It's funny, because when I was studying for my license exam, I remember reading all of the stuff about CW and thinking "Morse code? People still use Morse code? Why on earth would you want to do that?" That was in 2022. Now I'm almost exclusively a CW operator, and an intermediate instructor at the Long Island CW Club. I love CW. I liken it to being forced to read a book by a teacher when you were in school. When the teacher assigned the book, you didn't want to read it, and resented the fact that you had to. Now, if you chose to read that book on your own, for your own enjoyment, it was an entirely different experience. People who learn Morse code now WANT to learn code, they're not being forced to.....and that's a HUGE difference.
I was the same way. I had no interest in Morse Code when I started. Then in 2023 I got the urge to learn it and have been having a great time with it. A code requirement definitely would have kept me out of the hobby. I think it was a good decision to drop it.
Yep - same story with me. When I got my license in 2016, I had no predilection to learn code. It wasn't until I saw someone actually doing it at Field Day that I saw how COOL it was. I then decided to learn it myself, and was then at the key myself for Field Day for the next year, and have been every year since. And, I dare say that I also probably wouldn't have become a ham since they dropped the requirement. But, since I didn't HAVE to learn it, I was more inclined TO learn it. BTW @EvanK2EJT - I enjoy your videos, as well.
New ham here. I got both Tech and Gen this year at 61. I am having a ball and really enjoy talking to people all over the world in voice. I enjoy the accents and the QRZ pages of my contacts. I could see the animosity of the older folks and the code requirement but I have no interest in CW or digital modes personally. That might change but thanks for the video. 73 N4STS
I've been a General since the late 80's and HAD to learn the code @13 WPM. I hated every minute of it and never used it. Back in those days all of the OM's said it kept out the riff-raff. Learning Morse Code didn't make me any better of a person than I already am. 🤷🙄
For me the Code was a pain in the rear. It took me 3 times to pass the test. At my Witt’s end I just literally wrote down the dots and dashes as fast as I could and then decoded it. The examiner told me I was the first to ever seen anyone do that 🤷♂️. From that point on I never used code on the air but I do have an Advanced license to this day. The irony to my story, is, all I have is a 2/440 radio. 🤣
I am one of those hams. The only reason I got my license is because they dropped the requirement. I am not anti-cw. I would dearly love to learn. It still has value and a place in the hobby. That said, I just don't get it. It just sounds like noise to me no matter how much I try.
GREAT VIDEO. Yes I passed my 5 wpm code exam and in 1993 my 13 wpm code exam and now hold a general class license. I too have heard soo soo many awful people downing people who didn't pass code required code exams. These people just looked down on people and thought they was so high and mighty and was so much better than them. I myself have never ever thought I was better than anyone. Yes I passed 2 code exams but that does not make me any better than anyone. Thank you for your kind video. From N4TUX Boyd and W4TUX Robin Travis Kingsport, TN.
Great video. I passed the 5wpm code in the 70's for my Novice class and quickly passed the General technical exam to get my Tech. I could never get fast enough to get my General class license. When they dropped the code requirement I studied and passed the Extra Class. I've enjoyed the hobby more since then. I was never against dropping the code requirement as I know there are other hams like me who enjoy the challenges and technical aspects of the hobby, but have difficulty with code. Thanks for posting this video. Russ WD9DD
The FCC ticked me off a bit, when the Advanced folks didn't simply get converted to Extra. The written test was the same, with the only difference being the code. NL7LY
The license is the ticket to learn. If it was still a requirement I wouldn't be licensed because how do I know I even want to do this radio thing anyway? Having spent a bit over a year on learning code, that's quite a lot of effort to undertake to eventually find out "Radio isn't for me"
I agree - It was a good thing that the FCC dropped the code requirement. Many folks have now joined the ranks since that happened. Even my wife, who originally told me that it was my hobby, and she didn't want to do anything with it, eventually decided to get her license, too. She did tell me, however, that she would get her license, as long as she didn't have to do the 'beepity beeps'... ;-)
The interesting thing to me, is that a lot of people who were scared off by the code requirement are now making an effort to learn it, now that it isn't a requirement. And morse is still a vibrant aspect of amateur radio. As a code guy myself, it's my first ham radio love, this does my heart good!
I would not have my ham license if they didn’t drop the CW requirement, but now that I have my license learning code is what I’m working on now, I’ve learned the code I just need to practice a lot more. I like this video 👍
Well said Keith! When it was a requirement, a lot of hams saw it as a bitter pill to swallow in order to get their license, to then be forgotten. Now people get into CW because they want to, and they find that it is alive and well, thanks to organizations like the Long Island CW Club. 73 de Gary W5PAZ
In the early 80s, one of my instructors in the electronics program, was a ham. I was very interested in becoming licensed and the radio and electronics portion was a breeze. However, I couldn't master the code portion. Fast forward to covid time where I rediscovered ham radii and took exam first time held locally. Over next 3 years upgraded to General, then Extra. Ironically, now starting to learn CW because I want to
My hearing was damaged at work many years. I can’t tell a dit da from a da dit. So every letter that has this combination is a no go for me. After 10 years I gave up on a ham license. About 6 years ago I was told the code was dropped way back when. Never knew about it and long ago gave up. I started studying and in 3 months passed tech and general.
YES!!!!!! Di-Da-Dit-Dit means absolutely nothing to me. Its like watching that episode of SouthPark where Towlie plays funkytown on the DTMF keypad, thinking hes going to enter. E-I-S-H & T-M-O and is how I had to even "try" to remember the sound patterns. Nope, Towlie playing notes on the keypad made more since to me
You earned a subscriber with this video. The ONE thing in this hobby that pisses me off is when someone (usually from behind a keyboard) says "You're not a REAL ham unless you...". That's like saying your podiatrist isn't a REAL doctor because he doesn't do brain surgery. Nobody can do everything. BTW, I got licensed after the code test went away, but last year I buckled down and learned the code (shout out to LICW) and I use it for POTA / SOTA at a functional 15-16 wpm. Those groups have probably made CW more popular than anything else. 73.
Great video, thank you. It has boosted numbers and interest in the hobby. But, CW is wildly popular now despite the dropping of the requirement. There are months long waiting lists for CW Academy and the Long Island CW club classes. It’s a fabulous hobby!
I tried for quite some time to learn CW back in the late seventies. I could easily send CW around 8-10 wpm but could never learn to copy it at all. My brain just didn’t hear and interpret it. I gave up on it until around 2016 when I got interested in fpv drones. They required a ham license. I found that the code requirement had been dropped so I got my license. A couple years later I picked up an ht and started learning more about real ham radio. I’m now an Extra class operator, tech team member for our state Auxcomm team and regular net control operator for a few local and regional nets. Had CW still been a requirement, I’d have flown my drones outlaw and never got into ham radio at all.
My deceased father in law was a ham K0MXK and he got me hooked on Ham back in the 80's.I started studying and the code was going to eventually be what caused me to fade away from getting licensed. I watched my FIL work code as much as he did voice and the code always intrigued me and still does today.Code is what I believed separated the men from the wana be hams .Even if I never get licensed I will always feel that way . He used to tell me all the time that 11 meters used to be a good band .
99% of my contacts are CW and I agree with them dropping the requirement. Anything that can help increase the number of hams is good. We need to think outside the box to make it easier for people to do ham radio. I would love to see POTA start including city parks because most hams aren't going to spend the time and money to go to state or federal parks.
Well said! And I will echo what has been mentioned by others. I let the code requirement keep me from getting a ham license. Then, at the age of 59, I got my tech and general after the requirment was gone. So, what's the only thing I want to do now? That's right morse code on cw. 😄 Well over 99% of my ham radio activities are in the CW mode.
Me and my dad got caught up in the CB craze of the late 70s. Code requirement is what kept us out of ham radio. My dad really wanted to talk long distances and that was rare on cb then. I became a licensed ham in 2020 and would not have tried if code was still required.
I put off getting my license when I was younger because of the code requirement. I eventually got my GMRS license, and through people I met was encouraged to get my HAM license. Now that I have been a tech for 6 months and working towards my general, I have decided to slowly learn CW because it interests me. I truly believe getting a HAM license is a license to learn. Propagation, building antennas, digital modes, and now code are all things I am happy to learn at my own pace while enjoying the hobby.
I'm from the EU and I also didn't have to pass CW on my exam. IMHO the CW in the form that was on the exam was a bit pointless. It was too slow for a regular QSO and if something is forced upon people it tends to drive them away. But that option is for the best we need more people in this hobby with or without CW knowledge. Since no one forced me to learn CW, I'm now doing it out of my own free will. I try to learn with app Morse Mania (30WPM). I'm still very bad at this but I try to be consistent and do at least 10 min every day. Perhaps one day I will be good enaugh to get on the air, 73!
Well said,, I have actually had some fellow “hammers” tell me “you’re not areal ham radio operator”.. glad to see an Elmer say it was a good thing.. you now have another subscriber! Thank you!
I took two code classes back in the early 80s and just never took to it. It was always a frustration for me even today although I do send some CW albeit “slow”. And so decades went by before I actually got my ticket. 73
I think the real question is, what pragmatically does learning CW offer that software cannot? None of us are naval pilots of the WW2 era. Compute is ubiquitous to the point that civilization would collapse without it. If the compute is gone, then so is the radio. Is it good to learn in an emergency situation as a backup? Definitely. Can the same thing be achieved by many other ways? Definitely. There are a plethora of other digital modes, many of which cut through the QRM much better than CW, and even have things like FEC built in. CW is handy and has its place, but it's not a foundational prerequisite to the radio world like it used to be. You're definitely correct in your assessment that it would needlessly keep people out of the hobby. Without those additional people, expect that RF spectrum to easily get gobbled up by the likes of Verizon, the military, Hughes, and pretty much anyone else that blinks at it. Maybe there should be another level of ham after extra for people who master CW just so it keeps people learning.
I am an extra and became an extra without CW. That being said, I now use CW. I became a member of the Long Island CW club. Going with CW greatly expands the allocated spectrum into HF for techs and it can be far more enjoyable.
Well said my friend, different strokes for different folks. We are a family. there's no room in our hobby for divide, God knows we're only just hanging on to what we've got. De ZL1NAY
Excellent video! Having to learn the language of CW before being allowed to use a ham radio for voice or messaging is like being forced to learn Spanish before you’re allowed to speak English or Russian. All of them are forms of communication.
The worse part is so many of the older CW folks really did the Hobby a disservice by looking down at those new hams who never got the code. Talking as though they were 3rd class operators. Now as the hobby is dwindling to fewer and fewer hams. And nobody really under the age of 30 in the hobby anymore. just look at who shows up at hamfests. Thanks guys. you did a great job.
I join ed the navy 1985 got my no code tech soon after did disaster communications since, also MARS I have my no code general, I volunteer with search and rescue for communications. Love it
To be perfectly honest, I wanted my license, but the code requirement set me back. I wish I had done this sooner. Personally I find that I enjoyed taking the CW class, I'm practicing, and really need to work on copying. My sending is my strong point. I took the class because I wanted to, because it was optional. As a requirement it set me off. I'm in full agreement with you; I think it was a hinderance. I wish Everyone would take the chance to learn it. I'm enjoying it, but it should be an option. It's a tried and true tool for getting things out when voice won't. So are digital modes in todays options. I hear a lot of people downing FT8, personally I don't like it though it has it's uses. I'm sure that opinion will change as the solar cycle runs down. The beauty of Amateur Radio is there is something in it for almost anyone with a variety of ways "Old School" and new to make that contact. As long as the bands are getting used and we don't lose spectrum I'm a happy camper. Well said Keith.
