Topband: Brave New World

[Rob Atkinson]

>CW is much more popular since the FCC removed the requirement for the code....

I'm calling BS on that one.

Tune across the CW bands at night.  Very little activity compared to
30 or 40 years ago.

Of course, I define CW activity as being real CW operating, i.e.
ragchewing, handling traffic...certainly not the programmed "ur 599 TU
73" junk that many consider to be a QSO.  Sorry but that doesn't make
the nut.  Neither do contests and DX QSOs.  Those aren't the real
deal, when it comes to CW operating.  Anyone can program a gadget or
computer to handle that.

Count the number of ops working each other with bugs -- you can tell
they aren't fakers that way -- then you'll have a better idea of how
"popular" CW is.

Answer--it's dying away, probably why Scott Robbins at Vibroplex is
getting into other product lines and Ten Tec now calls itself "The SSB
Company."  The handwriting is on the wall.

But the real tragedy in eliminating the CW test is that if took away
the ability for a beginner to assemble a basic transmitter and use it
to communicate on HF.  You can certainly still build such a rig, but
without the requirement to learn the code to get a license, many won't
bother to do either, starting out on 2 m. FM, getting bored and
dropping out.  Eliminating CW was a big big mistake, but if your bread
and butter is fresh meat--new members, new subscriptions, people with
money buying new stuff--you probably don't see it that way.

73

Rob
K5UJ