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FCC Drops Morse Code Requirement
Posted by
Zonk
on Sat Dec 16, 2006 05:18 AM
from the end-of-an-era dept.
from the end-of-an-era dept.
leighklotz writes to mention a story discussing what some might consider a historic event. The FCC has dropped the Morse Testing requirement for amateur radio certifications. The public announcement was made on Friday. Ham radio operators will no longer have to study Morse,
in a move patterned after other western nations. Says leighklotz: "The U.S. joins Canada and other countries in eliminating the morse code testing requirement, after being authorized to do so on July 5, 2003, when the World Radio Telecommunications Conference 2003 in Geneva adopted changes to the ITU Radio Regulations."
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Bad idea? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:5, Insightful)
No-one forbids anyone from using Morse code. Those who master it will be able to use it as much as they want, and there's specific frequency ranges set aside for morse code communications. It's just that newcomers are not forced to learn one specific, outdated form of communication to take part in all those other forms, including Amateur TV, digital modes, PSK-31, moonbounce, meteor/rain scatter etc. Those who are interested in communication with minimal hardware requirements will continue to explore morse code.
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's kind of a mixed bag though.
Re:Bad idea? (Score:5, Informative)
Also transmitting at x watts uses x plus some variable depending on the equipment in use power that has to come from some place. Commercial power, batteries, generators, solar cells, windmills all cost money or significant effort to put a signal on the air.
Lastly, as odd as it seems to some people, we do not want to cause interference with other services or non-radio equipment. It actually bothers us when neighbors report that they are hearing our signals on their TV, computer speakers, or stoves. It means that energy we want to be broadcast for reception by other hams is being picked up by equipment not designed to receive the signal. Either energy that we want to be in the frequency spectrum we are transmitting on is in another spectrum, or the consumer equipment our neighbors are using has been designed poorly or the like.
There are also big challenges to seeing how far we can communicate with very little power. There are a lot of hams that contest and communicate around the world on less than 5 watts. You know, the amount of energy that an incandescent night light draws.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
That said, you s
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:5, Interesting)
In emergencies or during periods of bad signal propogation morse code often offers the best chance for getting a message through. It requires less power than voice transmissions and is easier to understand through the noise that sometimes clogs the bands. That being said, there are enough of us who do know code (and many who use it exclusively) that hams as a group won't lose their utility in those times.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Any monkey with a memory can pass an exam where the question pool is published before the exam. VEC's aren't allowed to change 1 word in any of the questions a
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Insightful)
emacs is better than vi!
double edged sword (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Bad idea? (Score:4, Interesting)
This extra-class "old-timer", who had to pass the 20 WPM code requirement, is all for the change. After WWII, all it ever served as was an artificial non-technical barrier to a technical achievement in a technical hobby. I don't object to anyone learning the code and/or using the code, it has some merit as a low-power communications mode with extremely low hardware requirements (like a mirror or your arms) but I don't favor it being part of the gateway to any set of band or operating privileges unless they come up with a new one like "code endorsement" that is simply a certificate.
Numerous technical advances have come from the ham radio community. It makes little or no sense to hold back a technical wizard's privileges because his ears or fist aren't good enough for morse code. But that's the FCC for you, historically speaking. Sense isn't exactly their forte'.
CQ (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:CQ (Score:5, Informative)
Re:CQ (Score:4, Funny)
Re:CQ (Score:5, Funny)
What the Morse? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What the Morse? (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What the Morse? (Score:4, Informative)
If you truly care about the direction the Service is headed, then you need to get involved in one of the organizations and work toward that end.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
How, precisely, were we "screwed" by this change? I took the 20 WPM test, I passed it, I know code and can use it both ways at about 35 WPM (I can't write any faster than that.) I don't feel screwed by hav
Re:What the Morse? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sure, I have most of the abbreviations memorized, and weights/series memorized for the more common elements. And guess what - I didn't have to memorize them to pass a test! I'm sure that many reading
When I see kids being forced to cram atomic numbers for a chemistry exam I cringe. No wonder nobody goes into the sciences these days! Make them memorize some facts, and don't bother to worry about whether they understand why things work that way... Are we teaching them science (the process of advancing knowledge in a systematic way), or magic (reciting mysterious incantations carefully lest you end up a newt)?
I know a ham operator (extra class), and while he can key at 60WPM he tends to spend more time doing PACTOR/AMTOR these days, or using computer-assistance with the code. Actually, he has been trending away from operating at all since it seems like all the regulars are dying off (they just disappear and you don't hear about them again). It would seem that the FCC is doing the right thing in trying to transform the hobby.
Consider that 50 years ago ham radio was cutting edge. People who now build PCs and PHP applications used to build radios and operate networks/relays/repeaters. Now ham radio has the perception of being ancient technology (although I know that it doesn't have to be that way). Memorizing morse code is about as useful as requiring knowledge of x86 assembly to program a computer, or knowledge of UUCP email addresses to use gmail. That doesn't make either of those things useless - but they aren't essential either and if you want to study functional programming you won't find much use in memorizing indirect memory indexing modes.
