Now, in my mid-eighties I can still hear the cigar chewing examiner, a Mr. Neeb saying "Son, that's mighty fine code" ...
This would have been in the very early sixties. See my QRZ page for additional related info. 73 Ken Kopp - K0PP On Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 19:25 Robert G Strickland via Elecraft < elecraft@mailman.qth.net> wrote: > Mike... > > When I tested for my general, vintage 1960, I had to receive a five > minute plain text code message with no errors for one minute. But, I > don't remember having to send anything (I did have to draw the Colpits > oscillator, HI). And, for sure, no 5-letter groups. I was scared to > death, but managed to get through it. You're right about the tricks of > memory after 80 or so years. After a long hiatus, I started out again at > age 50, and the code was much easier. I think computer programs made > learning code easier, or at least it did for me. > > ...robert > > On 5/1/2020 12:50 AM, Mike Morrow wrote: > > Fred, > > > > The Radiotelegraph Second Class license required send and receive at 20 > wpm Plain Language and 16 wpm Code Groups with no errors for one minute > during the five minute test. The First Class license had the same written > elements (1, 2, 5, 6) as the Second Class license but the Morse test was 25 > wpm Plain Language and 20 wpm Code Groups, plus a six-month service > requirement at stations open to public correspondence. (That "public > correspondence" service requirement kept many operators with decades of > commercial Morse service from ever getting a First Class license. However, > every maritime Morse station was defined as open to public correspondence > even if it was on a freighter and never had any such traffic.) > > > > The rare Aircraft Radiotelegraph Endorsement to Second or First Class > licenses required the same Morse exam as the First Class license. > > > > IIRC, the FCC required use of hand copy and straight key for Second > Class, but allowed typewritter and bug for the First Class tests. > > > > After I left the US Navy as a submarine officer more than 40 years ago, > I decided I'd like to try my hand as a maritime radio officer before that > job disappeared. (I was one of the few Navy people that loved going to > sea.) I very much found the seemingly slow 16-wpm Code Group test > significantly more difficult for test-taking purposes (when one is still > developing skills) than Plain Language. As few as five errors in the 400 > character test could prevent getting the required 80 consecutive error-free > characters. It took me three 400-mile round trips to the Kansas City Field > Office, only because of the 16 wom Code Group test. The 20 wpm Plain > Language test (given first) was always child's play. I know that with > practice and a mill an automatic unthinking response soon develops, but I > did not get that far. > > > > For many years the FCC waived the Amateur Extra Morse exam for an > applicant if he had held a commercial radiotelegraph license. In the > mid-1990s, the FCC started waiving the Radiotelegraph Second Class Morse > exams for an applicant holding an Amateur Extra Class license. That was a > very signicicant relaxation of test standards for the commercial > Radiotelegraph license, but by then there wasn't much call for the license. > > > > I never did get into Radio Officer work because a few months after > licensing a new but permanent medical condition disqualified me from > Safety-of-Life-at-Sea (SOLAS) duties. During Desert Storm/Desert Shield > the US began reactivating enough old US-flag merchant vessels that one of > the Radio Officer associations solicited license holders for a short paid > training program and employment as new Radio Officers. Even 30 years ago > there weren't many newcomers interested in starting a obvious dead end > career, but 15 years earlier I'd have sent in my application if medically > qualified. > > > > WRT Phil's comments below, it surprises me when hams claim adamantly > that their Morse test was code groups. I attribute that to fading memory. > Similary, it was recently stated that a Broadcast Endorsement was attained > after earning the Radiotelephone First Class license. The Broadcast > Endorsement was granted only to Third Class license holders to show that > the announcer (with Third Class license) also had knowledge to serve as > transmitter attendant (with Broadcast Endorsement) at small broadcast > stations. Memory plays tricks on us old people. :-) > > > > Mike / KK5F > > > > -----Original Message----- > >> From: Fred Jensen <k6...@foothill.net> > >> Sent: Apr 30, 2020 12:35 PM > >> > >> Why were code tests with groups almost always at a slower speed than > >> plain text? > >> > >> I had to copy 5-character groups at 16 [I think], and plain text at 20 > >> [I also think ... might have been 25, it was a very long time ago] for > >> the 2nd Telegraph. I've never sat a military circuit to copy groups, > >> all my experience with groups was practice, the test, and WX reports > >> which sort of approximate groups. However, I find groups to be easier > >> copy than plain text, especially on a mill of teletype tape perforator > >> keyboard. The transition to "Ear-to-Fingers" mode with nothing passing > >> through brain is almost instantaneous and permanent for the duration. > >> With plain language text, I'll sometimes rouse from that state, try to > >> make sense of what I'm copying and have to catch up. > >> > >> Just curious, lots of folks here here have copied groups for a living > >> and might know the answer. Incidentally, Jettie Hill, W6RFF [SK], once > >> told me that in WW2, he had to learn to sight-read inked tape at 45 or > >> 50 WPM. I think that would have caged my eyeballs. [:=) > >> > >> 73, > >> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW > >> Sparks NV DM09dn > >> Washoe County > >> > >> On 4/30/2020 9:36 AM, Phil Kane wrote: > >> > >>> On 4/29/2020 10:31 PM, Edward R Cole wrote: > >>> > >>>> CW test had been downgraded to a multiple question exam about plain > >>>> language text message vs the five mixed character groups back in > Detroit. > >>> > >>> The ham CW test was always plain language text. 5-character groups > were > >>> only for the Radiotelegraph CW exams. > >>> > >>> 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane > >>> Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402 > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > Message delivered to rc...@verizon.net > > > > -- > Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY > rc...@verizon.net.usa > Syracuse, New York, USA > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to elecraftcov...@gmail.com > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
