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FCC Proposes Abolishing Morse Code Requirement
TaxSlave writes "According to this ARRL article, the Federal Communications Commission has finally decided which path it wants to take with the Morse Code requirement for an amateur radio license. International requirements for Morse Code were done away with some time back, and several countries quickly abolished the requirement. Now, the FCC has proposed doing the same thing. Next step, months of comments, discussion, and navel-gazing."
The Commission said it believes dropping Element 1--the 5 WPM Morse examination--would "encourage individuals who are interested in communications technology, or who are able to contribute to the advancement of the radio art, to become amateur radio operators."
Was learning Morse so much of an obstacle for new members? Personally, I had to learn Morse long time ago, and it's not hard at all.
On the other hand, maybe with the development of the digital technologies, the analog radio technology potential members are just not bothering looking into it.
The FCC said it did not believe a new entry-level license class was warranted because current Novice and Tech Plus licensees already can easily upgrade to General. "We also note that, if our proposal to eliminate telegraphy testing in the amateur service is adopted," the FCC continued, "a person who is not a licensee will be able to qualify for a General Class operator license by passing two written examinations, and that a person who is a Technician Class licensee will be able to qualify for a General Class operator license by passing one written examination." The FCC said it does not believe either path to be unreasonable.
Written examinations? Nobody has to type the Morse anymore? Anyone here who got his license recently care to shed some light on this one?
But if nobody learns morse code, how are the people trapped underground going to tap out a morse code message to ask for help? What about those people in deep space who cannot communicate due to interference and need to revert to morse code? Won't somebody please think of Hollywood!
So how are we going to tell all the other countries how to bring down the alien flying saucers?
I had to learn Morse code (5 WPM), and so should everybody else. Meh, now where's my prunes?
Beep. Boop. Beep. You have questions. I have answers and your home address.
Morse code can be transmitted even in high-noise situations - as you're not trying to hear someone yelling CQ! THIS IS QC! OVER!!
Clicks, beeps, bloops, etc -- easy to hear over static.
= Grow a brain...
It is here.
Also, few transmission methods can so easily slice through poor radio conditions as Morse. After all, it is one of the earliest forms of digital communications.
--Lord Nimula
Morse code will go the way of the dinosaur perhaps as it should have long ago, yet not without many noting its departure with a particular reverence for the past. Morse, however, is still a viable means of communication. For example, it is certainly faster than SMS. At any rate, perhaps the FCC should instead focus upon more pressing matters: cleaning out the clutter in the increasingly crowded radio spectrum and speeding along the many pending standards that would make communication on the whole an easier matter.
dashdashdash dotdotdotdot dashdot dashdashdash dot dotdotdot!!!!!!11!!1one
I think it might get more people into the hobby to get rid of the requirement. It's not hard to learn Morse code, but it does present a *seemingly* daunting task to anyone who gets an interest in amateur radio. Not mention you can automate both the transmission and reception of it.
This could really help out ham radio far more than the no-code beginner's license could. Personally, I still have my basic Tech license. It's not because I'm lazy or incompetent, but I really have no intention of ever using code.
The way I see it, morse code is more of an impediment to ambition than a sign that someone isn't intelligent enough to learn it. For instance, my no-code Tech license does just about everything I want to. I can already do lots of voice and data comm stuff that I find interesting. I could have "upgraded" to a license with a code requirement, but it really doesn't get me anything I'm looking for.
To me this isn't a sign that ham radio is "dying" like some people would have you believe, but a sign that it is adapting to the times. The more people there are interested in radio, the better the chance is that someone will come up with something interesting and break a few decades of stagnancy.
"What is the point of amateur radio when the Internet has connected most of the globe?"
Indeed. But there are many remote places that the Internet has not reached and may never reach. Also, amateur radio has far better mobile operating abilities (i.e., when your cell phone is not in range of a tower, you can still use ham radio to make contact). The Internet (and, incidentally, cell phones) also tends to become unavailable when natural disaster (such as hurricanes or tsunamis) strike.
Ham radio is becoming overshadowed by the Internet, but Ham still has a few tricks up it's sleeve. It will still be relevant -- if not as popular -- for decades to come.
DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
That's an easy one. Radio doesn't require any infrastructure or fees. Also, much of the world, and a good amount of the US, do not have Internet. You could've asked "Why bother, since we have telephones and cellular phones?". The answer would be the same.
