[Lowfer] Bad operating practices/XFX update

[Ed Phillips]

"Atleast 25 years late....they should have been pushing for this long
ago.  I
realize total elimination was help up with international treaties until
just
recently.  But those draconian (sp?) 1 minute of perfect copy at 13 and
20
wpm were shoved down the throat of a whole generation that is probably
lost
forever.

Not that I have a strong opinion one way or the other on this issue <G>

Gary WA6DTX"

	The original reasons for a code test are obvious, but the applicability
these days is of course questionable.  [Some of us enjoy CW, but that's
a personal preference.]  As far as I'm concerned, the value of something
is proportional to the effort to get it and whether that effort went
into learning the code or something else, it tended to weed out the
CB'rs and appliance operators and their kin and make a ham license
something to be proud of.  Instead, the whole test structure today is
dumbed down to inanity and the "technical questions" are trivial.  I
used to serve as a VE but gave it up as the tests got degraded.  Same
thing is happening in the schools.  My wife taught senior high for over
25 years but finally gave it up when the "honors class" text books were
writtin mostly with pictures and words of one syllable!

	One of these days the ham bands will make the CB bands look good!  Of
course, for those who earn a living by publishing, the more guys there
the more money made!

Ed