Hi Geoffrey,
Those who have the
initiative to try CW will be able to make plenty of QSOs with a 2.8 kHz
filter.
Actually they can't. I am a special case, I can't copy cw with a second
signal, whether it's cw, voice or music
I'm glad you recognize that you are a special case. You are really
missing out. One of the great joys of CW, for me and I'm sure others
too, is to be in a QSO when that band is open and quiet, with lots of
signals, using a wide bandpass, and hearing all the other QSOs going on
around you. Sometimes you can pick a few things out of the other QSOs,
without missing anything in the QSO you are in. That experience gives me
a real sense of community of radio amateurs. It is one of the great
things about CW that you don't really get with any phone modes. In
almost every case another phone signal inside your bandpass is
irritating, whereas with CW another CW signal in your bandpass can be a
joy, as long as it is not too close in frequency or too loud.
A mass produced radio needs to be designed for "most people", and I
think that most people can separate audio tones and CW signals.
I can however, copy 35wpm from signals most
people can't even hear, burried in the noise.
That is great. Also one of the joys of CW for me and a lot of other people.
Most of the people I know can't seperate musical notes, sounds or
cw signals. That's why they went into computers.
Too bad for them. I have been very careful to protect my hearing. I wear
hearing protection when I use a shop vac or other noisy power tools. I
love rock and roll, yet I know the difference between clean loud sound
and distorted too loud sound. If the sound is not good, I remove myself
from the venue. I do not know whether your friends who cannot discern
audio notes have some genetic predisposition to that, or if perhaps they
have suffered hearing damage. In any case there are a lot of us who can
listen to half a dozen CW signals, or more, and still focus on and copy
the one we are interested in. It is a skill worth cultivating, if you can.
I'm saying you don't have to add a filter to give the rig CW capability.
You were claiming that the absolute necessity of a narrow filter for a
new ham to operate CW, along with other complexities of CW transmitting
would make the rig too expensive, and it should therefore not have CW
capability.
Sort of. I'm not saying that it should not be able to have CW capability
added, in fact, I would insist on it if I were designing it. What I am
saying is that it should not have it included to both lower the price,
even if it were a few dollars retail, and to add the perception that
it's not being paid for when it is not wanted.
I still maintain that the cost difference is negligible. CW receive
capability already exists in an SSB transceiver, and CW transmit
capability is not complex or expensive. And you need a way to send a
steady amplitude signal to check your SWR or adjust a tuner, assuming
you are a new ham with no other gear to do it with.No one would feel
they're paying for something they don't want, because it really is
something you need.
If you have never worked HF FM, IMHO you are missing a treat. When the
band is open, you can talk to people hundreds if not thousands of miles
away, with no noise and clear audio.
I have no problem with FM. I don't think new hams would have a very good
introductory experience if they were led into using FM on the lower HF
bands though. Speaking of FM, I have often wondered why the FCC
prohibits FM on 27 MHz CB. Squelch systems work so much better with FM
than with AM. And if you accept the reality that legal or not, some
CBers are going to use amplifiers, they would cause a lot less trouble
with FM and class C than with AM and not quite linear amplifiers.
Got a copy good buddy? I can turn on my foot warmer, and it doesn't
even need to be leenyur, cuz we're ratchet jawin' in FM. Ten Four?
That's just being silly :-)
Yes, you are right, that was a silly thing to say. Over all though, I
think if you make it too easy, you loose the value of ham radio, and
what is left then?
73 DE N6KB
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