Some people are tone deaf, and others are visual learners and not auditory, and
some very talented and intelligent people were unable to learn 5 WPM morse even
after long and extensive work. Their brains are just not 'wired' that way.

You cannot extrapolate your learning experiences that way as what is easy or
moderately difficult for you may be near or totally impossible for others.

JJ

On Tue, 11 May 2004 09:52:01 -0700, "Tom Dacon" wrote:


" I find the written and theory parts of
the Ham exam easy but code is an insurmountable obsticle for me.

There's no need for the code to be an insurmountable obstacle. Get a copy of
a PC-based Morse code tutor program (such as Morse Tutor Gold, or search the
web for Morse code tutoring software), and spend just thirty minutes a day
at it. In no time at all, you'll find that you can read the code at five
words per minute. Just give it a try and you'll be surprised.

Good luck,
Tom Dacon
AD7AE


James Johnson
remove the "dot" from after sail in email address to reply

If you ASK the Volunteer Examiner at the time of testing, they can and will
arrange for lights, bells or ANY other device to take the code test.

I had the same problem, but eventually passed the 13 wpm test.

The people administering the test will bend over backwards to help.

Leonard, KJ5DL
Advanced Class Accredited Volunteer Examiner (ARRL & W5YI-VEC)
"KJ5DL @ N34 38.253 W092 07.177"
"Do illiterate people get the full value of Alphabet Soup?"

And if you have a bonifide learning or physical disability,
you can get an exemption from the FCC. My experience has
been that most that cry foul about learnig code do so because
they failed to learn it after two or three evenings of trying. It
takes work, some more than others.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"LLongiii" wrote in message
...
If you ASK the Volunteer Examiner at the time of testing, they can and
will
arrange for lights, bells or ANY other device to take the code test.

I had the same problem, but eventually passed the 13 wpm test.

The people administering the test will bend over backwards to help.

Leonard, KJ5DL
Advanced Class Accredited Volunteer Examiner (ARRL & W5YI-VEC)
"KJ5DL @ N34 38.253 W092 07.177"
"Do illiterate people get the full value of Alphabet Soup?"

I beg to disagree. Every complaint I have heard focuses on the fact that
Morse Code is so obsolete that it has no practical value, not on its
difficulty per se. People who have spent 12 years attending high school then
four and more in college learning useful things are reluctant to spend even
a dozen hours learning something ase useless (to them) as Morse Code.


"Doug Dotson" wrote
..... My experience has been that most that cry foul about learnig code do
so because
they failed to learn it after two or three evenings of trying. It takes
work, some more than others.

Why continue to complain about something you can't change? It started out to be
5 wpm for novice, 13 wpm for General and 21 wpm for Extra.

It is now 5 wpm for ALL. Until they drop the REQUIREMENT, it is still there.

Go for the no-code tset and keep trying.
Your outhe option is a sat-phone.

Leonard
KJ5DL
"KJ5DL @ N34 38.253 W092 07.177"
"Do illiterate people get the full value of Alphabet Soup?"

"LLongiii" wrote

Why continue to complain about something you can't change? It started out
to be
5 wpm for novice, 13 wpm for General and 21 wpm for Extra.

It is now 5 wpm for ALL. Until they drop the REQUIREMENT, it is still
there.


Because we CAN change it. The 13 and 21 WPM requirements went away when
enough people complained. The current 5 wpm will also go away, but only if
we complain long and hard enough.

73, K3DWW

Just a cop-out. I suspect that folks learn alot more useless
(and incorrect) things in school than having to learn the code.
The requirement is there, deal with it! Whining isn't going
to make the requirement go away nor will it get a license.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Vito" wrote in message
...
I beg to disagree. Every complaint I have heard focuses on the fact that
Morse Code is so obsolete that it has no practical value, not on its
difficulty per se. People who have spent 12 years attending high school
then
four and more in college learning useful things are reluctant to spend
even
a dozen hours learning something ase useless (to them) as Morse Code.


"Doug Dotson" wrote
..... My experience has been that most that cry foul about learnig code
do
so because
they failed to learn it after two or three evenings of trying. It takes
work, some more than others.

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
Just a cop-out. I suspect that folks learn alot more useless
(and incorrect) things in school than having to learn the code.
The requirement is there, deal with it! Whining isn't going
to make the requirement go away nor will it get a license.