What about everyone else? (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Refining the point (Score:3, Interesting)
A lot of the world, though, doesn't have computers coming out their ears like the rich countries do. But they can turn transmitters on and off.
The reason to learn code today is for
Independence day Aliens (Score:4, Funny)
sms perhaps?
Hasn't Bruce Perens been pushing this for years? (Score:4, Informative)
Code requirement (Score:5, Insightful)
But honestly, it's probably a last ditch attempt to get more people using the amateur bands. The stereotype of the 65 year old retired operator in a motorised chair isn't too far from the truth.
I forsee the day that usage is low enough that governments can justify clawing back more of the spectrum.
A change which makes sense (Score:5, Insightful)
30 years, and while I have seen useful (very useful) things done
with code, I was never enamored with the idea of *having* to learn
it up front. I did, though with struggling and headaches. The
time came when my elmer gave me the code test and I passed, just
barely.
As I see it today, getting people into ham radio is the
important thing. Having to learn a particular mode before
being allowed to join just doesn't make sense. And no one
should think that having to know code was an effective barrier
for the twits, such that they stayed out. In 1976 I heard
language on 80M that was a great exercise in George Carlin's
"7 dirty words"--and most of the speakers were Extra Class
hams (highest license).
CW *is* useful though, and I've come to embrace it for
the VHF/UHF weak signal stuff I've been doing, where at
time the luxury of a voice just isn't there; things are
too weak. Also Moonbounce will require me to reall learn
CW, which I am working towards, equipment wise.
Yes, its the end of an era. But so what? Technology
roars along, changing the way we communicate, but it has
never changed the reasons for the 'why'.
If you are contemplating becoming a ham, great, please
do so. If you are a ham and bemoan the lack of CW now,
get off your duff and start a CW appreciation class!
Show new hams *why* its cool (and it is, though it took
me 20+ years to realize that), and get them hooked on it.
--STeve Andre'
wb8wsf
grid sqare EN82
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
If you're going to send messages, which is probably what you'll want at low b
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Sadly, that kind of garbage is still there. Between the plethora of Rush Limbaugh wannabees (wi
As a relatively new ham operator... (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd heard about this a while ago, and was aiming to get general before it happened (out of pride, masochism, or maybe a little bit of both.) That's more or less moot now. But when I realize that it's a move to get more new people into the hobby, I can understand and appreciate it.
I'm a member of the ARA at my college and we've been struggling to attract new members - we've got a great shack and solid equipment but only about 3-4 active members. Getting more people into the hobby is important right now; steps should be taken before it becomes a critical problem.
KB3NIF
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
A change that makes me sad (Score:3, Interesting)
Back in the days... (Score:5, Interesting)
We kept tweaking the app until 1989 where we had a IM type of functionality, encryption (!) and we could "attach" binaries or act as a automated relay station. The old Sinclair was an ideal micro to grab your solder iron and make it interface with all sorts of electronics. I remember having much more fun with morsecode and that old Spectrum then when I got my first PC with DOS on it.
Heck, I think I will head up the shed and dig up the Sinclair and the AN PRC 10-A.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Its the old story (Score:3, Interesting)
Plus the fact that you can create an aweful lot of baseless elitism by practicing a worthless and unneeded skill.
learning Morse is like riding a bike (Score:5, Interesting)
I want a cwtext message interface for my cell phone, at least for sending. Has anyone heard of a phone that does that?
Survivors Will Need Morse (Score:3, Funny)
Apparently, so is Slashdot. In an attempt to be humourous, I couldn't post a series of Morse words. It kept rejecting the posting with the reason "Please use fewer junk characters." Huh.
Damn nerds, what do they know.
Some thoughts from a volunteer examiner (Score:5, Interesting)
I hear comments that amateur radio is being "dumbed down" to match the output of the government schools. The truth be told, I have witnessed people from many walks of life be thoroughly confused by the old licensing structure. So, there it little doubt in my mind that changes needed to be made. As an examiner, the recent (2000 and now 2006) changes will make my life a bit easier. They also lessen the burden on the FCC's administration of the Amateur Radio Service which is a key factor behind the recent changes.
As for the Morse Code requirement. When I started my self study of Morse in 1981, I truly believed that I would never be able to pass any test higher than 5 WPM. A few years later I did pass the 13 WPM (1985) and then in 1992 I passed the 20 WPM exam to obtain my Amateur Extra class license. I have used the code at various times throughout my ham radio career, but haven't ever gotten proficient enough at it to carry on a casual conversation with it. I have done well enough to enjoy some radio contests using the mode.
