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Old 27-12-2006, 10:43   #1
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HAM SSB now does not require CW

If you understoon the topic, you may not need to read this...

According to the ARRL, (ARRLWeb: ARRL Home Page) the fcc in january will be dropping the requirement to know CW (mores code) for all of its licensing levels.

That means that you don't have to be able to tell dahs from dits to get your license. Just pass section 3 and you are good to go!
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Old 27-12-2006, 11:04   #2
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Hey DH

More info here...

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ment-6191.html

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Old 27-12-2006, 11:59   #3
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Tnx. Rick.

Sorry for the double post. I did not see the other conversation. I have been a codeless ham for almost 12 years. Never could pass the test to get my code so I was stuck to VHF. Now I will move to HF in time to prep to sail!
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Old 27-12-2006, 14:06   #4
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No problemo DH. Good news for those of us who are Dot-Dash Challenged! I never got more than 2-3 wpm so there's hope now.
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Old 27-12-2006, 15:22   #5
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Foundation License

There is a new Foundation Radio License in Australia.
Information at this page on the Wireless Institute of Australia website.
It seems to be very simple to obtain and to ony require 12 hours course work.
Has anyone any experience with this license (is it useful)?
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Old 27-12-2006, 15:31   #6
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That is a shame.

The only thing that kept the radio morons off the HF bands was the requirement for CW (a system that can be learned in a matter of hours). Well, that is gone and any idiot that can read and pass the simple test will be able to plug the air ways with all manner of junk, just like they have done with the CB radio. That was supposed to be the radio vehicle for general communication without a CW test and subsequent license. Oh, Well ............ I guess that satelite phones are the only way to get peace and quiet on the air.
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Old 27-12-2006, 16:15   #7
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Jemtine as far a calling me a moron, I will respond to your insult personally in e-mail.

The quiet that exists on the HF spectrum is a danger to sailors. As more people travel, it is good to have a trained group of people who know how to handle message traffic. These people who get their license now who you are so kindly refering to as morons, may be the ones who save you when you get in trouble out on the ocean. Should they say "oh, you are not sending your distress via morse code, you must not be in enough danger!" -. --- - .-.-.-
... --- -- . .--. . --- .--. .-.. . .... .- ...- . .- .... .-. -.. - .. -- . .... . .- .-. .. -. --. -... ..- - .- .-. . -. --- - -.. . .- ..-. .-.-.- - .... ..- ... -.-. .- -. -. --- - .--. .- ... ... .-.-.-
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Old 27-12-2006, 18:03   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jentine
The only thing that kept the radio morons off the HF bands was the requirement for CW (a system that can be learned in a matter of hours). Well, that is gone and any idiot that can read and pass the simple test will be able to plug the air ways with all manner of junk, just like they have done with the CB radio.
I suggest that anybody who wants to debate the merits of morse code testing should visit the forum at QRZ Ham Radio -- everything meaningful (and a lot that is not) has already been said many times over the past few years, but there is no shortage of people on both sides of the issue who are willing to continue the hate-fest. Apparently, it is acceptable to be mean-spirited there, but be assured that your tone will be returned in kind.

To the extent that it is relevant to cruising, this is a reasonable place to discuss getting an amateur radio license, proper operating protocol, etc. I also do not appreciate being called a moron and an idiot, so please leave the personal insults out of the discussion.

p.s. For a more friendly amateur radio forum that is not overwhelmed with debates about morse code, see Ham Radio Forum :: Index. It's not as busy as qrz, but the participants are much friendlier.

edit: the forum changed what I typed. those links are www . qrz . com and www . hamforum . com
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Old 27-12-2006, 18:41   #9
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I had the pleasure to hear the FCC's Riley Hollingsworth, aka "Mister Enforcer", speak some time ago on this subject. He's the man in charge of sending out letters that say 'Dear Sir or Ma'am, please send us your radio and a check for ten thousand dollars and we'll think about letting you stay out of jail."

He said that when he first came to the FCC, he heard all the talk about CW being the barrier that kept out the bad guys. And, by the end of his first year, he came to realize that he never had to take any enforcement action against the folks who hadn't learned CW. Every action he brought for misbehavior, etc., was brought against SOME CRANKY HAM WHO HAD PASSED THE CW TEST. So, as far as he was concerned, the facts spoke for themselves. Cranky old hams who passed the CW exam *were* the bad guys they claimed to be keeping out.

Those old cranks who forget that "ham" is short for "ham fisted amateur operators" and it is very much an INSULT from the professional telegraphers. Those who think "NO GIRLS IN THE TREE HOUSE" is a good idea. Those who preach CW and the old ways, and meanwhile would be terrified if they were required to send real code, the real way, with straight keys and A0 home-built spark gap transmitters, will thankfully die out sooner or later.

