[CW] CW and Dancing Radio Stations

[Pedro J. Santa]

Not at all.  Dave's expressions are correct, inspired and inspiring.

Pedro KP3X..

P.S.  Morse Code is forever...


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <w8okn@charter.net>
To: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea@arrl.net>; "George, W5YR" <w5yr@att.net>;
"Anthony W. DePrato" <wa4jqs@mikrotec.com>; <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] CW and Dancing Radio Stations


> David,
>
> You sound depressing.
>
> Sean
> W8OKN
> >
> > From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea@arrl.net>
> > Date: 2004/02/02 Mon AM 06:55:00 GMT
> > To: "George,  W5YR" <w5yr@att.net>,  "Anthony W. DePrato"
<wa4jqs@mikrotec.com>,
> >         <cw@mailman.qth.net>
> > Subject: [CW] CW and Dancing Radio Stations
> >
> > George,
> >
> > I think we're close on our feelings about CW, but perhaps I go a bit
> > further.  I have an excellent track record at some of my predictions,
and I
> > still believe that without CW, someone in Washington will soon realize
that
> > there is no real reason to have "operators" for radio, and thus no
reason
> > for "ham" operators.  If there was no CW proficiency, if I were a
> > politician, I would quickly see that ham radio has no use.  I would
probably
> > get rid of it, or make it pay its way with high user fees.  It would
become
> > even more of a "rich man's" hobby as it was in the early days - if it
> > existed at all.  Ham radio without CW has about ZERO usefullness to our
> > nation.  We are much better served by professional people who use
radios.
> >
> > We have no need for radio operators - because "anyone" can do it.
> >
> > Now, if we STILL had hams who "upgraded" and became radar techs,
AM/FM/TV
> > techs, radio officers, telegraphists, and point-to-point technicians, I
> > would say we needed ham radio.  But we have none of those jobs left.
Nor do
> > we have the requirement of a commercial license for those jobs.  The
jobs
> > aren't special, because "anyone" can do them.
> >
> > If I were a youngster, and I became a ham because it looked interesting,
I
> > probably would quickly loose interest.  SSB, my cellphone is better.
> > Slow-Scan TV, nice but I can send pictures over the internet.  DX that's
> > interesting, but what's the point?  --- I can get everywhere on the
> > internet.  CW, too much work translating the dots and dashes to letters.
(I
> > hear some people doing it faster, but they must be using computers...
:-)
> >
> > Some of the newcomers say it's "boring" and the others are offended by
the
> > self-centeredness of the hobby - the bragging about equipment, and the
"I'm
> > bigger" than you are, of the hobby.
> >
> > Was it always this way?  If so what is the same, and what is different?
> >
> > Personalities?  If my first experience was 2 meter FM, I probably would
> > never turn my 2 meter rig on again.  Fortunately I grew up with 2 meter
AM
> > and then FM - and I gave up FM for about 30 years because the
personalities
> > were so self-centered, non-helpful. Many hams have had this experience -
not
> > just the new hams.
> >
> > HF SSB - in my early days, the "big boys" didn't want to talk to you
unless
> > you had a BIG signal.  Many of the others had nothing to say, so it was
a
> > waste of time.
> >
> > RTTY - that was enjoyable.  I liked the whirring of the machines and the
> > clattering of the typebars as they struck paper.  I bought a small scope
at
> > a auction and hooked it to my homebrew terminal unit and started copying
> > W1AW broadcasts, and later got a varicap and got it adjusted correctly
so
> > that I could put out frequency-shift-keying on my transmitter.  But this
> > soon lost its appeal also - there are only so many times you can say
"hello,
> > rig here is and goodbye".
> >
> > But on CW there were beautiful sendings going on!  This was an art.  I
> > didn't hear much of the "I'm bigger than you are" on this mode, I didn't
> > hear the self-centeredness.  What I did hear was a lot of code practice!
I
> > was a Novice, and if I didn't get up to 13 wpm in a year, I would have
no
> > license!  When I did upgrade, I still didn't hear the stuff that I was
now
> > hearing on SSB.  I had a "bigger" signal on CW.  So more people could
copy
> > me.
> >
> > When the CW operators went up to SSB, they really had a grip on THAT
mode,
> > too.  There was something about a CW operator that (do I dare say it?)
was
> > ... ... better than the guys up on green keys (rtty) or SSB.  Not all of
> > them, there were the gifted in the other modes, the guy who was an
announcer
> > on AM radio whose voice was beautiful, or the guy who used to be a UPI
> > teletype operator who could "loop" the paper tape as he prepared his
> > transmission.  These guys ALSO knew the "tricks of the trade".  But the
CW
> > operators that I met - many of them - were just incredable operators.
They
> > made a radio station dance.
> >
> > We certainly need knowledgeable people, but I think we also need people
who
> > can make a radio station dance.
> >
> > 73
> >
> > David Ring, N1EA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CW mailing list
> > CW@mailman.qth.net
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> CW mailing list
> CW@mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw