[CW] (no subject)

[N7DC@cs.com]

>>Jay
>>AD5PE
>
said:
" 
I can (and do) admire you guys that can send 40wpm by ear. But I'm not
going to force you to use Echolink, let alone write it - so why should you
force others (I already passed mine) learn CW IF they have no intention of
using it. Let the interest come to them first - then teach it to them, but
not the other way around. "

Jay no one is saying that you Have to learn CW.  If you want to advance up 
the amateur radio license rank, right now, you do have to - but that is your 
choice.   I agree, and have come to accept the fact that non-CW people should be 
able to have access to HF bands without having to pass a CW test.   What I do 
not agree with is that anyone should have access to the CW narrow portions of 
those same bands, unless he or she does pass an acceptable test to do so.  
Acceptable?  How about leaving things as they are, with Novice, Tech, (with HF 
privileges added) and a 5 wpm test.  General with 13, and for those that want to 
show their true capabilities,(and get those 25 KC of CW bandwidth), the Extra 
class license. 

 There is nothing wrong with incentive licensing.  "Learn to earn" is a great 
incentive to encourage people to learn more technical skills, as well as 
operational skills, and thus earning their advanced placements on the ham radio 
ladder.  An Eagle Scout doesn't just start and earn it in one step.  He must go 
thru steps to advance from Scout, thru Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, 
Star, and Life Scout, before becoming eligible to pass additional tests, do a 
service project and present himself to an Eagle advancement board.  Thats just 
one of the great organizations who use and have proven the usefulness of 
graduated advancement. 
Incentive licensing has been around a long time now, and many have followed 
its steps successfully.  Those that haven't?  Well, they simply didn't do it.  
So what?  If you want something enough, you WILL work for it.  To those who 
couldnt do it due to physical handicaps; there were, and are, steps to take to 
receive and pass equivalent testing.  Many have done that too.  

To reiterate.  No one is forced to pass CW.  They will have to if they want 
to advance up the amateur ranks.
I had to answer some questions about TV and RTTY, some 40 years ago, and 
never touched either mode on the amateur bands, and had no plans to do so.  I 
didn't complain about either subject, as studying for those questions simply 
existed, and maybe -- just maybe - I would eventually try them out.  Hey, I did, 
about 5 years ago, and found both fun (now that a computer could handle things 
-- and I didn't have to mess with large, noisy, and expensive equipment).  
Danny


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