And they need to continue dropping crazy requirements and making it easier if they want to keep the hobby alive. Why not give techs SSB voice on 40 and 80m Require general for 20m and up. And since everyone wants to run digital- require extra class to o run digital modes etc.
Appreciate that type of mentality. I think it made sense for the times when it was required. Hot on the market. Alot of responsibility. The challenge and work to finish it should be respected. But now a days with the fastest computers and the tech coming out in ai. Radio is being left way way way behind. Promoting the few young ones interested to be more inviting and have an easier time in a very small niche hobby hoped to keep alive is important stuff. Ham radio is hitting a wall that needs to be brought down atleast a few levels for a bridge to be made.
I got interested in HAM radio when I was in high school in the 90’s, but never pursued it because learning code was too intimidating. Now because of circumstances it’s not practical for me. Might have been a nice hobby.
I always felt left out. I got my call sign in 2000. I passed the amateur extra written test I just couldn't do code because I have hearing problems. I did my EET. with an emphasis in RF systems and Power Systems .. because of this silly requirement for a mode that is optional to use I was stuck being a technician for decaedes until I passed my general a few years ago and now I can finally enjoy HF.. Not gonna lie.. i felt left out because if I was to disabled to past that part of the test even though I had the working knowledge and skill of an extra.... Unfortunately a few years ago I had a stroke and so all I could muster was General this time...
40 plus year ago I was practicing my code under an ELMER who silent key just as I was getting 5plus word minute after his passing I lost interest tho NEVER lost the radio bug I now have 10 to 12 more radio and spend lot time across the pond ( partly since no locals left " under 75 mile" ) talk cross country daily good or bad condition
What gets me about this code thing, was , back in 1989 when my uncle and I got into Ham, he HAD a Commodore 64 with the MFJ 1278(i think) terminal node controller, and I could have used THAT to do code as fast as you wanted to receive it, but since my hear couldnt, I couldnt, least on the HF bands. Question: Can an operator use a rotary phone dialing plan to send a numerical set of dits, and use a computer to convert THAT into text? Three digits represent an ASKII letter, and go THAT route? I could have counted dits way better than hearing patterns.
Actually, the code-free tech came out in 1991, not 1993. Valentine's Day of 1991, to be exact. I didn't think that would be a good thing either, in my 18 year old wisdom, but I, too, was wrong.
the FCC was quite correct when they no longer require Morse code to get a ham license, it's just another digital mode like ready packet, and now it's a small people got the ham license because the way it is a lot of people starting to also use Morse code even more,
They need to bring the Morse code back, or require some form of IQ test so the Amateur licensees (CB radio rule breakers), can be purged from the Amateur community. It's too easy for appliance operators (who don't care about rules), to clog the repeaters with prohibited transmissions.
Interestingly, the vast majority of the enforcement actions that have been lodged against licensed Amateurs since the code requirement was dropped have been against legacy-era licensees -- not no-code licensees. Perhaps you can post some examples of these so-called "appliance operators" that are "clogging up repeaters with prohibited transmissions," --or, better yet, perhaps take some initiative, get with the repeater trustees, and identify those that are behaving poorly on your local repeaters. I'm reminded of a video on the Ham Radio Crash Course channel where Josh outlines his interaction with FCC officials on this topic: perhaps that could be useful for you.
@@N0LSD "Take some initiative"? Joe, our problem in central Alabama, is a local club with leadership that couldn't care less about FCC 97.113. I've been in contact with them. On one occasion, I heard the president of the club say, "Rules, what FCC rules, ha ha ha". The constant chit-chat about doctors appointments, trips to the grocery store, late night visits to the bathroom, etc. conversations are a blatant violation of 97.113 a, 5. It's the old and new licensees doing this. Too many licensees treat it like a hobby, degrading its importance to the value of a bald, flat tire. Many will say they got on the radio, because they're bored. They are completely destroying any interest in the radio service that was common decades, ago.
Code used to be used extensively by the military. By having a pool of civilians with code experience, it enhanced national security. But the military dropped code years ago. By requiring it for amateur radio, it became a form of hazing to join the amateur fraternity. Only crusty old timers think code tests should be mandatory.
I’m a hybrid ham. I got my Novice with the 5 WPM code requirement in 91, then upgraded to Tech Plus in 92. Not much longer afterwards I became inactive until 2014 and was able to upgrade to General, then in 2016 I upgraded to Extra. One of my main reasons to upgrade to Extra was to be a VE. Probably wouldn’t have made it there if I had to pile the code requirement on top of that. I’ve be attempting to learn code on and off over the last couple years and have been more serious about it lately and making good progress. Something I probably wouldn’t have been able to do if I had to pair that with the written exam.
I'm kind of the same. I got my Novice(5wpm) in 1988 then in 1989 went to General(13wpm) than to Advanced in 1990. I had trouble getting to 20wpm and wasn't able to get to extra until 2003 after the 20wpm was dropped. I do work code, but I'm not high speed(10-15wpm tops).
Code is not for everyone. New license testing plummeted until they dropped the code. The younger guys are on fire for Ham radio. They have fired up the hobby. Not everyone like to just sit on the sofa. How many "old hams" go out and activate POTA? Or SOTA? Or ARES? I think you can count them all on one hand. You are right. Sometimes older guys just need to keep quiet and try to keep up.
I’ve been licensed for 62+ years and I completely disagree….if you want something bad enough you too can learn the code! Just because you can do something well…it doesn’t mean you can do everything !
