Morse code at QRZ Forum

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Posted by Jim on May 16, 2008 502 views

There is a wave of posts from people who think they are some how better then others who have recently obtained their license, because they know morse code. This is funny because rather then welcoming people into the hobby, they mock them. That is just sad.

.. .._. / -.– — ..- / -.-. .- -. / .-. . .- -.. / - …. .. … / .- -. -.. / - …. .. -. -.- / -.– — ..- / .- .-. . / … .–. . -.-. .. .- .-.. / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- / — ..-. ..-.

And short sighted since a license today does not indicate your level of knowledge in anything beyond the small number of questions asked. It does not test wether I have taught code to others at 13WPM, or that I learned it 30 years ago for the first time. It does not test my knowledge of signal lights, singal flags, or even the color of smoke to indicate the type of fire or how to put it out. On the practical side it does not test my ability to operate a radio while also piloting a plane, or working on a boat as a dive master. And on the technical side the exam does not verify that I have years of electrical education from soldering, tubes, building meters, receivers , transmitters, troubleshooting to the component, right on up to building computers and a lot of physics and theory knowledge.

It tests basic profeciency to get you started. What you do from there and how much more you learn is up to you. And if you stay on the air or give it up is in a big way dependent on the other hams you encounter. As an exciting and fun hobby with a stigma of old men locked in dark closets talking to other lonely old men in dark shacks somewhere else, this sort of attitude is negative beyond measure.

Get off my lawn you young whipper snapper with your mics and voice and talking things. It is sad that in a small hobby like ham radio there exists a sub group of ignorant people who are trying to mock others who joined in the past few years after the FCC followed the rest of the world and dropped the morse code exam requirement. How much smaller do these people want to drive the ham radio community town in society today then it already is? When you are only a handful of people, you can’t afford to chop off any fingers.