[SADXA] Dumbing Down

[Chuck Smallhouse]

Jim,

Well said !  Although HF DXing is not my strong suite, but doing so 
at the other end of the spectrum is.  As a teenager when I took the 
Class A FCC Amateur exam (advanced theory = Extra now) it seemed 
quite difficult, and I spent much time prepping for it.  When I took 
the Extra exam a number of years ago, it was not a piece of 
cake,  even though I had an Engineering degree and worked most of my 
life in the field.

I felt very strongly that there is no logical reason that there 
shouldn't be at least a minimal CW requirement for the Extra Class 
license, after all it is supposed to be an incentivized license class.

CW is still arguably the best means to accomplish legitimate weak 
signal communication.  It is still used as a means of initially 
accomplishing a link in a newly discovered communication or 
propagation mode.   Many times I have failed to complete a very weak 
signal UHF or mW QSO, because the other operator has no knowledge of 
CW, even at a 5 WPM rate.

When I was involved, I used to teach young Boy Scouts Morse code, for 
one of their advancement requirements.  By the time that they had 
mastered recognition of all of the numbers and the alphabet, they 
were easily above the 5 WPM rate.

Chuck,  W7CS