If an unfortunate router goes out, parts of the internet go away. If you have a widespread failure (for example, a natural disaster or crippling attack), then you can't trust the infrastructure; it probably doesn't work at all. During the Sept. 11 attacks, and for a while after, telephone and cellular network were unusable. The HAM radio people are what kept communications alive. This was a similar case during that power blackout that covered most of the NorthEast.
It's also a lot of fun to do just as a hobby.
What's the point of broadcast TV or radio, since we have cable? Why bother with regular telephone service, we have VoIP and the internet?
I will add to another comment.. commercialization. Ham radio is not allowed to be used for business, so it will always stay a hobby, and that's one of the reasons I like doing amateur radio.
-KC0NBY
This stupid code requirement has kept me from ham radio for 30 years. Had a FCC 1st class at 16. Went to military comm school, after a extra month in class learned to type (5 letter code groups perfect) but could not learn morse. (dyslexia)
Drop it TODAY!
In GOD we trust, all others we monitor.
I don't know about in the US, but here in Australia, the amateur radio operators become the communications infrastructure during a civil emergency, such at times when telephone cables or electricity lines don't work, or when two bodies without a common communications infrastructure need to work together. This sort of thing.
sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
2) what is the point of the Internet, since most of the globe was already connected by telephones?
3) how are you going to talk to the rest of the globe (or even the guys across the city) when the power is out? Or a hurricane has taken out all of the cell phone towers?
4) And don't forget that ham radio is also about experimentation and tinkering. It's not just about ragchewing (talking) with people on the other side of the world.
Why should ham radio go away just because there's other alternatives? I can send my dad emails ... but that doesn't mean that the telephone is obsolete or useless.
Ultimately, ham radio has two main `points': 1) it's fun, and 2) it's seen as a way to serve the community by providing emergency communication in times of need. Do you really need more than that?
Ham communication was used quite a bit on the 9/11 attacks in the US. The PSTN and Internet in New York were slammed and largely unworkable because one of the major hubs had been destroyed (the Internet isn't as redundant as we'd like, despite it's technical ability to be so).
Ham communication is quite robust because it's essentially a mesh network, every node connected to all other nodes. Since the signal propagates in all directions, and on some bands nearly all over the world, anyone tuned in on it can hear it, with no physical connection. A single transmission can reach many listeners, who can then contact others through any number of means.
Amateur radio has basically become a service organization, providing emergency communications when the crap hits the fan. In our area, our Ham radio club provides communications for both the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, and acts as a backup communications system for the normal communications channels if they are overloaded or unavailable.
I feel that the Morse requirement definitely hinders the ability of amateur radio to serve in this capacity. A good example of this happened to us a couple of years ago when we were providing communications for the Red Cross during a Forest Fire in the local area which required evacuations. The Red Cross has a policy that their workers have to have available communications at all times to ensure they can contact emergency help when needed. In the area where the forest fire was, there was no cell coverage, so we were providing communications. Also due to the location, the coverage of our VHF (144Mhz) repeater was marginal at best. As a result, we had to rely on 80meters at 3.880 Mhz. The only operators who can work on the 80meter band are operators who have passed the morse test and also a written test. This eliminated about half of the operators at our disposal just because they were not of the correct license class.
Eliminating the Morse requirement would have increased this pool since most operators are able to pass the General Class test with some studying. Morse code is much more difficult, and is really not neccessary. I learned 5WPM code and got my Tech Plus License and then shortly (after another change to the rules) upgraded to Extra. Today, I operate fairly regularly on the HF bands, but I couldn't read morse code if I wanted to since it doesn't interest me and I haven't kept up with it.
dot dot dash dot dot dot dot dash dash dot dot dot dash dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dot dash dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash dot dot dash
and I am sure you all agree with me on that!
[w/ apologies to Kenny on South Park. ]
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
A more profound question is the following. What is the point of amateur radio when the Internet has connected most of the globe?
Can you do it without infrastructure? Didn't think so.
For me the point is the electronics. I really enjoy building something from scratch than can communicate around the globe and only spending a couple of dollars to do it. Radio propagation is also quite amazing.
You are right though, the draw is not to be able to talk to people around the globe, the internet serves that purpose just fine. It is the hobby aspect that I enjoy.
Well, and the civic service part too. Providing communications in cases of emergency is a noble goal. As a past commander of a search and rescue team I have seen amateur radio used in this capacity as well.
