MnMikew:

I thought the goal here was to learn CW so that if ever we are
confined in a POW camp we can tap on the walls and have something to
pass the time with.

They probably won't give us books, cd's or let us watch movies
yanno!!! ROFLOL!

John

"MnMikew" wrote in message
...

"beerbarrel" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 13:40:38 -0500, "Count Floyd"
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 17:02:22 UTC, beerbarrel
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 12:21:35 -0400, dxAce
wrote:


The written test probably does as well. Should that also be
dropped.

If one can't learn even a minimum 5 WPM then they have no
business in
amateur
radio. 5 WPM is incredibly easy, heck, even the 'tards should
be able
to master
that.

dxAce
Michigan
USA



CW is not going to go away just because they drop the
requirement.
Like Steve says, It's not that hard. Most anyone can learn 5 wpm
in as
little as a month or less. I think that something worth having
is
worth earning.
That might have been true in Samuel F.B.Morse's time. Get real,
code
is an archaic leftover from the "old days" and has been used
merely as
a "stumbling block" to keep the hobby a closed society. In fact,
radio itself seems to be going the way of the dodo bird, what with
satellite, internet, etc. Code is about as useful as C.W. McCall'
song about CB radio back in the 70's. I am not sitting at a key,
wearing gaiters on my sleeves, a green visor and tapping out code
over
the air while the ship hits an iceberg. Come into the 21st
century
for Christ's sake. Should everybody go back to spark controls on
an
automobile? Attic fans and no A/C? McGuffey's Reader? Face it,
people, technology and now rules, have to move on. Of course, I
drive
a 1940 Chrysler, so what do I know!




CW is efficient because you only have to understand the signal
pattern
and not the signal audio. The narrow signal also takes up little
bandwidth. Not only does this make CW very efficient but also the
most
reliable form of communication for a person to use.

Perhaps. But efficiency dosent always equate to fun, which is the
goal here
isnt it?