[CW] The dumbing down of everything

[Bill Clarke]

What Ken said was excellent - but, it won't happen.

Even the licenses that meant something in the commercial end have been dumbed down. Or worse, their need reduced or eliminated.

I did upgrade from Advanced - hated to loose that license, but I wanted the rest of the bands. My commercial is now a GROL - not the First Phone with all the endorsements. My original First is hanging on the wall. The GROL is just filed away with other useless papers. More dumbing down.

In the US, I am afraid that much of ham radio has been reduced to glorified CB radio. Just listen to the SSB on 75 meters in the evenings. Lowering of the standards.

I am using CQ100 more and more to talk to old friends on. No unidentified signals, no jamming, and much better attitudes. Sure, it isn't "real" radio. But it works like it and is a good communication tool.

CQ100 does have CW portions - without all the QSB, QRM, QRN, etc. But, there is no current direct interface for a key. Wish some a lot smarter than me would design a little box with a USB cable to hook to my straight key or bug. There are some good code practice stations sending on most of the bands all the time.

I think CQ100 does offer some value to hams - and hams are the only ones that can use it. No license - no use!

End rant



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