FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes

ARRL

i guess all that studying and hard work was for nothing....

ooh well...

even though i dont think i REALLY passed, it was close.... but one of the VEs was a good friend shhhhhh

The General exam I can pass no problem, but that friggin CW is a PITA!!! You should see the **** going on at QRZ.com. Man the **** is hitting the fan with the old farts.

well let me just pop on over there and take a looksee LOL

I am already General, but I was a 5wpm Novice from WAY back in 88 LOL. not sure yet how I feel about it.

Edited to add,

The hobby needs new blood and people dont want to take the time to learn or maybe simply dont HAVE time to learn it, I learned it with my Dad and brother every day after school/work using the Gordon West tapes. We had a great time.

My initial feeling was, "I had to learn it, why can't they also?" then reality check hit, that WAS 1988 after all and times were a little simpler then.

If this is what it takes to get more ops on HF, then so be it, but Elmering and Self policing will have to improve to keep the bands orderly. I don't see a huge problem and my enthusiam for HF is steadily climbing since reading this. Hope to see you guys there!

By the way Mike, I got all pumped up about the 10 meter contest that I read about last night, turns out it was LAST weekend. Geez. Havent had any time to try out this new dipole either, nor any time during daylight to put it up. Maybe between Christmas shopping and errands tomorrow, I will get a chance.

I don't see this going over too well with the HF guru'* :? I don't know morese but it would good to know. Looks like it'* time to retest

APRS over HF??

I really don't see what the problem is. It'* not like all the Techs are going to run out and buy a new HF rig and crowd the HF bands the first day it goes into effect. I would say maybe about 5% of all the Techs are HF capable, and I'm one of them.

If the OF are going to have a stink about this, then they better think back to 1991 when the FCC dropped the CW testing requirement for Techs. I'm sure they got over it then, and they can get over it now. They need to welcome us to the HF side and Elmer us.

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I think that most of the techs are still going to stay on 2m/440, its much more of a loungey chatty atmosphere that you dont see nearly as much on HF. I also dont see that a large number of these type people are going to migrate down to 20/40m. its a total different experience in the HF world, one of more dedicated, and dare i say professional hams

Not much difference between HF and 6 meters. Considering most 6 meter activity is on 50.110 and 50.125. 6 meters is treated very much the same as HF. I have roughly 100 contacts on 6 meters. At my last club, I amazed a few of the OF'* during Field Day when I was able to handle the serious pileups. Not bad for a Tech huh?

Venom, you hit the nail on the head. These OF'* need to let go of the past and get into the now. But they are STUBBORN! Makes me wonder how many of them are carrying cell phones???

We need to Elmer the newcomers about HF, not shoo them away. If we don't, HF might end up like the chicken band in a few years.