My son, just failed his CW test for the third time. Once a couple months ago, twice today. This boy can converse on the air at 15 to 20 wpm, with a straight key no less, on a routine basis, and has outrun even a few generals around here.

He told me the test CD's had a reverb echo to each dit and dah, and that the tone quality was worse than a pair of space cadet walkie talkie code senders.

This was backed up when one of the VEs listened to it, and said he couldn't make out half of it either, whereupon the other VEs agreed it wasn't very good audio. But they didn't hesitate to keep his money for two bad tests. The Extra class VE who checked out the test code threatened to withdraw from the team if that was going to be the quality of their testing efforts.

Real nice that CW is still required, but the VEs could care less whether you can copy their crap. At some sessions around here you even have to let them know in advance that someone needs to test for CW or they don't even bother to bring the equipment. Tell me that CW isn't dead as last years road kill, and stinks just as bad. This stupidity needs to end now.