Oh yes it will - just like it made the 13 & 21 wpm requirements go away.
There will be no Morse requirement in five years. Nor can I imagine anything
more useless than Morse code. Those who want to keep the requirement are
usually selfish snivelers who think everybody should suffer the same
hardships as they did. Unable to justify their position on technical, moral
or logical grounds they perforce resort to name calling and referring to
facts they cannot refute as whining.

I participate in my wife's VE team. I recommend that people learn code too -
for now. But if they wait a year or two, they won't have to.

73, K3DWW

"Vito" wrote in message
...
"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
Just a cop-out. I suspect that folks learn alot more useless
(and incorrect) things in school than having to learn the code.
The requirement is there, deal with it! Whining isn't going
to make the requirement go away nor will it get a license.

Oh yes it will - just like it made the 13 & 21 wpm requirements go away.

When was there ever a 21 WPM requirement? It was 20 WPM when I
tried it. Incidently I was never able to pass the 20 WPM. Not because
I was learning disabled but rather because I didn't really give a damn
enough to keep studying. I got my Extra class when the requirements
changed. 5 WPM is hardly a substantial barrier, just a psychological
one. A good teacher can get folks past it. I have done it dozens of time.

There will be no Morse requirement in five years.

I trust this will be the case. So you want cruising sailors to
be deprived of the utility and safety of a ham license for
5 years? Most cruisers don't cruise that long.

Nor can I imagine anything more useless than Morse code.

You have a poor imagination. I communicate quite efficiently
using CW. Very good for DX in poor conditions. Clearly not useless.

Those who want to keep the requirement are
usually selfish snivelers who think everybody should suffer the same
hardships as they did.

That's a different issue. On one hand you claim it should be abolished
because it is obsolete, on the other you are saying that hard core CW
buffs want to keep it because other should suffer the agony (which is
a myth) of learning it. Which is it? Obsolete or or a Rite Of Passage?

Unable to justify their position on technical, moral
or logical grounds they perforce resort to name calling and referring to
facts they cannot refute as whining.

Technically, CW is a sound means of communications. More so than some
others. Morally, I fail to see any moral aspects to this. Logically, I also
see no issue. The problem is international law which has lagged behind
the technology. Hopefully that will sort itself out soon.

I participate in my wife's VE team. I recommend that people learn code
too -
for now. But if they wait a year or two, they won't have to.

Good advise based upon the realities now in place. That is where you need
to be. Stick to the reality rather than the politics. Or tell her
perspective
examinees to keep their desires of becoming a ham on hold until a simple
code test goes away.

73, K3DWW

Anybody who has worked in the training or educational fields knows of the
problems that "test anxiety" can cause. They also know that people learn in a
variety of manners and have various strengths and weaknesses. And don't
stereotype everyone in a category based on the experience of a few. You sound
like someone for which morse code came relatively easy when compared to others'
experiences.

I worked religiously for one and half hours a day, every single day without
exception for over three months and the best I could do was 4 1/2 WPM, not
enough to pass the exam.

I am a visual learner, those who do well on the code tests are probably auditory
learners. My brain is just not wired the way to make the learning the code
possible in any reasonable fashion. After that failed attempt work and family
demands stepped in to prevent me from spending that kind of time for several
years. By then I was moving into the programming field and haven't had the
desire (or time) to make another attempt like that.

JJ


On Sun, 30 May 2004 21:34:25 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

And if you have a bonifide learning or physical disability,
you can get an exemption from the FCC. My experience has
been that most that cry foul about learnig code do so because
they failed to learn it after two or three evenings of trying. It
takes work, some more than others.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"LLongiii" wrote in message
...
If you ASK the Volunteer Examiner at the time of testing, they can and
will
arrange for lights, bells or ANY other device to take the code test.

I had the same problem, but eventually passed the 13 wpm test.

The people administering the test will bend over backwards to help.

Leonard, KJ5DL
Advanced Class Accredited Volunteer Examiner (ARRL & W5YI-VEC)
"KJ5DL @ N34 38.253 W092 07.177"
"Do illiterate people get the full value of Alphabet Soup?"


James Johnson
remove the "dot" from after sail in email address to reply