A physical skill does not make you an expert at anything. Surely, if you want to make the extra licence, for example, then make the technical knowledge requirement a bit harder, rather than enforce the requirement to learn a skill which you may never use and without the practice, would eventually lose. As has been said elsewhere in this thread, the CW community is going strong without Morse being a requirement due to interested parties deciding to learn for their own enjoyment and not because they forced to do so.
@@snaggitfishing2827 Its usually the ones that have to tell how long they have been ham's to justify their opinions since they have nothing to back it up that are the loudest complainers about not having to memorize morse. There are so many other things of value in ham radio, that forcing someone to learn morse is very unproductive. Just the same as a lot of the oldsters (not all) couldn't trouble shoot and repair a modern radio and that should be part of the test just like when hollow state devices were the rage.. and now since we have digital modes, we should all have to be able to type on a keyboard more than 75 WPM so that you are not filling the spectrum with dead air time while you are hunting and pecking. Everyone should have to know how to build a VSB ATV transmitter and RX station from parts.. Its all the same kind of reasoning... not very solid reasoning.. I think that after you learn enough to follow the rules (Learn band plan, types of things you are not allowed to do, such as run a taxi service on ham bands, and other good operating procedure) then let them enjoy the hobby. If they like building stuff, great. If they like doing HF, great. If they want to use morse code, they will learn it so they are able to use it. P.S. Oh, Maybe it should be changed so its like a drivers liscense, and you have to re-take it every 5 or 10 years to keep current?
I have been licensed for a short time, but in that time I have grown to love it. When I was younger, I had thought about getting my license, but having no relatives or friends that were hams, I had no idea if it would be worth learning CW to get my license. Learning the code is a kin to learning an entirely new language, and the tools didn’t exist back then to study it like we have now. You say “if you want something bad enough”. But what if you don’t know if you want it that bad? What if you couldn’t know? Is it reasonable to require someone to learn what amounts to a new language, buy study materials (back then), and equipment before they are ever allowed to key up, before they could even get a taste or know what all radio could offer them? I would not have invested that time, effort, or money, sight unseen. It was only the code requirement that had kept me out before. When I did come back around to radio and learned the requirement was gone, I jumped in. I got to see what all the fuss was about, all the opportunities to learn, all the fun that was to be had. It turns out, CW is one of those things, too. I am now a General, and I am learning the code, not because I have too, but because I want too. I now really understand the use case for it, its advantages, its unique benefits, and I now know that I am missing out on something amazing. Learning it now has a value that no blind requirement could have given me until I became an operator. What was once a barrier is now a goal - as is upgrading to Extra. There is another thing I would point out. I have noticed that many who make the code requirement case are resistant to learning other modes of operation that are “new” and driving new folks into amateur radio. Specifically, other digital modes like FT8, DMR and APRS. They will say they have no use for them, and that is fair. Variety is the spice of life and people should feel free to enjoy a hobby as they please. But what if they made, say, an FT8 section of the test that you would have to study for months to pass a separate required test even if that mode did not initially interest you? Would that be reasonable? I don’t think so. Bottom line, dropping the code requirement was opposed for a few reasons (In no particular order): -People feared CW would die without a requirement. It didn’t. In fact, it’s thriving. -Some thought that if they had to suffer through it, so do you. That is the mentality of a bully. -Some thought the value of CW was obvious and undeniable. It isn’t, especially to hams that didn’t grow up around the radio. -Some thought if would dilute the prestige of being a ham. They should be careful of being too prideful. And some are mad that the thing they love about radio isn’t something that someone else would value. The best way show them the light is to set them in front of a set and show them how you can work stations they can’t reach, with less power, with less equipment, with less expense, faster and more intelligibility. Then offer to share your passion with them so it grows and outlives you. That’s what ultimately changed my mind. 73 de KI5PDK
Nicely stated..afew false however. The cw code requirement was just that:a requirement like the written side or the requirements to get a advanced collage degree or promotion at work..but as your finding or there is a fun side to learning a new language. Ive taken advantage of the digital side myself.FT4,FT8 and Dstar. But. I'll tell you a true story...I was born in Flint, MI and lived through the 1957 tornado..that being said..the local radio club w8acw had their 500 watt station on the air attempting g to communicate a cross town...phone didn't make the trip because of the high qrm/qrn...cw was the only mode that got the message through....granted those were the days before digital communication so I can't speak to how it would have done but point is we must be able to get the job done so we need ever tool we can get our hands on. Most new hams have lost this important tool in their communication tool bag. I'm happy to hear that your gaining that tool back...and on the fun side there are dx stations for you to work that can only be reached by cw...they don't do phone or digital modes..so a dxcc country lose to you.
This is very big of you. Newer HAMs are into all the digital modes which are also good tools which cw may have been used for in the past. I appreciate you. KF0OQA
It's funny, because when I was studying for my license exam, I remember reading all of the stuff about CW and thinking "Morse code? People still use Morse code? Why on earth would you want to do that?" That was in 2022. Now I'm almost exclusively a CW operator, and an intermediate instructor at the Long Island CW Club. I love CW. I liken it to being forced to read a book by a teacher when you were in school. When the teacher assigned the book, you didn't want to read it, and resented the fact that you had to. Now, if you chose to read that book on your own, for your own enjoyment, it was an entirely different experience. People who learn Morse code now WANT to learn code, they're not being forced to.....and that's a HUGE difference.
I was the same way. I had no interest in Morse Code when I started. Then in 2023 I got the urge to learn it and have been having a great time with it.
A code requirement definitely would have kept me out of the hobby. I think it was a good decision to drop it.
