[Allied] One Man's Attempt To Save Morse Code

[kd4e]

Read closely, I said that there is "nothing wrong with
the code".

I was very careful not to criticise use of code.  I was
only noting the silliness of suggesting he may be unable
to find someone to QSO in code with him and that he would
abandon the entire hobby if not.

First of all his presumption is ridiculous, there are
thousands of active Hams using Morse Code and QSO's may
be found 24/7 if one listens across the bands.  (I know
because I often put on code in the background, sometimes
using only a Sony AM-FM-SW portable!  It is not hard.)

Secondly, no informed person has postulated the probability
of Morse Code disappearing from Ham radio - certainly not
in his lifetime.

It dimishes our wonderful hobby in the eyes of the non-Hams
reading that WSJ article to think that his exclusivistic
obsession with code represents our diverse hobby.

It was an article better suited for a retirement newsletter
than a major national newspaper where potential new Hams
may be discouraged from considering Amateur Radio.

IMHO, YMMV ... sigh.

> It sounds like SOMEONE got out the wrong side of the bed 
> this morning!!
> 
> There is nothing quite like code.  I have done it all except 
> for EME, and I come back time and again to Samuel "F.B."
> Morse's favourite mode!  I don't know why, I just love it,
> and others who don't share that passion will never know 
> what it means!
> 
> For one thing it means you can almost always get a QSO 
> even when you have a lousy antenna, low power and the 
> bands are dead (for me at least!)
> 
> Be happy!
> 
> 73 de AF4K



-- 

Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E
Personal: http://bibleseven.com/kd4e.html

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