While I should probably be in the camp that says "I had to do it, all newcomers should too", I am not. In the early '90s the FCC, in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, made an administrative rule allowing anyone to obtain a doctor's statement claiming a disability that granted a waiver of the 13 and 20 WPM exams. As examiners we were required to accept the statement and grant the waiver. We could not question it any way. I personally saw several abuses of that rule and there was nothing I could do. The FCC was very specific in its mandate that only it had the authority to question the validity of any such statement.
The upshot of this is that due to the medical waivers, the 13 and 20 WPM Morse Code exams had almost become a farce by the time Restructuring (the action that reduced the license classes from six to three and reduced the Morse exam to 5 WPM) was enacted in April 2000. Anyone wanting to operate on HF still had to pass 5 WPM as the FCC deemed that speed not a significant hardship and the USA needed to comply with its treaty obligations which required a knowledge of Morse Code for operators licensed to operate below 30 MHz.
There are many reasons for hams to learn Morse Code in the future and a lot of them have already been stated here and elsewhere. The debate about whether it should be required knowledge is now moot so it's time for the amateur radio community to work toward the future. Morse Code (or CW) is one mode among many available for the Radio Amateur's use. As such, it can stand on its own and attract those interested in using it. I predict that the use of Morse Code on the amateur radio bands will continue for many years into the future by those that appreciate it.
Preparing for an exam session will now mean that I just have to prepare the written exams for the three license classes. No longer do I need to drag various pieces of electronic equipment along to conduct a Morse Code exam. This relieves the exam teams of a significant burden and will speed exam sessions up considerably. It will also make exam sessions more consistent as the Morse Code exam was an area where many teams free-lanced and some even prided themselves on administering an exam that was very difficult to pass.
Based on the elitism that I've seen demonstrated by too many hams over the years regarding the knowledge of Morse Code, I am not one bit sorry to see the exam requirement for it eliminated.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I hear comments that amateur radio is being "dumbed down" to match the output of the government schools. The truth be told, I have witnessed people from many walks of life be thoroughly confused by the old licensing structure. So, there it little doubt in my mind that changes needed to be made.
That's a shame since (Score:3, Interesting)
A recent technician's licencee's perspective (Score:3)
1) the lack of centralized infrastructure, hams own the infrastructure, it is decentralized and therefore it can operate when other infrastructures are down (telephone, power, cell towers, provided the ham has his own power source, be it generator or solar or wind). This is primary reason why ham radio becomes important in time of natural disasters.
2) the ability to communicate over long distances, sorta like having international (and national) pen pals. Sure I could write letters (which are dependent on a working mail service) or send email(again, dependent on infrastructure beyond my control) or make a telephone call (again, dependent on, well, you get the point).
3) it is non-commercial, so I'm not having to pay fees to communicate, as I own the infrastructure (providing power may or may not have to rely on someone else's infrastructure) Talk minutes, ha, they are meaningless on amateur radio.
As far as dropping the morse code requirement, I'm all for it, mostly so I can get international contacts, which is hard to do on 50mhz and above. I still may use CW (morse) but I would be doing it through a computer, as I believe I can type faster than I could code, plus I don't have a huge interest in learning code. What I'm saying is, one can take advantage of CW these days, without actually learning to do the code yourself, you can use a computer to do the interpretation. I'm also interested in packet radio, and other forms of amateur radio which take advantage of the merging of computers, radio and now the internet. The lower frequencies enable international communication, in areas which might not have infrastructure, and I feel it is slightly insulting that I have to learn an arcane code just to take advantage of the HF bands. I have a good technical background, I will now persure the upper license priviliges, which I would have done even if I did have to learn code, now I have a much easier time doing it (in my case). Amateur radio covers a huge spectrum of communication modes. Currently, I only have a 2 meter rig, it appears to be pretty quiet in my neck of the woods. I'd love to have other technical friends of mine get into the hobby such that I can play around with it.
I think the most important rule in amateur radio is to not be an asshole or a prick and intentionally interfere with others, and to play nice with other operators.
Also in light of our (the US) government's meddling with our civil liberties, I believe that the number of proficient ham radio operators should increase. I believe that if the government starts to really crack down on free speach, amateur radio can provide a morally correct outlet of free speech and communications to concerned citizens. I understand the ease of locating active transmitters, but I also believe that a group of technically proficient operators could really make secure communication possible in times of national crisis. I know that amateur radio is, in our currently fuctioning society, supposed to be in plaintext (or speech) and that encryption is not allowed (generally, I do believe their are some special exemptions), but in times of crisis, sometimes the rules have to get thrown out the window. I'm not advocating any amateur operator engage in rule breaking, but I merely mention it because I feel it is a real possibility that "underground" secure communication might one day be a necessity. Owning the infrastruture is vital to this end. I also believe this is why wifi can play an important role, as it provides networking and communication independant of infrastructure.