[Motorola-Metrum-Motrac-Motran-Mocom] Kellogg's & FCC Sign Pact

[Tom Norris]

On Dec 18, 2006, at 12:08 AM, Steve Lenaghan VE4LR wrote:
> Mentor the new hams coming over to voice.  You will be amazed at
> the talent that exists outside HF.  Being bitter about keeping an old
> technology is pointless.  If CW skills were to be an adequate  
> filter to keep
> unqualified amateurs out it has failed a long time ago.
>

Yep, the phone bands, particularly 75 meters have been a zoo as long
as I can remember.

CW is not what I'd call a "LID filter." I've been licensed for 25 years
and an SWL since I knew what a radio was and I can assure you the CW
requirement did nothing to keep out the past or current flock of  
sociopaths
and tree climbers that can be found here and there on the bands.  Much
of the jamming, animal noises and other antics I've heard on phone  
have been
from folks that had been licensed for decades!  But of course they're  
better
hams since *they* had to learn CW - they may have never used it, but  
they
had to learn it.  When I was studying for my Novice in the 70's and  
it became
known I was pretty good with electronic repair I became fairly  
popular in my
club at the time - apparently many hams that should have know how to do
things themselves needed help even back then as some admittedly only  
studied
enough to pass the test.  Some of these guys were Extras, some had been
licensed for years but were only interested in DXing, etc.  Were they  
bad hams
for not being proficient in electronics?  On the contrary.


Tom  NU4G

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