Two things about learning code: 1) It gets much harder after age 16, but 2) the development of Morse training software has made it MUCH easier than it was in the pre-computer age.
I just wish they could stop publishing those stupid charts that show the characters as dots and dashes. IMHO memorizing the code that way does a lot of damage. Vic 4X6GP (CWops CWA advisor) > On 15 Nov 2017, at 6:36, Walter Underwood <wun...@wunderwood.org> wrote: > > Thank you for all the work you put into that. > > My story is a lot like some others, but I got my Novice license during the > “two years and out” era (fall 1970). I didn’t make 13 wpm and I couldn’t > renew the license, so I was out of the hobby until 2009. Meanwhile, I got an > electrical engineering degree in signals and systems, with classes from some > of the pioneers in DSP. I worked in that field for a few years, then moved to > networking. > > Without code, I came back to amateur radio, first with General and then with > Amateur Extra. I’m part of our local em-comm group and head up the Radio > Scouting activities for the Boy Scouts in our area. When I can get on a > summit, I do SOTA. A couple of times, I’ve made a stab at re-learning Morse, > but it is really, really hard. For me, it is like doing taxes while drunk. > Not pleasant. And don’t talk to me about “music and Morse”, because I’ve sung > in church choirs for over twenty years. I’ll try again. > > wunder > K6WRU > Walter Underwood > CM87wj > http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) > >> On Nov 14, 2017, at 3:52 PM, Ken G Kopp <kengk...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> After reading all the comments on the subject, I'd like to >> offer the following ... >> >> I was one of the six people responsible for the "No Code >> License". I consider it an honor to have been chosen as >> a member of the study committee by the ARRL. FWIW, >> each member of the committee was a dedicated CW >> operator. >> >> It had nothing to do with "incentive licensing". We were told >> by the both the FCC and the ARRL that some form of a code >> free license -was- coming and they wanted to give the amateur >> radio community a "say" in the matter. >> >> Our committee was widely publicized in the hobby's media >> and we all received -lots- of correspondence, both pro and >> con. I still have two cartons of letters in my attic. FWIW, the >> letters are about 50/50 in favor and against. >> >> What eventually became the "no code license" differs a bit >> from what was we proposed ... think 160M and 6M for example. >> It was thought that because of TVI that 6M would not be a >> good place to put inexperienced new hams and the lack of >> activity and LORAN A on 160M was a detriment. >> >> The jury will always be out on whether "no code" has been >> good for the hobby or not, but it was felt that the resulting >> increase in the number of licenses may have "saved" the >> hobby from the spectrum wolves on the prowl at the time. >> >> Trivia: We determined that if a person said they couldn't >> learn the code there was no way to disprove that. >> >> One can -always- find a CW QSO to enjoy. I've been essentially >> CW only since my Novice license in 1951 (WN5TKI) ... one of the >> first issued ... and the FCC only came to Oklahoma City once a >> year in those days. My SK Elmer (W5ADC) drove this 13 year >> old kid the 90 miles to take the exam. >> >> 66 years have passed ... such changes I've seen. >> >> 73! >> >> Ken Kopp - K0PP >> (Not a vanity call ... a story unto itself.) >> ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
