats do not have the resources of
American Airlines, or a large shipping company.

And we don't have this stuff on our bicycles either, because it is not needed.
But if you are going to be in THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN, then yes, they ALL have this
stuff.

The only time the aircraft will be spitting out that info is if they

They ALL do it. The only flights that turned it off, were the ones on 9/11 that
were taken off line to purposely avoid detection. This is a requirement, not a
choice.

Why do so many people want to throw all this technology away and force
everyone to stay with antiquated forms of communication like HF and Morse
Code?

What next? Will they start a movement to force all of us to get rid of our
washing machines and have to use old washboards instead so THEY will be happy?

If we decided to change all commercial vessels back to 500kc morse, you
might have a point.

Or decided to make all ham operators in the year 2003 learn Morse Code before they
are allowed to use a microphone.

But we aren't ,

SURE you are.

I for one, gladly embrace new technology that makes life easier and
better.

Yea, I bet you will install all that stuff on a 20 ft sailboat.

No, just as you don't see any HF radios with code keys installed on them either.

You don't have a gas gauge on your bicycle either like on your car do you?

Be realistic. Row boats and canoes don't need this stuff.

I use all the latest technology too, but that doesn't mean I'm dumping
all my older ones just to look stylish.

Oh, then you DO have a washboard around and a horse in the garage.

The newer ones just add to the
ones I already have at my disposal.

Interesting. I don't use coal to heat my home.

Wanting to play around with HF and Morse Code for a hobby to get a
nostalgic feeling of yesteryear is fine, but be realistic and don't come up
with ridiculous ideas to force others to use it.

There is no one forcing anyone to do anything.

Oh yes there is. People who want to use microphones on HF are being FORCED to
learn morse code, even though they will never be using it or remembering it after
taking the test.

Trying to compare
requirements for a commercial marine system to amateur radio is
ridiculous.

I wasn't the one comparing HF morse code use on a commercial marine system. LOL!

You are the one that needs to get realistic.

ROLFFL!

People who bowl or play golf don't force everyone else to do that either.
Hams that use microphones don't tell morse code lovers they have to use
microphones, so why can't the stubborn headed morse code loving hams just
enjoy their hobbies without forcing everyone else in the world to do what THEY
want to do.

Jeff Renkin wrote:

The International Maritime Organization officially phased out Morse code Feb.
1 for ships in peril, replacing it with the high-tech Global Maritime Distress
and
Safety System.

FOR COMMERCIAL VESSELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, if you are out in your row boat, carry a channel 16 marine walkie talkie with
you.

So that answer would be, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Right...A guy on a 20 ft sailboat is going to buy a system that costs
more than his boat...

He doesn't need one, the VHF channel 16 radio will be good enough for as far as he
should ever be going out. And we don't feel sorry for stupid people who take
stupid risks, so them dying is how nature weeds out the weak and stupid.

Satellites and GPS are far more reliable than HF. Keep in mind code was
invented and used because there were no microphones invented yet.
Likewise, HF was ok before we had satellites and GPS. When a friend of
mine recently traveled overseas, I was able to track the entire flight from
several free websites that you just enter in the flight number and you get a
constant read out of speed, altitude, location and maps to show you exactly
where the plane was the whole time. With technology like this, no one even
needs to call for help anymore, when the signal stops, we know exactly where
it was when it stopped and can go looking for it.

How many people do you know with small private boats, that have the
normally COMMERCIALLY USED GMDSS system onboard? This is not a trick
question...You can take your time, if this hurts your brain.

None of my friends with small private boats go out farther than the range of the
channel 16 marine radios will cover. But yes, everyone I know does have a GPS
system on board. My friends don't fool around and like to have the best of
everything. If you can afford a boat, you can afford the fancy radios that go in
it.

Most people running 20 ft sailboats do not have the resources of
American Airlines, or a large shipping company.

And we don't have this stuff on our bicycles either, because it is not needed.
But if you are going to be in THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN, then yes, they ALL have this
stuff.

