[TenTec] No [mandatory] CW

[Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP]

Don't want to continue to side-saddle the "Speaker" thread.

Jim, I had it worse, being a conditional and living overseas.
I had to find a chance to fly back to the states and then take 3 tests.
Made one mistake on the CW exam.  

BIG SURPRISE:  Over here, many of our no-code amateurs now work code and in
fact 2 of them (members of our BCC) consistently kick my butt in CW
contests, and I'm not a bad operator.  It seems their problem was not that
they couldn't learn CW, but rather they couldn't test in front of someone
else and pass.

Several of the officials in our DARC are no-code amateurs and they are doing
a good job.

CW has nothing to do with quality.

Do I want quantity?  YES  Our hamfests are dying.  The companies building
our radios are dyiing.
Except for in the US, ham radio seems to be dying.

BUT be careful with the numbers the ARRL keeps posting, showing ham radio
growing in the US.
I do not know a single ham here who does not also have a US call sign.  We
all do.
So do all of the contesters I know in France and several other countries.

HOW MANY US HAMS ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE US?  If you only count them, and not
the foreigners you may be surprised at the numbers.
Maybe Ham Radio is dying in the US too, if you count correctly.

Anyone who thinks using CW to keep the riff-raff out is a good idea, well
then I say they are just mis-using CW.
The bands are full of LIDS who passed CW.  So CW isn't a filter for letting
good guys in and keeping bad guys out.

Indeed CW is magic and I make 95% of my contacts on CW, but IT AIN'T THE
ONLY MODE.

And finally, Jim, I plead guilty to the accusation.  I have not done much
above 10m.  Used to VHF contest on 2m when I had a QTH that worked, but
since moving to a mountainous region 30 years ago, that stopped.

73
Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lowman
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 3:50 AM
To: tentec at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Speakers

Well, this is sure to stir up some discussion!  Please, guys, try to keep it
civil.

I had the same experience with Incentive Licensing, having to pass not one,
but two exams to regain the use of frequencies for which I had already
qualified when I passed the General CW and theory exams in 1966.
I was bitter about that for a number of years.  However, some exclusive
frequencies (mainly in the CW sub-bands) for Extra-class licensees came out
of that.  Before, the Extra-class ticket was mostly a matter of prestige.

Although not initially in favor of the no-code Tech license, it did give the
XYL a chance to share the hobby with me.  She is one of those rare people
who sincerely could not learn the code and retain it.
What's sad about many of the licensees is that they don't see the potential
of their privileges.  There is so much that can be done on 6m and above that
isn't permitted on the HF bands.  But many don't see anything beyond the
local repeater, and when they tire of that activity, what do they do?  I
have to wonder how many of the original no-code Techs didn't even bother to
renew their licenses at the 10-year mark.

Of course, I'm biased toward CW, but I don't claim that it's the only mode
to use.

Remember, it isn't what class of license you have, but rather what you do
with it on the air.  There are plenty of lids with that Extra-class ticket,
and others who couldn't figure out how to build a simple dipole.

73 de Jim - AD6CW

On 2/27/2013 4:14 PM, N4RS wrote:
> In my opinion, YES, you have to be able to use a code key to be a 
> "real ham".
>
> Having said that, I was one of the early supporters for the no-code
license.
> I feel that was correct.  I'm happy it was implemented.  It helps keep 
> our hobby alive.
> However just as I had to cope with incentive licensing, and learn 
> again and test again to get my privileges back, after having them 
> taken away, I feel that others can learn the code if they want to be
called a "real ham".
>
> How about them apples?  ;-)
>
> 73
> Rick, DJ0IP
>
> Them apples stink!! You want quantity rather than quality. Shame on you.
> Tom N4RS......CW it's still magic!
>

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