Robert McGwier wrote:
>Frank and I are at GnuRadio Hackfest. I doubt anyone who knows us would
>categorize us as anything but techno-geeks. We are constantly looking
>at the lastest technology (we are about to have an OFDM system running
>in GnuRadio for example) that could be of benefit to amateur radio in
>particular and communications in general. That said, though we both
>support this decision, we are die hard CW users. Almost without
>exception, when we sit down in front of a radio in either of our
>homes, the first thing either of us touches is the paddle.
>
>That said, I believe the FCC has done a thing they think will help save
>amateur radio. That they would attempt this is surprising since they
>could have just as easily made everyone do 20 wpm and killed the hobby
>for sure and then auctioned off the spectrum. I hope they are right and
>this succeeds. We must stop having our population grow one year older
>per year. This is a prescription for utter disaster. The other
>prescription for disaster is to sit on our backsides and fail to recruit
>new people, as many as we can that are under 30 years old, into our
>hobby. Software Radio, Cognitive Radio, and other high tech toys are
>good tools to use to recruit interesting your people. USE THEM.
>
>It is up to each of us in the US to use this opportunity to do all we
>can do for our hobby.
>
>May 2007 be a great year for Software Radio in particular and amateur
>radio in general.
>
>Bob
>N4HY
>
>
>
>
Amen and verily.
My son is licensed ("codeless Tech") and would have almost certainly
learned the code in ages past. Five minutes of talk with him would
convince any of us of that.
If we can't interest _him_ in the code (and, believe me, I know I
couldn't), then it's just a foregone conclusion that a code requirement
is doing more harm than good. Most of his friends don't even have
Codeless Techs. They're just the sort we used to get as a matter of
course. They find the whole code thing incomprehensible. I can't even
start the conversation.
There's lots of competition for tomorrow's hams out there we didn't use
to have, such as computers and the internet, that require no licensing
at all. Competition where meaningful participation is nearly immediate
and often very gratifying from the start. Where expertise can grow
gradually, at one's own rate. Some may talk about "dumbing down," but
the reality is, we're in competition with stuff that's a lot easier to
get involved in. For any hobby, even one with a service aspect
attached, we all want regular feedback. But, in the amateur service,
that feedback has been too long delayed.
Even without the code standing in the way, it's not going to be easy,
because we still need an exam-based hobby and service. But, it's much
better now that it was. We can go for 15 year olds, but also for 30
year olds in a way we just couldn't before.
Spread the word. The code (as a requirement) is dead, long live amateur
radio.
Larry WO0Z
PS, I think _after_ they're in it a while, they'll get motivated to
learn code. It is, of course, intensely practical for much of what we
like to do. But, today, that needs to be something that becomes clear
after a real, personal understanding of how propagation and radio really
work.
_______________________________________________
FlexRadio mailing list
FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz
http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz
Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/
FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
