The New York TimesI couldn't agree more....where there is no instant
gratification for the current society, there is no effort, no discipline, no
persistence.
vy 73,
Nick W9UM
----- Original Message -----
From: Barry
To: Ron Notarius W3WN
Cc: dx-chat List
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: [DX-CHAT] The New York Times
CW will die a slow death, at least in the US. The no-code license is a dead
end. It will be the rare no-coder that takes the time and effort to learn
CW and stick with it long enough to become proficient for on the air use
(i.e., 25-30 WPM.) As we OFs get older and disappear, nobody will be taking
our place on the CW bands.
When I was in Macedonia last year, at the High Speed Telegraphy
Championship, I was amazed at all the young kids there from eastern EU.
Some of them are CW ops only, and not real hams, but if CW survives
anywhere, that's where it will be.
Barry, W2UP
Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:
Much better of an article than I expected. Thanks for the tip!
What I don't understand, though, is this: Why is the dropping of the code
element for testing automatically seen by so many as the imminent demise of
our use of the code? Yes, testing will no longer be required, and yes, the
exclusive CW bands have shrunk, and I'm sure in time the number of CW
operators MAY drop... but then again, it may not...
About 2 months ago, when I was struggling with a temporary vertical
(wouldn't load on 30, that's another story), a friend, a recent Extra,
called on the phone. Told him I was trying to work a particular DX station
on 30; he tuned in and worked him in 2 calls, the stinker. Anyway, when we
got back to talking, I told him I'd heard both ends of the QSO, so it was
good; Randy asked me what software I was using to decode the signals, and I
told him it was the organic one between my ears. He was totally astounded
that I was able to copy "really fast" code in my head! (It was about 25 wpm
or so, but that too is another story!)
We talked about this again at the club christmas party 2 weeks ago. Randy
stopped using the computer as a crutch; now that he knows it can be done,
he's starting to do it. And he's finding out that he enjoys operating code
even more!
So... there's hope. So why all the doom and gloom?
Yes, the FCC handed us a lemon. Want to make lemonade out of it? (Me?
Nah, find me some tequilla and salt instead... <g>)
73
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf
Of harris_ruben
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 8:44 AM
To: dx-chat List
Subject: [DX-CHAT] The New York Times
Well, we've made today's New York Times
n2ern
--
Barry Kutner, W2UP
Newtown, PA
