--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, "theophilusofgenoa" wrote:
>
> I would like to put in a few words in defense of the ARRL. I
> learned the code prior to getting my novice license in 1955. At
> the time, that was just about the only way one could learn ...
Thank you for saying this.
I imagine this is true for practically everyone who got started in ham radio in
the years of the one- and two-year Novice license. I got myself up to 5 wpm and
KN1BOW+K1BOW (Novice and Technician) in 1957 after a year or more of learning
and testing myself with W1AW, and I wouldn't have been able to get my General a
year later or my Extra fifteen years later without W1AW. I still listen to the
c.w. bulletins as a way to keep my speed up.
It's not like the frequency is never available for other uses. The W1AW code
transmissions are on a regular schedule, at most 7 hours a day during weekdays
(6 hours on Monday, none at all on weekends and holidays). So if you happen to
be rock bound on this frequency you still have a lot of predictable hours when
you will not find W1AW there.
Yes, I know there are alternatives to on-air code practice, but the would-be
ham who listens to code practice will of necessity have a receiver and will
surely become interested in other activities he or she hears going on.
I'm sure the matter of a frequency change is being considered by the ARRL. But
the last round of unexpectedly brutal changes to the 80 meter allocations mean
that any proposal for a frequency change is going to upset somebody.
C.w. still has a place in ham radio. Aside from its usefulness as the "when all
else fails" mode of communication, the simplicity of c.w. equipment makes
kit-building and homebrewing possible for a beginner. I am not saying there is
anything wrong with the new licensee whose first question is which $1000 radio
to buy, there are many aspects to ham radio. But if ham radio ceases to inspire
people to become technicians, engineers, and scientists in the next generation,
we will lose influential support for continued access to radio spectrum for
hobbyists.
73,
Al Woodhull, N1AW
Amherst, MA