The only time the aircraft will be spitting out that info is if they

They ALL do it. The only flights that turned it off, were the ones on 9/11 that
were taken off line to purposely avoid detection. This is a requirement, not a
choice.

Why do so many people want to throw all this technology away and force
everyone to stay with antiquated forms of communication like HF and Morse
Code?

What next? Will they start a movement to force all of us to get rid of our
washing machines and have to use old washboards instead so THEY will be happy?

If we decided to change all commercial vessels back to 500kc morse, you
might have a point.

Or decided to make all ham operators in the year 2003 learn Morse Code before they
are allowed to use a microphone.

But we aren't ,

SURE you are.

I for one, gladly embrace new technology that makes life easier and
better.

Yea, I bet you will install all that stuff on a 20 ft sailboat.

No, just as you don't see any HF radios with code keys installed on them either.

You don't have a gas gauge on your bicycle either like on your car do you?

Be realistic. Row boats and canoes don't need this stuff.

I use all the latest technology too, but that doesn't mean I'm dumping
all my older ones just to look stylish.

Oh, then you DO have a washboard around and a horse in the garage.

The newer ones just add to the
ones I already have at my disposal.

Interesting. I don't use coal to heat my home.

Wanting to play around with HF and Morse Code for a hobby to get a
nostalgic feeling of yesteryear is fine, but be realistic and don't come up
with ridiculous ideas to force others to use it.

There is no one forcing anyone to do anything.

Oh yes there is. People who want to use microphones on HF are being FORCED to
learn morse code, even though they will never be using it or remembering it after
taking the test.

Hey Jeff, there is no one forcing anyone to do ANYTHING, get it through your extremely
thick skull. If you want the ticket, you learn the code. If you don't want the ticket
then so be it. But NO ONE is FORCING ANYONE to learn the code.



Trying to compare
requirements for a commercial marine system to amateur radio is
ridiculous.

I wasn't the one comparing HF morse code use on a commercial marine system. LOL!

You are the one that needs to get realistic.

ROLFFL!

People who bowl or play golf don't force everyone else to do that either.
Hams that use microphones don't tell morse code lovers they have to use
microphones, so why can't the stubborn headed morse code loving hams just
enjoy their hobbies without forcing everyone else in the world to do what THEY
want to do.

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:31:22 GMT, "Dee D. Flint"
wrote:


"Jeff Renkin" wrote in message
...
What are you going to use when HF propagation is too weak to support
voice???

That was already answered higher up in the thread, I will requote that
part:

The International Maritime Organization officially phased out Morse code
Feb.
1 for ships in peril, replacing it with the high-tech Global Maritime
Distress
and
Safety System.

So that answer would be, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.



So this system is installed on all boats and planes of all sizes both
private and commercial? I seriously doubt that.
It is legal requirement on all commercial vessels. In fact all
commercial vessels require a class I device, which means it will
deploy itself if the vessel goes down. Most Aircraft rafts also now
have them.

In pleasure craft, you are supposed to have one once you get to a size
that can get out of sight of land. The major advantage of these
systems is you don't have to know your position. The SARSAT system can
find you to within about 10km if you GMDSS isn't GPS equipped. If it
is GPS equipped, your position is transmitted along with the distress
call and your ID, and those signals are picked up by Geo Synchronous
sats as well as SARSAT birds, so the time from deployment to raising
the alarm world wide is on the order of 5 minutes. It is all
automatic. If you don't have GPS, it may take several SARSAT bird
passes to get a good fix. The 10Km number is plenty good enough, since
the 406Mhz GMDSS buoy also transmits a low power 121.5Mhz beacon to
home on. Obviously with GPS, there isn't much homing to be done. You
have a position that is probably good to about 10 meters.

Recently it became legal for GMDSS devices to be used other then at
sea. We now carry on Pains Wessex Fast Find Plus on a light aircraft.
Weighs about a pound, can be carried around your neck, and costs about
$900.

