[CW] CW does not need justification

[Ken Brown]

Many have pointed out that even though CW is superior in it's ability to 
get though bad conditions, there are not so many operators to get 
through to. It is unlikely that CW will save the world or even a ship 
full of people. This is due to lack of skilled operators, and not 
because of any new technology that is better than CW. Since there are 
plenty of new technologies that are almost as good as CW, and require 
little or no training or effort to use, CW has been abandoned for 
commercial use. This does not detract from my enjoyment of CW.

 Parallels can be drawn in other technologys which have both commercial 
and recreational aspects. For instance transportation. There are many 
ways of transporting people and materials that are more economically 
efficient than hand carrying, bicycling, horseback and sailing. Yet 
people still take a walk, ride a bike or horse or go sailing just for 
the enjoyment of it. And there are contests in all of those activities, 
and spaces set aside for those activities. No one is being required to 
show ability to ride a bicycle or a horse, in order to get a motor 
vehicle drivers license. Still the motor vehicle rules of the road 
include provisions to allow bicycles and motor vehicles to be used on 
the public roads. And there are questions on the drivers license tests 
about right of way when both motor vehicles and pedestrians or bicycles 
are involved. There are backcountry wilderness trails where hikers and 
pack animals are allowed and motorcycles are not. During certain contest 
periods (Tour de France) the roads are barricaded to allow only the 
participants of the race. I have not heard any truck drivers making 
derrogatory comments about how bicycles are antiquated, inefficient and 
economically unviable. Though there are no doubt plenty of complaints 
about bicycle lanes taking up potential parking spaces or additional 
traffic lane. Still bicycles and trucks share the road, by law.

My point is that CW does not need to be proven to be superior in any way 
(even though we CW operators know that it is) for bandwidth to be set 
aside for CW only. That fact that people continue to enjoy CW is enough.

Ken N6KB