What I don't understand is how some computer geeks seem to have this major hatred toward amateur radio (and vice versa, but not as much). If you don't like it, don't do it.
Finkployd
"Indeed. But there are many remote places that the Internet has not reached and may never reach."
No, there aren't. If you can see the sky, you can get the internet. Services like Iridium and Globalstar have made that possible.
Now, Iridum and Globalstar are low-bitrate (2400/9600 baud, respectively), but that's fine for email and IM. Even that limitation will some day be a thing of the past.
I get this question from non-ham friends a lot. They also like to answer a similar question, which is, "Why don't you just use a cell phone to talk to people?" My response is usually something like, why do people go fishing when you can buy fish at the grocery store?
Ham radio is a hobby. People don't do it entirely because it's a practical means of communicating (although it can be that in many situations), they do it because it's enjoyable. It presents challenges which take thought and skill to overcome. There's something about talking to someone on the other side of the world with a few watts into a homemade antenna when the band is noisy. Many people (myself included) love the technical aspects of the hobby. It can be a lot of fun to build a radio from parts, or experiment with different antenna designs. There's a lot more to ham radio than simply utilitarian communication between two people.
You must remember that no everyone lives in NYC or Philly or Toronto or Sydney. I know of folks who can't get cable tv. I know folks where the only internet is satellite IF their location allows it. I know folks who still use rotary phones. Many places have their land lines and power lines still hanging from poles, not buried underground. Come a blizzard, ice storm, hurricane, or just plain wind, they lose one or both. There are plenty of places around here (western NC USA) where they'd have to put a cell tower on every ridge before the coverage was reliable. Amateur Radio is not limited to towers or power grids or whether or not you paid your ISP. HF bands can reach around the world. Most repeaters for VHF have battery backup. If someone you know is in a disaster area, good look trying to find them on the internet, by cell or by landline. But you can contact the Salvation Army and their teams of hams (aka SATERN) can get the information for you (called Health and Welfare) I like being able to at least listen in during an emergency, letting them know I am there if needed. I have been able to warn folks of events long before the commercial radio or TV announced it. KG4VPY
In other news, spur's no longer required equipment to get a drivers license.
Hello, Hello, the 1800s are calling and they want their communication method back.
okay, forgive me the flashback, I'm old, remember?
Anyway, since I went to all the trouble to learn CW and get that license, it would be reasonable to conclude that I'd be a strong advocate for retaining the code requirement.
Nope.
I have always thought that the code requirement was dumb, dumb, dumb. As a nerd boy who eventually became a professor of electrical engineering, it was blindingly obvious to me that The Code was a charming bit of history that had no business in modern radio practice. Those who would argue, "but with duct tape, batteries, a couple transistors, I could send an SOS after being shipwrecked on an atoll!" I'm sure you could, and that would have been an interesting argument until about 1975,
But how many of you Slashdotters have cell phones, or some other wireless gadget? When is the last time that any of you actually held a three-lead transistor in your suspiciously sticky hands? And even though it's true that some Righteous Code Dudes have recently out communicated some Valley Girls in a Morse Code/IM Slugfest,
A few days ago, someone showed me a computer parsing some BPSK on 20 meters in a 31 Hz wide channel (not a typo!), passing perfectly good text, with a quality that I claim could rarely if ever be achieved by a human ear.
I'll probably do some CW again soon --- but it'll be for Art's sake, and not because of a misguided notion that it is important to maintain a pool of practitioners skilled in Morse Code.
Because it isn't important. If you think it is, then let me gently suggest that you send a handwritten note across the continent you're on, by horse.
73 de Inspector Lopez
WB7NWP
I'm a "lowly" no-code tech ticket holder. As my more 'estemed' HF brothern might call me, a 'tech-lite' operator.
Still, who is it these 'extra class' operators go to when their windows 98 PCs can no longer retrieve their email over their dial up AOL connections due to SAM ware infestation.
Who do they call when they decide to try DSL but can't figure out where on their PC to connect the ethernet cable.
Who do they go to when they receive some e-mail attachement and can't open it (often because their pirated copy of MS Office gorked) - or do manage to get it opened and gomer their system with the worm de jour.
Who is it they go to when they *finaly* decide to try and do something other than whine about hemeroids and the good old days on 20m SSB and connect something like a TNC to their radios, but just can't seem to figure out the lines of an RS-232 link - let alone the pins of a DB-9 (don't ever show 'em a DB-25, they'll stroke out!).
