[CW] Pounding Brass

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/3/03 6:58:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
davetoepfer@yahoo.com writes:


> ---WB8NUT
> > There is no magic to touching a key and someone responding that
> > is thousands of miles away. Its just simple physics and it does not have 
> to
> > be a key. CW is a fine mode for those that want to use it, but it is not
> > "magic" to everyone. It time ham radio kept up with the times instead of
> > trying to have old fart hams continually try to relive ham radio's glory
> > days with code. Geez, if we had this thinking around when spark gap
> > transmitters were in fashion, you would have had hams requiring us to
> > continue to use spark gap.
> 
> Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir, but for me it is not about the "magic", 
> but
> rather the simplicity and efficiency.  CW uses a fraction of the bandwidth 
> and
> is worth [13]dB over SSB (and forget about FM in that comparison).

I disagree!

Nowadays most of what we hams do with radio is for the "magic"- but that 
"magic" takes a lot of different forms. Heck, if all we want to do is communicate 
with each other, we've got phones, cell phones, email, IM, web pages, faxes, 
SMS, etc., etc. - all of which work *most* of the time. But they're not as much 
fun - no "magic"!

Some time back I sold some radio parts to a ham in Australia, which he was 
going to use as part of a class in which his students would build and use simple 
CW transmitters. We coordinated the sale by email, which is free. Shipping 
from EPA to Oz was something like $9. 

One of these days I hope to work the Australian or one of his students using 
one of those rigs.

Which do you think would be the bigger thrill - working him on the air or 
exchanging emails? Why?

73 de Jim, N2EY


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