[UK-CONTEST] Unwelcome new rules for the 160m Tests

[Stewart Rolfe]

--- On Wed, 29/12/10, QUENTIN COLLIER <q.g.collier at btinternet.com> wrote:

> .....many new amateurs have 
> heavy calls on their time (and dare I suggest interests?)
> other than amateur 
> radio, and to put the effort in to gain CW proficiency may
> be more than they are 
> able to manage.
> 

I learnt morse in my 'busy' mid 40s back in 1980 something. My only interest right from schooltime SWLing was HF and I had no intention of going the then class B route so I was determined at the outset to learn it. It's what you had to do and having the motivation I found the time.

Having invested so much time and effort I decided I should actually try using it on air; I'm still using and learning cw to this day. Would I have done it had it not been required to get the licence I wanted? - pass..

I always thought 'compulsory' morse was a strange requirement for HF access but it got me using it and I do fear for the long term use of CW on the bands. Yes CQWW CW was manic as usual but it's surprising how many calls out of the many hundreds in such a contest become very familiar these days.

73,

Stewart, GW0ETF