Who is it they call up when they need someone to climb their tower, install a new rotor, replace cable or other maintenance.
(I've got dozens more, but I'm trying to be reasonable here)
And yet - who is it that's not allowed to use HF simply because I refuse to learn an out-dated mode championed by these same 'Technical Leaders'.
I've passed the General written 3 times waiting for this stupid rule to be changed. FINALLY some sense!!
If you love CW, cool - keep on using it. There's NOTHING that says or will say it can't be used. And there'll be many that choose to learn it and continue to operate CW, if for nothing else, the novilty. Enjoy it. But for crying out loud - increase the difficulty of the question pool, tighten the passing score, up the number of questions, make the questions more technical, don't make the question pool public - something applicable to today. Don't rely on a CW test to be your LID filter! Checked 20m lately? It didn't work.
Using CW as a 'barrier' to HF access is about like saying you can't use email unless you can hand code a TCP/IP frame. Or you can't drive a car unless you can cast and machine your own piston rings.
Some of these guys were the gurus of the hollow state erra. But dammit - if you're going to be in a technical hobby, at least TRY and stay current to the last decade's tech! It's about time the license exams became pertinant.
You know - what's worse is what I anticipate happening when the first batch of codeless Generals hit the air. These old hams will use the same tricks of the CBers to try and discourage their new neighbors from using *their* spectrum. Insults, language, over driven amplifiers, intentional interfearance, dare I say - echo mikes...
Instead of a CW exam, every hf operator should be forced to pass an operational review - every freak'n year! Where're the OOs? Where's the log review? Where's the 'self policing' of the hobby? Oh - that's right - you've had a CW exam to take care of that.....
Yea, I posted Anonymously - if some of these HF rag-chewers ever found out who I was, they'd never call for help next time they get phished, gorked a drive, accidentaly deleted their system directory, tried to make a wireless keyboard work, had to install a VOX chip into their new rig, couldn't remember how to program their HT, wanted to update the club's web site.....
I believe that the Morse Code should not be a requirement just to to operate on the HF bands. At one time it made sense, but with today's digital encoding methods, you can have reliable low bandwidth communication on the HF band. Even the ARRL plans to file a petition with the FCC seeking the regulation of amateur subbands by bandwidth rather than by mode of emission. http://www.arrl.org/announce/bandwidth.html
And for all you old timer hams, eliminating element 1 as a requirement for General and Extra Classes does not mean that they are abolishing Morse code. It will still probably be used for decades to come, it just will not be a requirement for those who just want to do SSB or digital contacts.
76 KH2YF
The only difference between 1995 and 2005 is that access is more pervasive. In '95 you could get internet from the same places as today. It's just faster today, nothing more. Those redundant backbone networks are nice, but they don't exist in the last mile. That's where damage is most likely to occur.
Were you anywhere near there? The telephone networks were completely unusable. Cellular was gone. As far out as 75 miles, telephone communications weren't working properly. This covered the entire tri-state area. Now they've improved things since then, but the point is that this sort of thing happens, and that telephone and cellular were found to be unreliable in an emergency. For what it's worth, 911 *did* go down in some areas. This was a result of a total collapse of the telephone system in parts of lower Manhattan, and the eventual draining of backup power. 911 has reserve capacity in the telephone system, and dedicated circuits. It does not have infinity circuits.
Internet service was just out in many areas, as in completely non-functional. When you have no telephone line and no power, you have no internet. Those on dial-up were SOL, since you couldn't make any calls across the whole region. DSL had issues because of the huge amount of interference. In areas that still had power, cable internet was generally working.
Large chunks of rescue and relief coordination was done by hams. That information is available with hardly five seconds of research. The rest was done by government workers with radios, and quite a bit of assistance by UPS (as in the shipping company).
IOW, ham radio was found to be absolutely essential during 9/11. Radio was a total and absolute necessity, as there was *no* other way to communicate.
>I think it stinks that I can get all the theory,
>build circuits, program PCs, and fix just about
>anything, but I can't transmit below 50MHz because
>I can't seem to learn a 150 year old communications
>method.
As someone who passed the 20 wpm a decade ago and who actually does use cw more than any other mode when on the radio, I couldn't agree with you more.
Sure, there are instances where cw is really important - say, passing emergency traffic when conditions are poor - but it's absurd to suggest that such a thing happens often enough in the average ham's experience to justify hundreds of hours of study.