Yep - same story with me. When I got my license in 2016, I had no predilection to learn code. It wasn't until I saw someone actually doing it at Field Day that I saw how COOL it was. I then decided to learn it myself, and was then at the key myself for Field Day for the next year, and have been every year since. And, I dare say that I also probably wouldn't have become a ham since they dropped the requirement. But, since I didn't HAVE to learn it, I was more inclined TO learn it. BTW @EvanK2EJT - I enjoy your videos, as well.
New ham here. I got both Tech and Gen this year at 61. I am having a ball and really enjoy talking to people all over the world in voice. I enjoy the accents and the QRZ pages of my contacts. I could see the animosity of the older folks and the code requirement but I have no interest in CW or digital modes personally. That might change but thanks for the video.
73 N4STS
I've been a General since the late 80's and HAD to learn the code @13 WPM. I hated every minute of it and never used it. Back in those days all of the OM's said it kept out the riff-raff. Learning Morse Code didn't make me any better of a person than I already am. 🤷🙄
For me the Code was a pain in the rear. It took me 3 times to pass the test. At my Witt’s end I just literally wrote down the dots and dashes as fast as I could and then decoded it. The examiner told me I was the first to ever seen anyone do that 🤷♂️. From that point on I never used code on the air but I do have an Advanced license to this day. The irony to my story, is, all I have is a 2/440 radio. 🤣
I am one of those hams. The only reason I got my license is because they dropped the requirement. I am not anti-cw. I would dearly love to learn. It still has value and a place in the hobby. That said, I just don't get it. It just sounds like noise to me no matter how much I try.
GREAT VIDEO. Yes I passed my 5 wpm code exam and in 1993 my 13 wpm code exam and now hold a general class license. I too have heard soo soo many awful people downing people who didn't pass code required code exams. These people just looked down on people and thought they was so high and mighty and was so much better than them. I myself have never ever thought I was better than anyone. Yes I passed 2 code exams but that does not make me any better than anyone. Thank you for your kind video. From N4TUX Boyd and W4TUX Robin Travis Kingsport, TN.
Great video. I passed the 5wpm code in the 70's for my Novice class and quickly passed the General technical exam to get my Tech. I could never get fast enough to get my General class license. When they dropped the code requirement I studied and passed the Extra Class. I've enjoyed the hobby more since then. I was never against dropping the code requirement as I know there are other hams like me who enjoy the challenges and technical aspects of the hobby, but have difficulty with code. Thanks for posting this video. Russ WD9DD
The FCC ticked me off a bit, when the Advanced folks didn't simply get converted to Extra. The written test was the same, with the only difference being the code. NL7LY
I totally agree. I'm still Advanced class, and BTW when I took my General, I passed the 20wpm. They did us dirty.
😂
@@patrickherman4211but that's water under the bridge.
Those bastards.
The license is the ticket to learn.
If it was still a requirement I wouldn't be licensed because how do I know I even want to do this radio thing anyway?
Having spent a bit over a year on learning code, that's quite a lot of effort to undertake to eventually find out "Radio isn't for me"
I agree - It was a good thing that the FCC dropped the code requirement. Many folks have now joined the ranks since that happened. Even my wife, who originally told me that it was my hobby, and she didn't want to do anything with it, eventually decided to get her license, too. She did tell me, however, that she would get her license, as long as she didn't have to do the 'beepity beeps'... ;-)
Thank you for your courage.
The interesting thing to me, is that a lot of people who were scared off by the code requirement are now making an effort to learn it, now that it isn't a requirement. And morse is still a vibrant aspect of amateur radio. As a code guy myself, it's my first ham radio love, this does my heart good!
I would not have my ham license if they didn’t drop the CW requirement, but now that I have my license learning code is what I’m working on now, I’ve learned the code I just need to practice a lot more. I like this video 👍
Oh yeah, buddy! I did pass the code tests, but I found them to be a stumbling block.
Well said Keith! When it was a requirement, a lot of hams saw it as a bitter pill to swallow in order to get their license, to then be forgotten. Now people get into CW because they want to, and they find that it is alive and well, thanks to organizations like the Long Island CW Club. 73 de Gary W5PAZ
In the early 80s, one of my instructors in the electronics program, was a ham.
I was very interested in becoming licensed and the radio and electronics portion was a breeze.
However, I couldn't master the code portion. Fast forward to covid time where I rediscovered ham radii and took exam first time held locally. Over next 3 years upgraded to General, then Extra.
Ironically, now starting to learn CW because I want to
No way could I be an extra if code was required. I have learned code on my own, but its painfully slow for me.
My hearing was damaged at work many years. I can’t tell a dit da from a da dit. So every letter that has this combination is a no go for me.
After 10 years I gave up on a ham license. About 6 years ago I was told the code was dropped way back when. Never knew about it and long ago gave up.
I started studying and in 3 months passed tech and general.
YES!!!!!! Di-Da-Dit-Dit means absolutely nothing to me. Its like watching that episode of SouthPark where Towlie plays funkytown on the DTMF keypad, thinking hes going to enter. E-I-S-H & T-M-O and is how I had to even "try" to remember the sound patterns. Nope, Towlie playing notes on the keypad made more since to me
You earned a subscriber with this video. The ONE thing in this hobby that pisses me off is when someone (usually from behind a keyboard) says "You're not a REAL ham unless you...". That's like saying your podiatrist isn't a REAL doctor because he doesn't do brain surgery. Nobody can do everything. BTW, I got licensed after the code test went away, but last year I buckled down and learned the code (shout out to LICW) and I use it for POTA / SOTA at a functional 15-16 wpm. Those groups have probably made CW more popular than anything else. 73.
I am a podiatrist and I love your comment.
Great video, thank you. It has boosted numbers and interest in the hobby. But, CW is wildly popular now despite the dropping of the requirement. There are months long waiting lists for CW Academy and the Long Island CW club classes. It’s a fabulous hobby!