The bad news is these things are relatively pricey. Figure about $600
for a Class I without GPS, and about $900 with GPS, Class II, which
are not self deploying are a little less expensive. That about 4 times
what a 121.5Mhz device costs, but when you compare the capabilities,
it is worth every penny of it.

Satellites and GPS are far more reliable than HF.
AMEN. BTW, the 406Mhz transmitter in a GMDSS operates at 5 watts, and
406Mhz is not allocated to any other service, so it is 'clear
channel'.

Keep in mind code
was
invented and used because there were no microphones invented yet.
Likewise, HF was ok before we had satellites and GPS. When a friend of
mine recently traveled overseas, I was able to track the entire flight
from
several free websites that you just enter in the flight number and you get
a
constant read out of speed, altitude, location and maps to show you
exactly
where the plane was the whole time. With technology like this, no one
even
needs to call for help anymore, when the signal stops, we know exactly
where
it was when it stopped and can go looking for it.

Why do so many people want to throw all this technology away and force
everyone to stay with antiquated forms of communication like HF and Morse
Code?


No we do not wish to throw away all the new technology. We want to keep a
viable communications mode in case that new technology fails. That is all.
The invention of the typewriter and later the word processor does not make
handwriting completely obsolete.

What next? Will they start a movement to force all of us to get rid of
our
washing machines and have to use old washboards instead so THEY will be
happy?

I for one, gladly embrace new technology that makes life easier and
better. Wanting to play around with HF and Morse Code for a hobby to
get a
nostalgic feeling of yesteryear is fine, but be realistic and don't come
up
with ridiculous ideas to force others to use it.


This new technology that you embrace was invented by the same people who
want to keep code. Complex infrastructures should always be backed up by
simple basic methods.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Jeff Renkin wrote in message

So, if you are out in your row boat, carry a channel 16 marine walkie talkie with
you.

Who said anything about a row boat... just another typical lame ass
retort from you....

So that answer would be, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Right...A guy on a 20 ft sailboat is going to buy a system that costs
more than his boat...

He doesn't need one, the VHF channel 16 radio will be good enough for as far as he
should ever be going out.


I was expecting you to say something like that.

And we don't feel sorry for stupid people who take
stupid risks, so them dying is how nature weeds out the weak and stupid.

Well, don't then. We won't feel sorry about you whining about the code
test's every day.


Satellites and GPS are far more reliable than HF.

GPS??? Who talks on a GPS? And no, not all satellites are more
reliable than hf.
Not all satellites are in geosync orbits. But, I can see someone using
sat's on a boat at times. But I sure wouldn't want to rely on one in
an emergency. The only sat's I can use are amateur sats. I'd be better
off on HF.

Keep in mind code was
invented and used because there were no microphones invented yet.

You sound like a broken freaking record...Polly want a code test?
Polly want a code test? Swqaaaaawwwwwkkkkkkkk!



How many people do you know with small private boats, that have the
normally COMMERCIALLY USED GMDSS system onboard? This is not a trick
question...You can take your time, if this hurts your brain.

None of my friends with small private boats go out farther than the range of the
channel 16 marine radios will cover.

I rest my case. Who cares about a radio that will be lucky to do 80
miles at best.."the only reason I give it that much credit is because
of the water you would be floating over" None of your friends with
small private boats go out farther than the range of a VHF radio,
probably because they are a bunch of chicken**** code weasels. I know
people that LIVE on sailboats. And they aren't afraid to use them. And
they have BOTH VHF marine AND amateur radio. GPS too.


But yes, everyone I know does have a GPS
system on board.

So what? Many people I know have a GPS in the car. So what? What good
is a GPS, except for telling you where you are? You are ducking behind
tepid horsecrap now....

My friends don't fool around and like to have the best of
everything.

I bet...What does this have to do with the GMDSS system you have
touted for the past few days as the best thing since sliced bread? Are
you telling me they have this gear, or are you just spouting more
B.S.? A simple GPS doesn't qualify.

If you can afford a boat, you can afford the fancy radios that go in
it.

