[KYHAM] Why CW

[A. W.]

 Mr. Schneider,

 I appreciate your comments concerning the use of CW
as a last resort avenue of communications, and am
inclined to agree with you from a purely theoretical
position. When transmitters were were limited to
perhaps two or three crystal controlled frequencies,
and receivers of the day offered little more
selectivity than that of today's $19 portable radio,
CW was the mode of choice for "rough" conditions.

 Public safety agencies of the day used "one way" AM
on about 1700kHz. to communicate with (receiver only
equipped)cars in the field and fixed station radio
operators were required to know Morse, in the event
that regional communication conditions deteriorated.

 Fortunately,public safety systems have evolved with
the changing times and technology available today, and
so must amateur radio. Most amateur emergency
communication today takes place on VHF, because the
nation's public safety infrastructure has evolved to
the point that resources are generally available
within a reasonable small area to respond to all but a
catastrophic need.

 Ships at sea no longer require a CW qualified
radioman, even though they are often thousands of
miles from the nearest land station--because the
modern RTTY infrastructure has been been found to be
just as effective as CW was in its day. The same can
be said for PSK-31 and RTTY etc. on the ham bands.
PSK-31 in particular can detect signals at levels well
below those where other modes (including CW) become
useless.

 The mandatory CW requirements for police dept. and
shipboard radio operators were abolished because CW
proficiency was no longer considered a needed asset
when the advancement of technology made other modes
viable in less than ideal conditions. Has the
technology available to amateurs not advanced at an
equal or perhaps greater rate? 

Tony KY4SP   

 

      
--- Kevin Schneider <KV4O@arrl.net> wrote:
> Tyler,
> 
> The main reason to learn CW has nothing to do with
> radio theory, equipment
> operation, a rite of passage, or an interest in
> antiquity...
SNIP


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