No wait list for LICW.
I tried for quite some time to learn CW back in the late seventies. I could easily send CW around 8-10 wpm but could never learn to copy it at all. My brain just didn’t hear and interpret it. I gave up on it until around 2016 when I got interested in fpv drones. They required a ham license. I found that the code requirement had been dropped so I got my license. A couple years later I picked up an ht and started learning more about real ham radio. I’m now an Extra class operator, tech team member for our state Auxcomm team and regular net control operator for a few local and regional nets. Had CW still been a requirement, I’d have flown my drones outlaw and never got into ham radio at all.
My deceased father in law was a ham K0MXK and he got me hooked on Ham back in the 80's.I started studying and the code was going to eventually be what caused me to fade away from getting licensed. I watched my FIL work code as much as he did voice and the code always intrigued me and still does today.Code is what I believed separated the men from the wana be hams .Even if I never get licensed I will always feel that way . He used to tell me all the time that 11 meters used to be a good band .
99% of my contacts are CW and I agree with them dropping the requirement. Anything that can help increase the number of hams is good. We need to think outside the box to make it easier for people to do ham radio. I would love to see POTA start including city parks because most hams aren't going to spend the time and money to go to state or federal parks.
Well said! And I will echo what has been mentioned by others. I let the code requirement keep me from getting a ham license. Then, at the age of 59, I got my tech and general after the requirment was gone. So, what's the only thing I want to do now? That's right morse code on cw. 😄 Well over 99% of my ham radio activities are in the CW mode.
Me and my dad got caught up in the CB craze of the late 70s. Code requirement is what kept us out of ham radio. My dad really wanted to talk long distances and that was rare on cb then. I became a licensed ham in 2020 and would not have tried if code was still required.
CW is easier to learn now, than ever before. So many APPS, computer programs, and organizations doing on air, or via zoom etc...
I put off getting my license when I was younger because of the code requirement. I eventually got my GMRS license, and through people I met was encouraged to get my HAM license. Now that I have been a tech for 6 months and working towards my general, I have decided to slowly learn CW because it interests me. I truly believe getting a HAM license is a license to learn. Propagation, building antennas, digital modes, and now code are all things I am happy to learn at my own pace while enjoying the hobby.
Ham or ham, never HAM. ;)
When do you plan on taking your general test? What is holding you back?
73
@user-pw8qj2gt1p trying to be ready for the next local testing session in a couple weeks.
I'm from the EU and I also didn't have to pass CW on my exam. IMHO the CW in the form that was on the exam was a bit pointless. It was too slow for a regular QSO and if something is forced upon people it tends to drive them away. But that option is for the best we need more people in this hobby with or without CW knowledge. Since no one forced me to learn CW, I'm now doing it out of my own free will. I try to learn with app Morse Mania (30WPM). I'm still very bad at this but I try to be consistent and do at least 10 min every day. Perhaps one day I will be good enaugh to get on the air, 73!
Well said,, I have actually had some fellow “hammers” tell me “you’re not areal ham radio operator”.. glad to see an Elmer say it was a good thing.. you now have another subscriber! Thank you!
I took two code classes back in the early 80s and just never took to it. It was always a frustration for me even today although I do send some CW albeit “slow”. And so decades went by before I actually got my ticket. 73
I think the real question is, what pragmatically does learning CW offer that software cannot? None of us are naval pilots of the WW2 era. Compute is ubiquitous to the point that civilization would collapse without it. If the compute is gone, then so is the radio. Is it good to learn in an emergency situation as a backup? Definitely. Can the same thing be achieved by many other ways? Definitely. There are a plethora of other digital modes, many of which cut through the QRM much better than CW, and even have things like FEC built in. CW is handy and has its place, but it's not a foundational prerequisite to the radio world like it used to be.
You're definitely correct in your assessment that it would needlessly keep people out of the hobby. Without those additional people, expect that RF spectrum to easily get gobbled up by the likes of Verizon, the military, Hughes, and pretty much anyone else that blinks at it.
Maybe there should be another level of ham after extra for people who master CW just so it keeps people learning.
I am an extra and became an extra without CW. That being said, I now use CW. I became a member of the Long Island CW club. Going with CW greatly expands the allocated spectrum into HF for techs and it can be far more enjoyable.
Well said my friend, different strokes for different folks.
We are a family. there's no room in our hobby for divide, God knows we're only just hanging on to what we've got.
De ZL1NAY
Excellent video! Having to learn the language of CW before being allowed to use a ham radio for voice or messaging is like being forced to learn Spanish before you’re allowed to speak English or Russian. All of them are forms of communication.
The worse part is so many of the older CW folks really did the Hobby a disservice by looking down at those new hams who never got the code. Talking as though they were 3rd class operators. Now as the hobby is dwindling to fewer and fewer hams. And nobody really under the age of 30 in the hobby anymore. just look at who shows up at hamfests.
Thanks guys. you did a great job.
I join ed the navy 1985 got my no code tech soon after did disaster communications since, also MARS I have my no code general, I volunteer with search and rescue for communications. Love it
To be perfectly honest, I wanted my license, but the code requirement set me back. I wish I had done this sooner. Personally I find that I enjoyed taking the CW class, I'm practicing, and really need to work on copying. My sending is my strong point. I took the class because I wanted to, because it was optional. As a requirement it set me off. I'm in full agreement with you; I think it was a hinderance. I wish Everyone would take the chance to learn it. I'm enjoying it, but it should be an option. It's a tried and true tool for getting things out when voice won't. So are digital modes in todays options. I hear a lot of people downing FT8, personally I don't like it though it has it's uses. I'm sure that opinion will change as the solar cycle runs down. The beauty of Amateur Radio is there is something in it for almost anyone with a variety of ways "Old School" and new to make that contact. As long as the bands are getting used and we don't lose spectrum I'm a happy camper. Well said Keith.
