FCC Ponders Removing Morse Code Reqs for Amateur Radio Licenses

Nalez writes "This story on the ARRL website outlines six petitions currently in front of the FCC to drop the Morse code requirement for the amateur radio license exams. Currently the ability to do Morse code at 5 words per minute is required to operate on the high frequency bands (below 30Mhz), which are the bands that propagate best around the world." While this may or may not attract more people to ham radio, it will make it easier for the novice to use packet radio devices.

Oh no!

[TheGreek]

dah dah dah dit dit dit dit dah dit dah dah dah

About Time

[swordboy]

I've been tunneling all my morse code over SSH...

morse code?

[Comsn]

whats morse code?

isint that what they used to stop the aliens in Independance Day?

morse code will always be important!

[fermion]

We know that even in the distant future, one's survival may depend on embedding a morse coded message in the warp signature or scanning frequency!

Standard SCO joke..

[adeyadey]

As the inventor and patent holder for Morse (TM) every ham operator must pay a $299 licence fee to.. etc..

Darl McBride

In order to conserve space...

[Styx]

... the FCC is considering a move from using . and - as morse code notation, to using . and /

///...///

Re:Morse code dropped only because its a RACIST!

[quonsar]

few blacks (and many whites) pass the Morse test

shee-it. cw gots rhythm, honky.

Re:About time!

[j0nkatz]

Perhaps the old-timers don't want their hobby to grow (for example to grow like the internet grew!) Perhaps they want to keep it like it is - rather clean, a bit of the elite-touch.

Are you talking about Amateur Radio or Linux?

Re:About Time

[spoonist]

I've been tunneling all my morse code over SSH...

Morse over SSH? Big deal. I've been tunneling SSH over morse code for years now!!

And let me tell you, running vi over SSH over morse code REALLY sucks.

One Button

[brakk]

It's so user friendly it only has one button, and we push that before it leaves the factory!!

like vi

[CaptnMArk]

This would be like using "unix" without learning vi or ed. Never! :)

Re:About Time

[DonGar]

And let me tell you, running vi over SSH over morse code REALLY sucks.

Well obviously! You can say the same thing WITHOUT the SSH, OR the morse code!

*big emacs grin*

Re:About Time

[Anonymous Coward]

Ha! Child's play. I run KDE over SSH over morse code. If you think KDE is *slow* wait 'til you run it over morse code....