Right...If you can afford to whine about the code for days on end, you
can afford to spend two weeks learning it, if you want a ticket. But I
guess you really don't want one that bad. If you are not lazy, then
you are admitting to me that you surely must have total **** for
brains. I bet you have to tie a red blinking light to your car antenna
just to find it in a deserted K-mart parking lot. I've worked 7 year
old girls on the air that have more on the ball than you do. And that
ain't no crap either. I actually have worked 5-6-7 year olds on the
air that passed that code test. And they were working CW on the air,
not using a mike. And not a whiner in the pack. If I were you, I'd be
ashamed.




And we don't have this stuff on our bicycles either, because it is not needed.
But if you are going to be in THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN, then yes, they ALL have this
stuff.

Again, you are full of crap. Trying to back peddle your way out of
your mess now huh? And who said anything about the MIDDLE of the
ocean. But no, if you are in the middle of the ocean with a private
vessel that carries less than 12 people, and you are not taking an
international trip, you don't have to have that stuff.


The only time the aircraft will be spitting out that info is if they

They ALL do it. The only flights that turned it off, were the ones on 9/11 that
were taken off line to purposely avoid detection. This is a requirement, not a
choice.

Nearly all larger aircraft have transponders going, but that doesn't
mean those internet airnav programs are updated instantly. There is
quite a lag involved, in which time, the data you see is estimated.

Why do so many people want to throw all this technology away and force
everyone to stay with antiquated forms of communication like HF and Morse
Code?

What next? Will they start a movement to force all of us to get rid of our
washing machines and have to use old washboards instead so THEY will be happy?

If we decided to change all commercial vessels back to 500kc morse, you
might have a point.

But like I said, we haven't , so you don't....

Or decided to make all ham operators in the year 2003 learn Morse Code before they
are allowed to use a microphone.

They decided this many, many years ago. Hell, you code whiners are
lucky they dropped the test down to snail speed, even for extra class.
But you all still whine like a bunch of lazy ass 7 year old children
even after that.



I for one, gladly embrace new technology that makes life easier and
better.

Yea, I bet you will install all that stuff on a 20 ft sailboat.

No, just as you don't see any HF radios with code keys installed on them either.

I rest my case again. Whupped your ass on that one, huh?

You don't have a gas gauge on your bicycle either like on your car do you?

I don't ride a bicycle.

Be realistic. Row boats and canoes don't need this stuff.

Who said anything about row boats and canoes? What other horsecrap are
you going to come up with? I ride canoes and kayaks down rivers. Some
ride them on the ocean, but I'm not going to try to tell them how to
run their boats. I know one thing, they would be lucky to fit all that
GMDSS gear in the canoe, and still have room to sit.

I use all the latest technology too, but that doesn't mean I'm dumping
all my older ones just to look stylish.

Oh, then you DO have a washboard around and a horse in the garage.

No, but I still use CW. Never have had a washboard or a horse. I have
watched bonanza though.


The newer ones just add to the
ones I already have at my disposal.

Interesting. I don't use coal to heat my home.

That makes a lot of sense... I'm starting to think you ARE a 7 year
old girl...
I guess the use of coal to make electricity would strike you as silly
too, huh?
Too damn old fashioned to possibly be of any use at all....I guess we
should just cut your power off...Being you are so damn high tech,
surely you can whip up a mini nuclear power plant real fast.


There is no one forcing anyone to do anything.



Oh yes there is. People who want to use microphones on HF are being FORCED to
learn morse code, even though they will never be using it or remembering it after
taking the test.

OK, the FCC forces you to take a code test...Who cares? I'm glad. You
need to take a code test. Will make a man out of you.

Trying to compare
requirements for a commercial marine system to amateur radio is
ridiculous.

I wasn't the one comparing HF morse code use on a commercial marine system. LOL!

