"Michael Sutton" wrote
"Doug Dotson" wrote
It is true that the code requirement is part of international treaty.

Not since the last (ITU?) convention just last year. It was dropped and
several countries (Japan & Canada?) quit code testing. The US FCC still
requires 5 wpm for General and Extra (ie, to use HF) but ARRL has petitioned
FCC to drop it. Don't hold your breath - FCC is OK but is still an American
bureaucracy so I'm sure anyone here can learn 5 wpm faster than it'll act on
the petition.

So if you already have your code from Novice at 5wpm, .....

Volunteer Examiners will give you credit if you have proof you passed it -
eg if you have a Novice or a Tech license dated before the advent of no-code
tech. In fact those who did code + novice written to become Novices, then
took the General written exam to become Techs can apply to get grandfathered
to General.

BTW, my child bride heads a W5YI VE team that admin's tests every other
month in Fredricksburg VA. If some of you want to take an exam in VA's
No.Neck or Middle Peninsula area she could prolly help.

K3DWW

"Vito" wrote in
:

Not since the last (ITU?) convention just last year. It was dropped
and several countries (Japan & Canada?) quit code testing. The US FCC
still requires 5 wpm for General and Extra (ie, to use HF) but ARRL
has petitioned FCC to drop it. Don't hold your breath - FCC is OK but
is still an American bureaucracy so I'm sure anyone here can learn 5
wpm faster than it'll act on the petition.

ARRL wants code dropped? My, my that IS a switch. ARRL has always wanted
to take ham radio back to 1935 any time I've seen them. They opposed us
having RTTY, every digital mode, AM, SSB, continuously. ARRL is the reason
the damned phone bands end at a higher frequency than the DX uses, damn
them.

I believe US and UK are the only CW hangers on because of their ARRL and
RGSB old fogies wanting to turn the clock back to "the good ol' days".

73, Larry W4CSC

An angry ARRL bureaucrat, dressed up like someone important, once
threatened to have my ham radio license revoked because he wanted to shut
me up asking embarrassing questions at an open forum. I told him the day
the damned ARRL could have my license revoked would be the day I
voluntarily would send it in. I'm still on the air.....(c;

"Larry W4CSC" wrote
ARRL wants code dropped? My, my that IS a switch. ARRL has always wanted
to take ham radio back to 1935 any time I've seen them. ....

Like any org, ARRL is people. Uncle Sam made a lot of people learn 20+ wpm
Morse before and during WW2 and so many of them became hams that they
controlled ARRL and set policies for their own benefit - policies that used
Morse proficiency to keep others out. But, as more and more of them retire
or go SK things change. New blood understands that the more active hams join
ARRL the more CQ magazines get sold.

73, Larry W4CSC

An angry ARRL bureaucrat, dressed up like someone important, ....

I've seen the same attitudes in ARES - club bureaucrats who think they trump
Government bureaucrats.

Enjoy your holiday,
K3DWW

"Vito" wrote in
:

"Larry W4CSC" wrote
ARRL wants code dropped? My, my that IS a switch. ARRL has always
wanted to take ham radio back to 1935 any time I've seen them. ....

Like any org, ARRL is people. Uncle Sam made a lot of people learn 20+
wpm Morse before and during WW2 and so many of them became hams that
they controlled ARRL and set policies for their own benefit - policies
that used Morse proficiency to keep others out. But, as more and more
of them retire or go SK things change. New blood understands that the
more active hams join ARRL the more CQ magazines get sold.

I know. I waited 20 years for them to die off so I wouldn't have to learn
20 wpm....(c;

I won.

Larry W4CSC aka KN4IM aka WB4THE aka WN2IWH

I riled an ARRL bureaucrat from HQ at a hamfest a few years back. Man he
was mad. He threatened to have my ham license revoked. I told him when
the damned ARRL could cause my ham license to be revoked, I'd deliver my
ham license to the FCC, personally, at FCC HQ in Washington. Until that
time, ARRL could KISS MY ASS.....

I'm still licensed....

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Vito" wrote in message
...
"Michael Sutton" wrote
"Doug Dotson" wrote
It is true that the code requirement is part of international treaty.