And they need to continue dropping crazy requirements and making it easier if they want to keep the hobby alive.
Why not give techs SSB voice on 40 and 80m
Require general for 20m and up.
And since everyone wants to run digital- require extra class to o run digital modes etc.
Appreciate that type of mentality. I think it made sense for the times when it was required. Hot on the market. Alot of responsibility. The challenge and work to finish it should be respected. But now a days with the fastest computers and the tech coming out in ai. Radio is being left way way way behind. Promoting the few young ones interested to be more inviting and have an easier time in a very small niche hobby hoped to keep alive is important stuff. Ham radio is hitting a wall that needs to be brought down atleast a few levels for a bridge to be made.
Well spoken. Thanks for the video
I got interested in HAM radio when I was in high school in the 90’s, but never pursued it because learning code was too intimidating. Now because of circumstances it’s not practical for me. Might have been a nice hobby.
I always felt left out. I got my call sign in 2000. I passed the amateur extra written test I just couldn't do code because I have hearing problems. I did my EET. with an emphasis in RF systems and Power Systems .. because of this silly requirement for a mode that is optional to use I was stuck being a technician for decaedes until I passed my general a few years ago and now I can finally enjoy HF..
Not gonna lie.. i felt left out because if I was to disabled to past that part of the test even though I had the working knowledge and skill of an extra....
Unfortunately a few years ago I had a stroke and so all I could muster was General this time...
40 plus year ago I was practicing my code under an ELMER who silent key just as I was getting 5plus word minute after his passing I lost interest tho NEVER lost the radio bug I now have 10 to 12 more radio and spend lot time across the pond ( partly since no locals left " under 75 mile" ) talk cross country daily good or bad condition
Well said, good video
What gets me about this code thing, was , back in 1989 when my uncle and I got into Ham, he HAD a Commodore 64 with the MFJ 1278(i think) terminal node controller, and I could have used THAT to do code as fast as you wanted to receive it, but since my hear couldnt, I couldnt, least on the HF bands. Question: Can an operator use a rotary phone dialing plan to send a numerical set of dits, and use a computer to convert THAT into text? Three digits represent an ASKII letter, and go THAT route? I could have counted dits way better than hearing patterns.
I'm a CW klutz. That said, I am now Extra Class, that took some studying, even with electronics knowledge.
Actually, the code-free tech came out in 1991, not 1993. Valentine's Day of 1991, to be exact. I didn't think that would be a good thing either, in my 18 year old wisdom, but I, too, was wrong.
the FCC was quite correct when they no longer require Morse code to get a ham license, it's just another digital mode like ready packet, and now it's a small people got the ham license because the way it is a lot of people starting to also use Morse code even more,
I think they should have the code requirement But it should be 5 words per minute for all Most do not use it but I think should know it
They need to bring the Morse code back, or require some form of IQ test so the Amateur licensees (CB radio rule breakers), can be purged from the Amateur community. It's too easy for appliance operators (who don't care about rules), to clog the repeaters with prohibited transmissions.
Interestingly, the vast majority of the enforcement actions that have been lodged against licensed Amateurs since the code requirement was dropped have been against legacy-era licensees -- not no-code licensees.
Perhaps you can post some examples of these so-called "appliance operators" that are "clogging up repeaters with prohibited transmissions," --or, better yet, perhaps take some initiative, get with the repeater trustees, and identify those that are behaving poorly on your local repeaters.
I'm reminded of a video on the Ham Radio Crash Course channel where Josh outlines his interaction with FCC officials on this topic: perhaps that could be useful for you.
@@N0LSD "Take some initiative"?
Joe, our problem in central Alabama, is a local club with leadership that couldn't care less about FCC 97.113. I've been in contact with them. On one occasion, I heard the president of the club say, "Rules, what FCC rules, ha ha ha". The constant chit-chat about doctors appointments, trips to the grocery store, late night visits to the bathroom, etc. conversations are a blatant violation of 97.113 a, 5. It's the old and new licensees doing this. Too many licensees treat it like a hobby, degrading its importance to the value of a bald, flat tire. Many will say they got on the radio, because they're bored. They are completely destroying any interest in the radio service that was common decades, ago.
Also, the code speed change was 2000, not 2001.
I became a technician, to learn cw and chew the rag as well as be portable.
73, kq4hcu
The same thinking exists for car enthusiasts. If you can't drive a stick, you aren't a real driver.
Code used to be used extensively by the military. By having a pool of civilians with code experience, it enhanced national security. But the military dropped code years ago. By requiring it for amateur radio, it became a form of hazing to join the amateur fraternity. Only crusty old timers think code tests should be mandatory.
I’m a hybrid ham. I got my Novice with the 5 WPM code requirement in 91, then upgraded to Tech Plus in 92. Not much longer afterwards I became inactive until 2014 and was able to upgrade to General, then in 2016 I upgraded to Extra. One of my main reasons to upgrade to Extra was to be a VE. Probably wouldn’t have made it there if I had to pile the code requirement on top of that. I’ve be attempting to learn code on and off over the last couple years and have been more serious about it lately and making good progress. Something I probably wouldn’t have been able to do if I had to pair that with the written exam.
I'm kind of the same. I got my Novice(5wpm) in 1988 then in 1989 went to General(13wpm) than to Advanced in 1990. I had trouble getting to 20wpm and wasn't able to get to extra until 2003 after the 20wpm was dropped. I do work code, but I'm not high speed(10-15wpm tops).
i wish they would at least make you learn how to call cq
Yup. you were wrong. It was a real barrier to entry, and an antiquated requirement. It would have destroyed the hobby.