Right, you are about a stupid dip**** aren't you....You been doing
that for the last 5 days. BTW, you paragraph doesn't really make
sense. You should have said:
I wasn't the one comparing HF morse code TO a commercial marine
system.
And if you say that you haven't been, you are plain full of it. I am
on google you know. I see ALL posts. Want me to refresh your memory?

You are the one that needs to get realistic.

ROLFFL!

..-. --- .-.. ..-. ..-. .-.. ! so there...na-na-na-na-naaa-naaa


People who bowl or play golf don't force everyone else to do that either.
Hams that use microphones don't tell morse code lovers they have to use
microphones, so why can't the stubborn headed morse code loving hams just
enjoy their hobbies without forcing everyone else in the world to do what THEY
want to do.

Again, no one is trying to do anything, you twit. If that were the
case, I and all of us stubborn headed morse code lovers would be on
the horn to the FCC every day badgering them to keep useless ******s
like you off the air. What makes you think *we* have anything to do
with this? The last time I was at an FCC office was when I took my
general. "13 wpm, which I passed 100% by the way. Eat yer heart out!

The only reason I comment about this is because you make me sick to my
stomach with all your petty ass code whining and I like to slap you
around. More fun than watching "the no-spin zone" I think someone
surely must have porked you in the ass when you were a child. Either
that, or you got your pecker caught in a box fan and was changed
overnight to a whining little girl. So damn sad...:/ MK

The bad news is these things are relatively pricey. Figure about $600
for a Class I without GPS, and about $900 with GPS

That is not expensive at all. When you buy a car, the dealer wants around this
price if you want the good stock radio. When buying a car, this ad on price
is nothing. When people have enough money to buy boats, this ad on price for
the accessory is even less of a big deal.

Or decided to make all ham operators in the year 2003 learn Morse Code before they
are allowed to use a microphone.

Nope. You wouldn't be forced to give up anything at all, be it a
microphone or a washing machine.

That doesn't make any sense as a reply to what it is replying to, but oh well.

Only to be able to recognise it and
prove as much by copying at a ridiculuosly low speed than even a
5-yr-old can easily master in a short time.

Actually the lowering of the speed has NOTHING to do with it. If you ARE going to
learn the code, it makes more sense to learn it at the fastest speed right away. If
you learn it at 5 wpm, it makes it much harder later to go faster with it.

Lowering the speed to 5 wpm was idiotic. As if that made it easier or
something. Ever hear of the Farnsworth system? Learning the code is like
learning a language, you hear the musical sounds of the letters and words, slowing it
down only makes it harder.

And many 5 year olds also get their extra license in one testing session. Yet many
who are yelling at people to learn the code, don't have their extra licenses, so they
are hypocrites. Hypocrites that can learn the code easy, but don't have the brains
to figure out common sense questions on the written part that you don't even need to
study for to pass, you should know all that stuff before you even set up a CB radio
system.

It is proven that there are those people who can master the code without any problem
and yet can't seem to pass the written tests, and those that master the written tests
never having studied but can't seem to learn the code. It is also proven that the
later type of person is the more intelligent one too. Many an engineer don't have
HF ham licenses because of the code, and they have more knowledge and experience in
radio than many hams who have no right playing with what they are playing with as they
only memorized answers and cause all sorts of problems.

Then you have those that could master the written part AND learn the code.
We in this class are even more intelligent and realize how stupid the code requirement
is today. We also have the curiosity to want to know why it ever WAS a requirement
in the first place.

It DID have a purpose back when Ham operators were considered a reserve during war when
the military needed people to be able to decode their morse code messages and relay the
messages. But since the military no longer uses code at all, this requirement has no
purpose today.

But many idiots out there think that the code requirement is just something to make it
harder to get a license! As if the laws were made just to keep a large group of
people from being hams and helping out their country during emergencies and to keep the
pool of public service radio people smaller than it could be. Some think it is to
keep CB people from getting a license. Ridiculous.

But with that insane thinking, when talk of removing the code requirement comes up,
they want to know what you will replace the code with so that getting the license is
still hard to get.