Not since the last (ITU?) convention just last year. It was dropped and
several countries (Japan & Canada?) quit code testing. The US FCC still
requires 5 wpm for General and Extra (ie, to use HF) but ARRL has
petitioned
FCC to drop it. Don't hold your breath - FCC is OK but is still an
American
bureaucracy so I'm sure anyone here can learn 5 wpm faster than it'll act
on
the petition.

So if you already have your code from Novice at 5wpm, .....

Volunteer Examiners will give you credit if you have proof you passed it -
eg if you have a Novice or a Tech license dated before the advent of
no-code
tech. In fact those who did code + novice written to become Novices, then
took the General written exam to become Techs can apply to get
grandfathered
to General.

BTW, my child bride heads a W5YI VE team that admin's tests every other
month in Fredricksburg VA. If some of you want to take an exam in VA's
No.Neck or Middle Peninsula area she could prolly help.

K3DWW

Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

I am a bit worried about the bands going the way of CB if it gets to
easy but the code requirement really needs to go. I would like to see
the writtens get a lot tougher or at least not publish the actual
questions and answers in study books. Anybody with half a brain can
memorize a book from Radio Shack and pass it now.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I have agree with that. But I found that learning the stuff was
alot easier than memorizing all the questions in the test
bank.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:Fqdoc.12635$Lm3.9028@lakeread04...


Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

I am a bit worried about the bands going the way of CB if it gets to
easy but the code requirement really needs to go. I would like to see
the writtens get a lot tougher or at least not publish the actual
questions and answers in study books. Anybody with half a brain can
memorize a book from Radio Shack and pass it now.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Doug Dotson wrote:

I have agree with that. But I found that learning the stuff was
alot easier than memorizing all the questions in the test
bank.


Maybe you are left brained and I am right. Take that Back! Probably
the other way around. :-) I found the written easy but only passed the
code test by the grace of a generous examiner.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Glenn Ashmore wrote in
news:WIeoc.12640$Lm3.1248@lakeread04:



Doug Dotson wrote:

I have agree with that. But I found that learning the stuff was
alot easier than memorizing all the questions in the test
bank.


Maybe you are left brained and I am right. Take that Back! Probably
the other way around. :-) I found the written easy but only passed the
code test by the grace of a generous examiner.


I've been a ham since 1957, so I guess that makes me an old-timer, now.
I've always felt sorry for the many very nice people who would make great
hams, but were too dyslexic or had other physical problems that prevented
them from learning the STUPID, unnecessary code most old hams used as
punishment and in their attempt to keep the ham bands for themselves.

As to the anti-CB myth nonsense you ALWAYS see in any kind of discussion
like this, some of the best hams in Charleston were once illegal CBers
running 5KW on CB for years. The argument didn't wash then, and is a moot
question now as CBers, just like many of us inactive hams, are carrying
around full-duplex cellphones with unlimited service and are using
internet, instead of radios, to chat around the world. The ARRL's chief
VEC examiner, here, who is also the FCC's own volunteer GROL examiner now,
was once the "Mud Duck" on CB running several KW into stacked Telrex beams
at 90'. He's one of the most active hams in SC and is a great asset to ham
radio, no matter what his past history in CB was. Over half my radio club
membership has CB to thank for getting them into ham radio in the first
place.

Ham radio is dying of old age and curmudgeonry (sp?). Go to any hamfest
and estimate the average age of the crowd. My guess is around 60, now.
These are the guys who grew up with tube radios and are scared to death of
computers/internet/new technology. Most young people shrug their shoulders
and say, "I swapped full-motion color video with Werner in Berlin this
morning. Why would I want ham radio?" And, he'd be right. He no longer
needs ham radio to talk to the world. Morse code requirements have been
killing ham radio, slowly but surely, since Morse code became moot with the
invention of AM, FM and SSB. If you hear any old farts prompting the same
old line that CW can get through when all else fails, then go download
Winwarbler from:
http://www.qsl.net/winwarbler/
install it and tune your SSB receiver to 14.070 Mhz USB. In the 4 Khz
bandwidth of any SSB receiver, you'll find lots of PSK31 digital mode QSOs
going on in 31 Hz of total bandwidth from 10-20 watt transmitters around
the world. PSK31's tones and any cheap PC's sound card can decode and
display perfect text on a signal so weak YOU can't make it out, even with a
narrowband receiver listing to just the one station! Use any SSB receiver,
this free software (which can simultaneously monitor THREE conversations at
once!) with the headphone jack of the receiver plugged into your computer
sound card line input and give it a try, whether you are a ham or not.
PSK31, PSK63 were invented by hams for hams. It's simply the finest
digital mode we ever had and is SO efficient in spectrum usage. It's
faster than you can type.

