Morse Code Dropped in VK - Media Release

Media Release No. 51 - 17 November 2003

ACA to end Morse code proficiency requirement for amateur radio operators

Australia’s amateur radio operators will no longer have to be skilled in Morse code from next year.

The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) announced today that it would discontinue the requirement for amateur radio operators to be proficient in Morse code from 1 January 2004.

The decision follows an extensive review of the amateur radio service which the ACA launched in August with the release of a discussion paper A Review of Amateur Service Regulation. The paper outlined current regulatory arrangements for the service, as well as proposing options for the future.

ACA Acting Chairman Dr Bob Horton said the ACA had received more than 1400 written submissions commenting on the issues set out in the paper and from public meetings arranged for amateur operators throughout Australia.

He said the decision to remove the Morse code proficiency requirement was made after considering public comments at the meetings and analysis of submissions.

“This extensive public consultation proved invaluable with more than 700 of Australia’s 14,000 licensed amateur operators attending to discuss the options in the discussion paper and to seek clarification on particular issues,” Dr Horton said.

“There was widespread support for the removal of the Morse code proficiency requirement at the meetings and throughout the submissions.

“The ACA has therefore decided to make interim changes to legislative instruments which, from the date of effect, will immediately allow access to privileges previously available only to those who satisfied Morse code proficiency requirements.

“Those changes will take effect on 1 January next year.”

Dr Horton said the ACA would amend the amateur radio licence conditions specified in the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination No. 1 of 1997 to reflect this decision. The amendments will give:

holders of Intermediate and Limited Amateur licences access to the same frequency bands as Unrestricted Amateur licensees; and
holders of the Novice Limited Amateur licence access to the same frequency bands as Novice licensees.

The ACA also recognised that there was considerable concern in the amateur community about the ‘no interference’ proposal in the discussion paper.

“The ACA will carefully consider the views of the amateur community as it examines regulatory arrangements in this area. We remain committed to balancing the needs of the amateur community with those of the wider community,” he said.

“The ACA expects to announce more decisions about new regulatory arrangements for the amateur service before the end of the year. The amateur community will continue to be kept fully informed about the progress of the review and the implementation of new arrangements.”

Information about the review of amateur service regulation is available.

The Australian Communications Authority is a government regulator of telecommunications and radiocommunications

For more information contact:

Source - Australian Communications Agency - http://www.aca.gov.au/aca_hom....-51.htm


All media enquiries:
Geoff McMillen

Contact: paul.slocum@aca.gov.au

Paul Slocum
Acting Manager Space & Terrestrial Systems

Manager Communications

Telephone: (02) 6219 5257

Telephone: (03) 9963 6966

Facsimile: (02) 6219 5133

Mobile: 0408 152 471

 

Based on how fast the FCC is working to catch violaters on 10 meters, and other AMATEUR bands, it may be quite a while before the MORSE CODE requirement is eliminated in the U.S.A.....so all you folks who want the requirement eliminated, please hold your breath. Thank you for your cooperation.!! ~~~ kd4amg

 

Congratulations to all the hams in Australia for saving the future of amateur radio on HF there.

Bonnie KQ6XA

 

The list is growing!

To all those that do not like the FCC requirements, you now have a place you can MOVE TO.

 

its just mater of time untill the usa will do away with code no more cw bands open up for fone  how about doing away with testing qa just will be a fone  bands ham radio going to the dog  bye bye to ham radio

 

This makes you wonder if the fcc will soon make up their minds. Are we going to be the only one that makes people do the code. I hope not. I know alot of the old times dont want it to go, but sooner or later its going.

I have said before, its a mode just like ssb, fm and so on. Let me ask this. How many new hams that learned it at 5 wpm learned it just to pass the test. I know of a few right here where i live.

Im not tring to start something. Just look all around us. Seems everyone is doing it.

Bonnie your right. this is going to save ham radio. Some say make the test harder. Why? Isnt it all about whats best for the art of radio. Maybe someone who didnt want to be a ham because of the code will someday learn and do the code......

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (k1lwi @ Nov. 17 2003,18:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">its just mater of time untill the usa will do away with code no more cw bands open up for fone  how about doing away with testing qa just will be a fone  bands ham radio going to the dog  bye bye to ham radio [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Get a grip, the world is not coming to a end. I'm getting tried of all the cry baby's.

You sound like a Democrate



Jim
W5SSG

 

Those repwubiclans can't spell good...

 

ok i dont spell very well either. but thats not reason for this post. i simply wonder are we really advancing the art by snending code or shall i say morse code? i dont have problem with the guy,s that love code god bless them some my best ham freins dont even own a mic. but then i simply wonder if we are really being fair to the rest of the hobby by screening on code and no the science of radio it self?

lets come up with a plan that improves the art not the crying ok thank you/n3jbh

 

wow talk about my spelling no more them 807,s tonight sorry folk,s

 

doesnt any one proofread what they have put on the page any more ? I have seen better spelling from CB operators or worse yet, the KIDS of cb operators

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (n3jbh @ Nov. 17, 2003)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><span style='colorrange'>...lets  come up with a plan that improves the art not the crying ok  thank you/n3jbh <!--emo&</span>[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
<span style='color:blue'>Exactly.

When I saw the topic on the front page,I knew instinctively what was going to be said about it, without even opening up the thread.

Let's compare:  Just because AM isn't as prevalent as it used to be, doesn't mean that it's a "dead" mode.  Far from it.  It's still used, and sounds great to me.  My CW proficiency isn't what it should be, but does this mean that the mode should go away?  No.

The die-hard CW ops should promote use of the mode, rather than whining about the possible/eventual elimination of Morse testing for the US license.  Experiment with it!  Show how it's done!  Whatever happened to "coherent CW," where a rig's transmit and receive oscillators, and perhaps a receive filter, are synchronized to a standard [WWV, 60-Hz power grid, etc.]?  That to me, is intriguing.  But, you don't hear about things like this.  Why?

Could it be that the CW guys are too busy bemoaning the loss of the requirement in other countries, and afraid for when/if it happens in the US?

I don't want to see it go either, for historical as well as technical reasons.  If it must, then, as others have said, there should be a compensating increase in the theory test(s).  Make 'em a little harder; add something on emergency power sources, for example [battery Amp-Hour capacity, charging, et. al.].

Instead of being devisive, let's come togther.  Or else Amateur Radio as we know it will really go down the tubes.

Okay...[*clik*] Soapbox Mode off... </span>

 

It couldn't happen here fast enough....

 

http://www.spellcheck.net/

A while back I was going to suggest a new bar (so to speak) for access to the hf bands and that was a spelling test. I also thought a swimming test was in order - as you never know when saving a life may mean swimming a mile during a flood or something.

After all - good spelling and grammar can mean life and death just as much as good radio communications especially when handeling traffic. You need to take notes as if the other operators life depended on it.

But after reading through several of these forums I decided it wouldn't be too nice to some of our disadvantaged hams.

 

<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'>you cry babys out there might as well cry longer,


It will proubly be at least another year before there is a decision made in the good old USA.

So if you want to use the HF bands, It is not that hard to learn, it took me 2 years after I got my ham ticket to study and it took me from the time I started learning it, till the time I took my test about 2 month's.

Just listen to tapes, and read every thing you see in code and you will have it licked.

and if you do not want to learn it, then just sit back and keep crying till decide if they are going to drop it or not.</span>