Code is not for everyone. New license testing plummeted until they dropped the code. The younger guys are on fire for Ham radio. They have fired up the hobby. Not everyone like to just sit on the sofa. How many "old hams" go out and activate POTA? Or SOTA? Or ARES? I think you can count them all on one hand. You are right. Sometimes older guys just need to keep quiet and try to keep up.
I guesss I can't agree with all you have said I happen to be an old ham I have known old hams who have activated POTA And I don't plan on shutting up
I disagree with you... but that has nothing to do with CW. And that is okay.
learning code does not make you a better operator.
You might need morse code when it hit the fan!
I think knowing how to use FT8 or Winlink would be more useful if SHTF.
I’ve been licensed for 62+ years and I completely disagree….if you want something bad enough you too can learn the code! Just because you can do something well…it doesn’t mean you can do everything !
A physical skill does not make you an expert at anything. Surely, if you want to make the extra licence, for example, then make the technical knowledge requirement a bit harder, rather than enforce the requirement to learn a skill which you may never use and without the practice, would eventually lose. As has been said elsewhere in this thread, the CW community is going strong without Morse being a requirement due to interested parties deciding to learn for their own enjoyment and not because they forced to do so.
@@snaggitfishing2827 Its usually the ones that have to tell how long they have been ham's to justify their opinions since they have nothing to back it up that are the loudest complainers about not having to memorize morse. There are so many other things of value in ham radio, that forcing someone to learn morse is very unproductive. Just the same as a lot of the oldsters (not all) couldn't trouble shoot and repair a modern radio and that should be part of the test just like when hollow state devices were the rage.. and now since we have digital modes, we should all have to be able to type on a keyboard more than 75 WPM so that you are not filling the spectrum with dead air time while you are hunting and pecking. Everyone should have to know how to build a VSB ATV transmitter and RX station from parts.. Its all the same kind of reasoning... not very solid reasoning.. I think that after you learn enough to follow the rules (Learn band plan, types of things you are not allowed to do, such as run a taxi service on ham bands, and other good operating procedure) then let them enjoy the hobby. If they like building stuff, great. If they like doing HF, great. If they want to use morse code, they will learn it so they are able to use it. P.S. Oh, Maybe it should be changed so its like a drivers liscense, and you have to re-take it every 5 or 10 years to keep current?
I have been licensed for a short time, but in that time I have grown to love it. When I was younger, I had thought about getting my license, but having no relatives or friends that were hams, I had no idea if it would be worth learning CW to get my license.
Learning the code is a kin to learning an entirely new language, and the tools didn’t exist back then to study it like we have now. You say “if you want something bad enough”. But what if you don’t know if you want it that bad? What if you couldn’t know? Is it reasonable to require someone to learn what amounts to a new language, buy study materials (back then), and equipment before they are ever allowed to key up, before they could even get a taste or know what all radio could offer them?
I would not have invested that time, effort, or money, sight unseen. It was only the code requirement that had kept me out before. When I did come back around to radio and learned the requirement was gone, I jumped in. I got to see what all the fuss was about, all the opportunities to learn, all the fun that was to be had. It turns out, CW is one of those things, too. I am now a General, and I am learning the code, not because I have too, but because I want too.
I now really understand the use case for it, its advantages, its unique benefits, and I now know that I am missing out on something amazing. Learning it now has a value that no blind requirement could have given me until I became an operator. What was once a barrier is now a goal - as is upgrading to Extra.
There is another thing I would point out. I have noticed that many who make the code requirement case are resistant to learning other modes of operation that are “new” and driving new folks into amateur radio. Specifically, other digital modes like FT8, DMR and APRS. They will say they have no use for them, and that is fair. Variety is the spice of life and people should feel free to enjoy a hobby as they please. But what if they made, say, an FT8 section of the test that you would have to study for months to pass a separate required test even if that mode did not initially interest you? Would that be reasonable? I don’t think so.
Bottom line, dropping the code requirement was opposed for a few reasons (In no particular order):
-People feared CW would die without a requirement. It didn’t. In fact, it’s thriving.
-Some thought that if they had to suffer through it, so do you. That is the mentality of a bully.
-Some thought the value of CW was obvious and undeniable. It isn’t, especially to hams that didn’t grow up around the radio.
-Some thought if would dilute the prestige of being a ham. They should be careful of being too prideful.
And some are mad that the thing they love about radio isn’t something that someone else would value. The best way show them the light is to set them in front of a set and show them how you can work stations they can’t reach, with less power, with less equipment, with less expense, faster and more intelligibility. Then offer to share your passion with them so it grows and outlives you. That’s what ultimately changed my mind.
73 de KI5PDK
@@andyinmotion6877 I couldn't agree more! It isa a change in mind-set .... what was once a barrier, is now a goal.
Nicely stated..afew false however. The cw code requirement was just that:a requirement like the written side or the requirements to get a advanced collage degree or promotion at work..but as your finding or there is a fun side to learning a new language. Ive taken advantage of the digital side myself.FT4,FT8 and Dstar. But. I'll tell you a true story...I was born in Flint, MI and lived through the 1957 tornado..that being said..the local radio club w8acw had their 500 watt station on the air attempting g to communicate a cross town...phone didn't make the trip because of the high qrm/qrn...cw was the only mode that got the message through....granted those were the days before digital communication so I can't speak to how it would have done but point is we must be able to get the job done so we need ever tool we can get our hands on. Most new hams have lost this important tool in their communication tool bag. I'm happy to hear that your gaining that tool back...and on the fun side there are dx stations for you to work that can only be reached by cw...they don't do phone or digital modes..so a dxcc country lose to you.
This is very big of you. Newer HAMs are into all the digital modes which are also good tools which cw may have been used for in the past. I appreciate you. KF0OQA