Perhaps counter-intuitively, dropping the code requirement for ENTRY and making CW voluntary, seems to be at the base of a CW RESURGENCE.
Since people CAN get pretty good copy with software, they are able to participate in CW events. Rather than dumbing down the events, most enjoy the increased range and better noise immunity of CW, and gradually learn to copy better themselves as they are able. Logs in CW contests are UP rather than down. In contests many operators routinely send from keyboard or programs at rates they can copy, but these are speeds at which they can no longer make their wrists/fingers move reliably (myself included). Way back, I could send 45 WPM with a bug, and 50 plus with a keyer. Zero chance of that now. I make mistakes above 25 wpm. I can TYPE as well as receive above 60 wpm. Even those who just can't make CW fly are into the technical digital modes, for just one example, note the rising numbers in RTTY contests. I know that in PVRC, there are diehard SSB ops who are getting into the CW tests because of the electronic assistance afforded in a transitional learning period. All is NOT lost. 73, Guy. On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 2:15 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > In the USA we can blame that on the replacement of the official FCC > examination > system with the Volunteer Examiner program and the change of the ARRL from > a > technical organization for technical people (Hams) to an organization > pushing > easy license acquisition to aid manufacturers in selling more ham gear and > thus > increasing the income of the ARRL. > > 73, > Tom > Amateur Radio Operator N5GE > > > On Tue, 31 May 2011 07:41:15 +0100, David Pratt <[email protected]> > wrote: > > >Very true, Ron, but the problem these days is that many of today's > >brains seem incapable of decoding CW ;-( > > > >73 de David G4DMP > > > >In a recent message, Ron D'Eau Claire <[email protected]> writes > >> > >>It's even more amazing how far 0.5 watts can be heard and information > >>exchanged using human brains as the encoder/decoder software. > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