I, for one old ham, am glad the world is finally coming to its senses and
getting rid of manual code requirements they should have dumped after WW2.

73 Larry W4CSC aka KN4IM, WB4THE, WN2IWH when I was 11.
Leaving for sea tonight so won't be replying to this message....
Best of luck to all those coming into ham radio! For me, it's been a
helluva great ride these past 47 years!

NNNN (We always put that at the end of important-looking teletype messages
to impress everyone.)

SK

There are exemptions from the code requirement. Not sure exactly
what constitutes an exemption, but a friend of mine was exempted
from the code requirement because he is hearing impaired. I know
the certain folks have a legitimate reason (dyslexia or some other
LD type of problem) that they cannot learn code.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
Glenn Ashmore wrote in
news:WIeoc.12640$Lm3.1248@lakeread04:



Doug Dotson wrote:

I have agree with that. But I found that learning the stuff was
alot easier than memorizing all the questions in the test
bank.


Maybe you are left brained and I am right. Take that Back! Probably
the other way around. :-) I found the written easy but only passed the
code test by the grace of a generous examiner.


I've been a ham since 1957, so I guess that makes me an old-timer, now.
I've always felt sorry for the many very nice people who would make great
hams, but were too dyslexic or had other physical problems that prevented
them from learning the STUPID, unnecessary code most old hams used as
punishment and in their attempt to keep the ham bands for themselves.

As to the anti-CB myth nonsense you ALWAYS see in any kind of discussion
like this, some of the best hams in Charleston were once illegal CBers
running 5KW on CB for years. The argument didn't wash then, and is a moot
question now as CBers, just like many of us inactive hams, are carrying
around full-duplex cellphones with unlimited service and are using
internet, instead of radios, to chat around the world. The ARRL's chief
VEC examiner, here, who is also the FCC's own volunteer GROL examiner now,
was once the "Mud Duck" on CB running several KW into stacked Telrex beams
at 90'. He's one of the most active hams in SC and is a great asset to
ham
radio, no matter what his past history in CB was. Over half my radio club
membership has CB to thank for getting them into ham radio in the first
place.

Ham radio is dying of old age and curmudgeonry (sp?). Go to any hamfest
and estimate the average age of the crowd. My guess is around 60, now.
These are the guys who grew up with tube radios and are scared to death of
computers/internet/new technology. Most young people shrug their
shoulders
and say, "I swapped full-motion color video with Werner in Berlin this
morning. Why would I want ham radio?" And, he'd be right. He no longer
needs ham radio to talk to the world. Morse code requirements have been
killing ham radio, slowly but surely, since Morse code became moot with
the
invention of AM, FM and SSB. If you hear any old farts prompting the same
old line that CW can get through when all else fails, then go download
Winwarbler from:
http://www.qsl.net/winwarbler/
install it and tune your SSB receiver to 14.070 Mhz USB. In the 4 Khz
bandwidth of any SSB receiver, you'll find lots of PSK31 digital mode QSOs
going on in 31 Hz of total bandwidth from 10-20 watt transmitters around
the world. PSK31's tones and any cheap PC's sound card can decode and
display perfect text on a signal so weak YOU can't make it out, even with
a
narrowband receiver listing to just the one station! Use any SSB
receiver,
this free software (which can simultaneously monitor THREE conversations
at
once!) with the headphone jack of the receiver plugged into your computer
sound card line input and give it a try, whether you are a ham or not.
PSK31, PSK63 were invented by hams for hams. It's simply the finest
digital mode we ever had and is SO efficient in spectrum usage. It's
faster than you can type.

I, for one old ham, am glad the world is finally coming to its senses and
getting rid of manual code requirements they should have dumped after WW2.

73 Larry W4CSC aka KN4IM, WB4THE, WN2IWH when I was 11.
Leaving for sea tonight so won't be replying to this message....
Best of luck to all those coming into ham radio! For me, it's been a
helluva great ride these past 47 years!

NNNN (We always put that at the end of important-looking teletype messages
to impress everyone.)

SK