For half a century the code test has served primarily as an artificial barrier to licenses.
One could argue that's a worthwhile purpose in itself; adding a challenge to entering any field, however meaningless, can serve to weed out a lot of people who aren't serious about the hobby. An ear full of most CB conversation is enough to convince me that some barrier to entry is probably a good thing. (Although I'm all in favor of having more free-for-all unregulated spectrum out there which anyone can play with than we currently allow.) Our world is full of hurdles put in place solely for the purpose of turning away those who aren't serious about pursuing something. The subject specific GREs are an obvious example from academia. It's never ideal, but it sometimes can serve a worthwhile purpose.
None the less, there are some very good reasons that a code requirement is a bad idea.
First of all, it places an unequal burden on people. I had a pretty easy time with the code - a few tens of hours to get to 5wpm, and an easy couple hours a week after that on the air to get up past 20. But a lot of people have much more difficulty with it. The guy who taught me everything I know about electronics was unable to get a license until the no-code techs came out because dyslexia made learning the code impossible. He's not only an awesome person to chat with and a friend and advisor to many, but has spent countless hours volunteering for emergency communications groups. By any standard, Amateur Radio lost out by keeping him away for so long.
Even among those without learning disabilities, there are many for whom code is really hard. It's unfair to force them to jump what turns out to be an outrageously large hurdle in order to attain something for which actually knowing code isn't necessary.
Second, if we're going to force people to spend hours studying something in order to get a license, there are a lot of more useful things they could study. At least 90% of the hams I meet on phone study code, pass their tests, and then never use it again. What a waste of effort! Instead, why not beef up the technical tests (or get rid of the pre-printed "suggested" multiple choice answers that every VE uses).
Or - if you really want to do something useful - how about requiring something like first aid certification instead? If every ham who spent a hundred hours learning code and then never used it again spent their time learning CPR, just think about how many extra first responders we'd have walking around our streets!
The only remaining question is, what will become of CW when no one is forced to learn it? It's true that I might not have ever learned code if it weren't required, and it's true that I'm glad I did learn it. But there's got to be some other way to provide an incentive to keep at least a few people out there on the bands.
Perhaps you reserve some choice CW-only spectrum for those who've passed code tests. And, so long as there's a strong and active community of code lovers, we can always work to create other incentives with cw-only special event DX stations, extra cw points and freeby stations in contests, and so on. Is that enough to keep the hobby alive? I'm not sure. But if it isn't, then perhaps keeping cw alive isn't worth the cost.
If you pay, as another posternoted.
The important thing about ametueur radio jockies is that is that the network is extremely robust, free, and everywhere. It works for long distance communciation, especially when overoptimized pay services fail. Iridium -- sorry, I have to giggle just a bit there. Ham is a (very modest) reserved spectrum for a network of people that communicate when everything else fails. There's already talk about how to handle jamming; not a solved problem, but in general, it is distributed enough to pose attackers serious issues.
The great power of terrorist attack is uncertainty, followed closely by communication. I find it heartening that as much as the US government might fuck up, at least we are left with a good emergency response channel, made of people who don't attach to the government. That's a really positive feature.
Way back on topic, but I have mixed feelings about dropping the Morse requirements. They've been loosening the rules for a while, but at some point, we're loosing the idea that one can actually assemble kit. We probably already have lost that. Morse is rather important - listening to a fuzzy transmission bounced off clouds from somewhere else in a language you don'nt know is great for learning. And learning is vital for ami radio folks.
OK, I've probably placed, and dated myself. Time to shut up.
I forget what 8 was for.
97.403 Safety of life and protection of property.
No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available.
97.405 Station in distress.
(a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make known its condition and location, and obtain assistance.
(b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress.
The problem is that in many cases, we aren't in a situation which is described as above. We're typically handling "health and welfare traffic" which are things like "we arrived safely" or "we are going to stay here for the night" (which don't qualify) as opposed to "send an ambulance right now" (which does). Having the ability to use the HF bands to pass this traffic is just as important in an emergency response situation as the specific cases where anyone can pick up a radio (licensed or not) and use it.
In addition, amateurs are cautioned that operating outside their permissions even during an emergency may jeapordize their license. The FCC (assuming they hear about it) will likely review the situation and make a determiniation whether or not the operation fell into one of the exemptions. In short, if it's life or death, I can use anything at my disposal to attract attention. If it's not I better be prepared to explain my actions and expect to possibly loose my license or be subject to fines if the FCC doesn't agree that it was justified.
