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FCC Drops Morse Code Requirement

Posted by Zonk on from the end-of-an-era dept.

leighklotz writes to mention a story discussing what some might consider a historic event. The FCC has dropped the Morse Testing requirement for amateur radio certifications. The public announcement was made on Friday. Ham radio operators will no longer have to study Morse, in a move patterned after other western nations. Says leighklotz: "The U.S. joins Canada and other countries in eliminating the morse code testing requirement, after being authorized to do so on July 5, 2003, when the World Radio Telecommunications Conference 2003 in Geneva adopted changes to the ITU Radio Regulations."

10 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. CQ by oz1cz · · Score: 5, Funny

    dit-dit dah-dit dat dit dit-dah-dit dit dit-dit-dit dah dit-dit dah-dit dah-dah-dit

    1. Re:CQ by i+kan+reed · · Score: 2, Funny

      what the heck is a dat?

    2. Re:CQ by sbben · · Score: 2, Funny

      Cut the leet.

    3. Re:CQ by Ngarrang · · Score: 5, Funny

      Cut the leet. I think this might be the first time in history someone has accused of Morse Code of being leet speak. Wow.
      --
      Bearded Dragon
    4. Re:CQ by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 4, Funny

      You kids and your damn rap music. Now get off my lawn.

  2. What about everyone else? by Loconut1389 · · Score: 3, Funny

    ditdit ditditdit ditditdah ditdahdahdit ditdahdahdit dahdahdah ditditdit dit dah ditditditdit ditdit ditditdit ditdahditdit dit ditdah ditditditdah dit ditditdit dit ditditditdah dit ditdahdit dahditdahdah dahdahdah dahdit dit dit ditdahditdit ditditdit dit ditdit dahdit dah ditditditdit dit dahditdit ditdah ditdahdit dahditdah ditditdahdahditdit

  3. Independence day Aliens by xquark · · Score: 3, Funny

    So how will we coordinate our counter attacks when the aliens from independence day come-a-knockin'?
    sms perhaps?

    --
    Arash Partow's Philosophy: Be a person who knows what they don't know, and not a person who doesn't know.
  4. Re:Bad idea? by tomjen · · Score: 3, Funny

    No the hand gun, bullets and beer are reserved for Dick Cheney.

    --
    Freedom or George Bush
  5. Thank God by proxy318 · · Score: 2, Funny

    That was the one thing holding me back from getting my radio license.

    --
    Saying your "phone ran out of batteries" is like saying your "car ran out of gas tanks".
  6. Survivors Will Need Morse by SkyDude · · Score: 3, Funny

    After the nuclear holocaust, when we emerge from the caves, Morse code will be a necessary skill. So will knowledge of MS-DOS, hand cranking a Model T, using a buggy whip and reading an analog clock. The FCC is being very short-sighted.

    Apparently, so is Slashdot. In an attempt to be humourous, I couldn't post a series of Morse words. It kept rejecting the posting with the reason "Please use fewer junk characters." Huh.

    Damn nerds, what do they know.

    --
    == First cross river, then insult alligator.