[CW] Experience!

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

I agree with you John!

I had tried to teach myself code, but I didn't do so well...

I was only 10 years old, and I was interested, but it seemed so hard.

I really practiced through that 13 week course, and by the end of the class
I was up to 8 wpm or so.

Getting to 5 roughest part - and doing CW was absolutely NO fun.

In the following 13 week course we got up to 15 or 16 wpm, so we doubled our
speed.

Of course once I got on the air, my speed improved and two years later (the
required time needed for experience to apply for the Extra) I passed that
test.

Only after I got up to 18 or 20 wpm did CW start to be ENJOYABLE.

I was restricted to CW by money!  I couldn't afford a modulator for going on
AM phone, and going on SSB was out of the question - that was BIG bucks.
Even getting a VFO (so I could transmit ANYPLACE on the bands was costly
then.  I had a couple of crystals:

7008 7030 7143 7154 and 7158 kHz.

The lowest one  - of course - was the most useful because we used
transmitters which would "MULTIPLY" the frequency.

We would tune the oscillator in the transmitter so that it would peak, and
then use the BUFFER stage to double (for 20 meters) or triple (15 meters) or
quadruple (10 meters) - and I could transmit on 14016, 21024 or 28032 kHz -
which are the harmonics of my 7008 kHz crystal.

One thing that seems to be having a gut reaction these days - and I don't
remember being ASKED about the change, is vanity calls.

I don't remember being asked if there should be a certain amount of
experience before getting a vanity call.  I don't mean the callsign of a
relative - I believe this should always be available.

It sometimes is a let down to work a W1AXX (fill in the X with letters!)
callsign and find out that the fellow has been a ham for only three years.
I keep on expecting to find someone licensed in 1933 when the FCC first
started assigning the AAA block.

In retrospect, I think we should have rewarded EXPERIENCE.  The FCC also
rewarded people licensed 40 years with an Extra when they could pass a
General test.  (You had to be licensed before 1917 to gain this benefit.)

Maybe 25 years and you can get a vanity call?  That seems to be what the FCC
did in the past when it allowed us (on two occasions) to get a two letter
call.

73

David Ring, N1EA

----- Original Message -----
From: "n3drk" <n3drk@triad.rr.com>
To: "Gene Buckle" <geneb@deltasoft.com>; <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Dissing the ARRL


> > This really annoys me.  I busted my ass for a month and still barely
> > squeaked by on the 5 WPM code test.  To _you_ it requires practically no
> > skill.  To _me_ it's a struggle every time I turn on the radio.  Don't
> > assume that what comes easy to you is easy for others.  Even after all
the
> > work I put into passing my General, I'm still for mandatory code
testing.
>
> Gene, the fellow who made the comment did not mean any disrespect to you
> or others in your situation. What he is saying along with others including
> myself
> is the dumbing down in the standards. The present 5 wpm licensing for the
> test
>  does you or others any justice. The hardest thing is learning the code
> especially
> at 5wpm. At that speed it is the most difficult. Code is learned by sound
> and at
> that speed one does NOT hear sound, the rhythm, the flow of the sound of
the
> letters. We all went through this. In my case I am 51 years of age and
> learned
> the code when I was 16. Man did I have a difficult time. I never want to
go
> through that again. But at the time I had a novice class license and had 2
> years
> to get my speed up to 13wpm. But what I found out is that when I reached
> 10wpm it got easier because I was starting to hear the sound of the
letter.
> From
> that point on I started to fly through qso's. Most of the hams are against
> the 5wpm
> for this very reason. We feel once amateurs they pass the test at 5wpm
they
> will simply put down the key. Now this may not be the case with you but
not
> everyone is like you. Many, many hams will then give the code up and go
onto
> phone and they will miss out of the greatest satisfaction and challenge of
> the higher code speed which makes cw operating so satisfying. It does get
> easier. We know this and are disturbed by the decision and non decisions
> of the League. They are doing themselves as an organization a disfavor and
> other potential hams also. You are doing FB. It took me 6 months to learn
> the 5wpm code speed. So take heart. I feel he was not trying to belittle
> you Gene. Keep up the good work.
> 73's OM
>
> john-n3drk
>
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