The public airwaves belong to the public, boys. You've proven yourself to be greedy little boys who can't share the sandbox nicely, so now you've lost it. You'll just have to share it with the other *owners* now, the general public. And if you want to "advance the art" and promote the other reasons that the FCC allows amateur radio service to exist for, you'd better get out there and start behaving nicely. Stop jamming each other, stop condescending to the folks who want to use radio for other purposes. CW is not the be-all and the end-all to anything, it is just one of the six THOUSAND other spoken languages on this planet, and a very, very, unimportant one at that.
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Old 27-12-2006, 23:00   #10
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Jentine, first, let me say, I understand your point completely. I have been a HAM for many years, and enjoyed CW for quite a few of those. I passed the 20wpm requirement a long time ago, but had a heck of a time with the Advanced test. Sounds like you have been around long enough to know what I am talking about. The real issue here goes much deeper. It is about money. With the low cost and effectiveness of other means of communication, fewer people are willing to put the effort into getting a HAM license. This translates into fewer users, and less use of the bands. To the FCC, amateur bands translate into lost revenue. It is much easier for them to say we do not need those bands if the traffic isn't there because the number of licensed HAMs isn't there. Remember when they took away most of the 220 band? As for the QRM, the low life's with the CB mentality don't care about a license. They get there Cheapo solid state linears and blast profanities on 80 every night. This will benefit the HAM community as a whole by allowing people who do want to participate responsibly, to get their license and get on the air. If the interest increases enough, they might even open up some of the CW portions of the bands to voice. Sure would be nice not to have to give up on 40 when the foreign broadcast rolls in. Not all the people who want to get a license without the code requirement, have the CB mentality. Consider the boom in No Code Tech licenses in the early 90's. I made allot of good friends from those new hams.
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Old 11-01-2007, 09:26   #11
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Lori & I just received our Tech license last month and we were absolutely thrilled with the timing for this change. We are both professionals planning our future years of cruising and realized that we needed the access to Winlink and HF. We don't own a CB.

When we took our exam we met over 30 other wonderful people with like interests...I doubt any of them own a CB. We believe this is a great move by the FCC.
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Old 11-01-2007, 12:31   #12
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Excellent decision by the FCC. It's about time more frequencies have been made available.
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Old 11-01-2007, 13:18   #13
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A simple solution to Jentine's concerns is to increase the difficulty of the exams. When I finished taking my Tech exam, I took the General Exam just to see how difficult it was. Without study or review of the subjects covered, I came within one question of passing. I'm sure there are many who could pass without study.
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Old 11-01-2007, 14:16   #14
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Without study or review of the subjects covered, I came within one question of passing. I'm sure there are many who could pass without study.
All license exams are a test to prove you are not dangerous and have attained MINIMUM qualifications. I tried a test exam with no background at all or even any attempt at preparation and I did not pass but got enough right so I would agree with you.

Most of the state professional exams are not quite that easy but it still remains a test of minimum qualifications. You really don't have to be that good to be "qualified" at much of anything. The one thing I would have to add however is it's not that hard to tell when someone has minimum credentials.

It still takes a lot of work to really be good at just about everything. Ham radio operation is no exception.
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Old 11-01-2007, 14:44   #15
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Morse gone?

Did Canada also drop the morse requirement altogether?
The ham test is nothing more than a bunch of overgrown six year olds saying "You can't play in our tree house unless you know the password." Its nothing more than a childish hazing ritual, designed to keep their tree house elitist. 90% of what is in the ham test will be quickly forgotten within a couple of weeks after passing the test and never needed again. If I need to know how to determine the colour code of a resistor, I will look it up. Ditto for block diagrams, frequencies, etc etc. If a license must be posted alongside a ham radio why not the same requirement for frquencies etc etc. These should be explained in the course and eliminated form the test so people will know what to look for if they need it. The course doesn't have enough information to be usefull in building a radio, just enought o be apain in the ass and to discourage people from taking up the hobby.
Would car salesmen support a requirement that everyone using one be required to know the inner workings of one before being allowed to use it. Would they have trouble understanding the conection between this and lower car sales?
All that's needed in the test is questions on intererence and how to avoid it, safety and as few other basics.
In the days when there wete no alternatives to ham , people would jump thru the hoops. Now with so many alternatives, its hilarious to hear older hams complain about the lack of interest in ham radio while supporting the childish hazing rituals and elitism which is discouraging so many people from taking an interest.Duhhh!
Its a lot like conservation officers worried about the drop in the number of people going fishing and hunting , threatening to make their jobs redundant , while supporting the ever increasing wall of bureaucracy which is causing it. They are too dense to make the connection. They fail to understand that the key to being a successful parasite is to avoid killing your host.
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