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Ham Radio Licenses
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 |
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