[CW] re no code

[Stan Barr]

Hi,

Ed Tanton said:
> Well said Ken. I expect you are absolutely correct: 1) I'm strangely 
> energized towards operating a LOT more (and I have always operated 
> 99.95% CW;) 2) it certainly isn't dead for me; and lastly, 3) I 
> expect that exams and sub-bands are doomed, but it surely won't be 
> the testing guys pushing it THIS time!!! LOL

If I may be allowed a cooment from the UK point of view:
We abolished the morse test about 3 years ago (as did several countries
in EU) and cw is still very much alive, and you hear a few new licencees,
post abolition, on the key.  These are people who have learned morse code
because the *wanted* to, not because they were forced to.  Clubs like
the G-QRP club do a lot to encourage newcomers onto cw.

As for exams, the UK licence structure (licence for life now!) has
been thouroughly overhauled and is now a compulsory progressive system,
you have to advance stage-by-stage through Novice, Intermediate to
Advanced, and there is a practical assessment which involves building
simple equipment.  See:  http://www.rsgb.org/getlicence/  for the
details.  Some other countries have adopted this examination scheme, 
or are looking at adopting something similar.

We don't have compulsory sub-bands, it's all Gentleman's Agreement :-)

-- 
Cheers and 73,
Stan Barr  G0CLV  G-QRP 3369   g0clv at dial.pipex.com

"Never leave well enough alone." -  Raymond Loewy