On 25 Jul 2003 at 8:08, Cqtestk4xs@aol.com wrote:
[...]
> CW will always be around. However, it's status clearly is changing. Those
> of us who have been around when AM was more commonly used than SSB know how
> AM
> has become a quaint novelty item over the years.
>
> CW is probably destined to the same fate.
[...]
Perhaps. But, there's a key difference. CW, with its structured and
internationally known system of abbreviations, is a lingua franca for hams
for whom speaking English is difficult or impossible. I suspect CW will
continue to be more heavily used in non-English speaking countries. And
to some extent, the presence of such hams in CW mode will probably
serve as an incentive for US (and other English speaking) hams to keep up
their CW skills. To what extent this will happen, I'm not sure. Time will
tell.
Bill/NG3K
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