[CQ-Contest] Eliminate SO Unassisted?

[Doug Renwick]

You do not need cw skills to get a licence any longer.  However, this
DOES NOT prevent you from acquiring cw skills.  If you wish to enter a
cw contest, train yourself in cw, regardless of what you did to get a
licence.  The change in licensing requirements may reduce the number of
future cw enthusiasts, but does not prevent you from training in cw.

IMO some rules were changed to make amateur radio more like, cough,
cough, CB, and supposedly attract more people to amateur radio in face
of heavy competition from other technology.

-----Original Message-----

> There appears to be a lot of people out there who do not have, nor
want
> to train for, the operating skills others possess.  Their thinking is
to
> substitute technology for their laziness and/or lack of ability.  It's
> commonly called "dumbing down".  Sure, take the easy way and what
really
> do you gain?

I don't think laziness (flame bait) is the case at all. I will speculate
90% 
of contesting participants enter for reasons beyond the expectation to
win 
the competition. To the other 10% of the operators the competition isn't

life or death, it's more important than that! For the 90 percenters
slugging 
it out on the weekend, there's a whole list of reasons why they turn the

radio on and operate a contest. Imagine this, some of them don't even
read 
the rules before the engage in the competition. I can hear them now... 
"Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!"

<sarcastic humor=off>

Will Skimmer "dumb down" CW? No doubt it will help, but it is not the
root cause. You're shooting the messenger.

Everyone knows there is no longer a need to develop CW skills to get a 
license in the first place. My belief is this rule change is the root
cause 
of your "traditional CW contesting as we know it" to change in the
future. 
Don't blame technology. Blame the rulemakers.

73 de Bob - KØRC in MN