These people have no clue at all. These are the same morons that vote for
Republicans and Democrats thinking there is really a difference between the two, and
continue to vote for them no matter how many times their taxes are raised, and laws are
passed taking away their rights and freedoms.

Think of it this way. The test you take to get your driver's license is not to make
it harder for people to get a license, it is because you need to know those things
before you are allowed to be on the road with the rest of us. If you like to ride
horses as a hobby, that is fine, but you are not required to be tested on riding horses
to get a license to drive a car.

And let's say, that all of us had to learn what to do when you see a flashing yellow
light, and then one day, the government bans the use of any flashing yellow lights for
some reason. Do we still make everyone learn what to do when they come up to a
yellow flashing light if that situation is NEVER going to occur and they don't need to
know this anymore? Of course not, but then there will be those that think we have
to replace that part of the test with something else, so that it is not too easy to get
a driver's license, right? Idiots.

The original REASON for having the code requirement is no longer, since the military
doesn't use it any more. Thus.... No reason to force people to learn it anymore.

Common sense folks! But it is fun to see all those that don't have the brains to
realize this. It amazes me also, how many people that are for keeping the code
requirement don't even KNOW why it was a requirement in the first place. That just
REALLY is outrageous. And it is 100% of them that don't know, because if they DID
know, they couldn't possible be for keeping the requirement.

The proper analogy would be that of "only requiring that you can
recognise and know (in a most basic manner) how to use a washboard.
There would be *no* requirement to actually use one at all.

Ok, agreed. But it is still a stupid requirement! (funny how you didn't see
that!) Why should anyone be tested on if they know how to use a washboard before
they are allowed to use a washing machine??????

Likewise... Why should one be tested and required to know morse code before being
allowed to talk into a microphone on HF??

They DON'T. The world has finally realized this and made the decision this year!
Other countries have already dropped the requirement that they ONLY kept this long
because of international agreement. Now that there is no international agreement,
the US keeping it would be ridiculous. Especially since ham operators were essential
during 9/11, and since we can expect many more such attacks, thanks to Bush, it is in
the US' best interest to open the doors to as many of those that wish to volunteer
their time and services with ham radio, rather than keep many qualified people out of
it because they don't want to learn something they never intend to use. They just
want to help serve their country.

Keeping the code requirement, is sort of like "letting the terrorists win" !

I think any terrorist would agree that keeping the code requirement and having less
hams to help during the next retaliation attack of theirs, is something THEY would all
like to see.

If you are for the code requirement, you are no different than the terrorists.

Think about it.

Then go and learn Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Don't be lazy!

This whole argument is pointless. The code requirement will be eliminated.
No thinking person would dispute that. The only reason we still have it now
is international agreement. I firmly believe that if people feel that a code
requirement is necessary (and not enough do to keep it a requirement anyway)
that they should go ahead and require it. About 1 word per lifetime should
do it.

This whole argument is pointless. The code requirement will be eliminated.
No thinking person would dispute that. The only reason we still have it now
is international agreement. I firmly believe that if people feel that a code
requirement is necessary (and not enough do to keep it a requirement anyway)
that they should go ahead and require it. About 1 word per lifetime should
do it.

"Jeff Renkin" wrote in message
...

The point just keeps flying over your head. What if someone kept
saying to you, if
you want a driver's license, you have to learn Egyptian Hieroglyphics
first?

Actually Jeff, you don't get the point.

When you get the license for HF amateur operation, you get privileges that
include code. Code proficiency is part of the requirement. Code does happen
to represent a significant part of HF operation.

It has nothing to do with Egyptian Hieroglyphics, boating, GPS, driving,
etc.

It has to do with demonstrating you know what you are doing in areas that
are pertinent to the license.


craig




I bet you would be whining too, and I would love to see you ask what
learning that has to
do with getting a driver's license and then someone comes back at YOU
with: "Stop
whining, you want to drive a car, learn Egyptian Hieroglyphics."

No point to go on with anything else. You need to understand THIS
concept FIRST before
anything else.