(rant mode on)
/.
Well, I don't sit around talking about my hemorrhoids while eating prunes, as some here posted. I was first licensed in 1969, and hold the same call sign since 1972. Guess what, I'm the guy up high enough in the company to decide whether or not you get to practice all that new knowledge your brand new CS degree says you have. You'd be surprised to find where all those old farts are in business. Oh yeah, I'm a well known open source contributor as well. So much for all that "only new brains can be creative" crap typical on
(rant mode off)
Hopefully, the preceding rant will attract attention and folks will read on. I'm not going to rehash how amateur radio is there in emergencies, how local hams contributed to 9/11 or the last devastating weather event, earthquake, etc. Nor am I going to debate internet versus amateur radio. These are tangents to the real discussion.
As I mentioned, I learned Morse code a long time ago. Frankly, I found that I could do 5 WPM by simply memorizing the dits and dahs and matching them to what I heard. Most of the hams I know would probably agree as to how simple 5 WPM really is, but that should not be a reason to keep the code requirement.
I think that most hams see it as a barrier to entry, not for people who want to be hams, but all those morons who rush out to buy CB radios and want to play "good buddy" with all the truckers. I can safely say that no ham will ever tell anyone who is interested in amateur radio to go away. In fact, most hams I know talk about how to attract more young people into the hobby. No real ham will stand in your way. If he or she does, I'd like to see that individual's license taken away, not support the individual.
For me, amateur radio was how I got hooked into getting an engineering degree. Even now, it is a place for me to experiment with hardware and software in communications settings. By September, I'll have an experimental software defined radio on the air and have some fun as I learn some new stuff. Do I need Morse Code for this? Of course not.
Will I use Morse Code in the future? Sure will. In fact, as more and more people forget code, I'll cherish my ability as something that differentiates me from the masses. In fact, after a long hiatus, I just recently returned to code and enjoy every minute of it.
As a ham, I think the code requirement is dated. It doesn't really stop morons from getting on the air. A scan of the 75 meter QSOs any evening should help you get over your fears that no code will allow irresponsible individuals to run rampant and spoil the hobby. I would not advocate removing the code only portions of the HF bands, which is the next logical step in this process. CW and other digital modes need the spectrum allocation to prevent potential interference from the wider bandwidth modes.
In a related step, I'd like to see 11 meters taken back into amateur radio as a band for an entry level, no test license. Other, better services exist to fill the need CB radio originally addressed and 11 meters would make a great place to get people interested in the hobby.
OK folks, flame on!
Yes, and it amazes me that anyone would consider removing the morse requirement.
...).
Benefits of Morse code:
1) Lowest signal to noise ratio of any communications system.
2) Lowest power requirements.
3) Lowest bandwidth requirement.
4) You could in theory make a transmitter out of any very simple electrical circuit (perhaps limited range, but
5) An operator can still twitch out a message even if they can speak or they're batteries are low.
I.e. for emergency communications this is simply the best fail safe method.
Removing the requirement is just as silly as removing the navigation by sextant requirement (cough, o' they did that one too!).
Anyhow, I'm not a HAM, but it seems to me they're just lowering the entry barrier for little benefit.
somewhere near me there is likely someone who can communicate with other people around the world under pretty much any conditions short of a massive EMP
Lots of us even have that covered. I keep an old AN/GRC-19 set around "just in case". It's a military rig from the 60s that uses EMP-hard tubes. Output power is 100 watts, which is good for about 50 miles with a 15-foot whip antenna. Of course, I'll be scrounging car batteries left and right to operate it, since it draws some hefty amps, but since 95% of the cars on the road today won't survive an EMP, I don't think they'll be in short supply.
Just junk food for thought...
I'm having a terrible time learning morse.
And I learned morse code three times. First time was when I got a pair of Radio Shack walkie-talkies when I was six. They had the code right on the radio and had a beeper. My friends and I got fairly proficient. Then, twice agian, a few years apart in Boy Scouts. At that time, I never used it beyond the specific functions I learned it for, so I forgot it after the first function and have since forgotten it again.
Some things stick really well in my long-term memory but Morse code isn't one of them. I'm the same with Palm Graffiti.
I have no doubt I could learn it again in a couple days to take a Ham test, and probably do darn well on it, but then I'd just never use it and forget it again. So I'm a different kind of example of why the test isn't such a wonderful idea.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)