[Fists] Honey vs. Vinegar

[Dan KB6NU]

I'll ask the same question I asked last time we had this debate on this
mailing list. If your club has no CW users among the members who were not
required to take the code test, then what are you doing to promote it?

You guys can piss and moan all you want, but the code test requirement is
going to go away. Despite its usefulness in amateur radio, it is a skill
that the international regulating bodies and most telecommunications users,
including our own military, have decided is no longer necessary, outside of
perhaps a few oddball situations. It may be a useful skill, but it's
certainly no longer a necessary skill.

As for your contention that licensees who did not have to pass a code test
"are exactly what they seem to be -- CB'ers or ex-CB'ers who want a more
powerful and frequency-agile microphone to blow into," do you have any proof
of that besides your own personal experience? Our club has several members
who now have no-code Tech licenses and are working towards passing the code
test. They are NOT "deliberately refusing to get involved" with CW, and
they'll be on the air sooner or later.

So I ask again, "What are you or your club doing to promote CW"? The
requirement is going to go away whether you like it or not, and all the
bitterness that you "know code" guys seem to have is certainly not going to
make things any better.

73!

Dan KB6NU
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
President, ARROW Comm. Assn. (www.w8pgw.org)
CW Geek (FISTS #9342)
Ham radio bookseller (www.QTB.Com/hamradio/)
Read my ham radio blog at www.blurty.com/~kb6nu .

----- Original Message -----
From: <YoDoc@aol.com>
To: <fists@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 6:49 AM
Subject: [Fists] Honey vs. Vinegar


> In the days of 5, 13, and 20 WPM Morse Code testing for the Novice/Tech,
> General/Advanced, and Extra-class licenses (respectively), nothing was
being
> "mandated" or "demanded" of anyone, either!   "Required" certainly -- but
those of
> us with a mature, adult attitude understand the nature of "requirements."
In
> the case of the Morse code testing requirement, the result was that a
> significant number of prospective radio amateurs became proficient at an
extremely
> useful communications skill -- and that is exactly the kind of outcome
that is
> desired from a properly conceived set of licensing requirements.  The only
> difference with the code test is that this requirement necessitated the
development
> of a type of skill which required a bit more dedicated effort than merely
the
> short-term memorizations to a short list of correct answers to
> multiple-choice questions.
>
> The problem with the "I don't want the Code shoved down my throat" theory
is
> that once the requirement goes away, those who didn't want it shoved down
> their throat STILL won't pick up a piece, bite it off, chew it, and
swallow it on
> their own initiative.  You are obviously the exception, but that doesn't
> disprove the rule.  The total numbers of CW-capable radio amateurs WILL
continue to
> decline in the absence of code testing as a licensing requirement -- that
> trend has already taken hold.  My own local radio club has virtually no CW
users
> among it's numbers who were licensed under the No-Code or 5 WPM maximum
> licensing requirements.  They simply aren't doing it because there isn't
any
> tangible incentive for them to do so.  They can now squeak past the 5 WPM
code test
> with a 70% score on a multiple-guess test, plug in the microphones on
their HF
> rigs, and get to talking -- which is all they end up doing on HF.  On
Field
> Day and during contests, we have people piled up to work the phone
stations, but
> the few CW operators get no help whatsoever from the newcomers.
>
> The bottom line, Robert, is: Nice try, but NO cigar!  Your personal
situation
> proves nothing.  The allegedly "good people" who were "kept away" from ham
> radio by the code testing requirement are exactly what they seem to be --
CB'ers
> or ex-CB'ers who want a more powerful and frequency-agile microphone to
blow
> into.  They are NOT leading the pack in the advancement of new digital
> technologies, they are NOT learning CW "for the fun of it," and, for the
most part,
> they are NOT enjoying ham radio because they are deliberately refusing to
get
> involved in the ONE mode which provides the greatest challenge, and
> consequently, the most fun!
> You are dead wrong, and I am telling you so!
>
> 73 de Larry, K3LT
> FISTS #2008
>
>
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