It Ain't Dead!

If Amelia Earhart had not ditched the CW key and long wire antenna prior to taking off in Miami she might have lived long enough to talk about her successful round the world journey.

 

One of the greatest aspects of conversing in Morse code is that by using it along with a smattering of q-codes we can communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world despite the fact that we don’t speak each other’s language. The point is, we do share a common language that bridges the gap. And, Morse is the easiest “foreign” language to learn. I learned the code in less than two days, thanks to the ARRL’s great guide book, and can converse with anyone via CW. I wish I could say that after studying French for three years in high school and Spanish in college.

Parlez vous CW?

 

Are Q Codes unique to CW? Last I checked, you can use Q codes on any mode. If you send Morse code in English and someone only speaks Spanish, they will not have any idea what your Morse code is saying. Like when you spell out DOG, for example, in Spanish it would be coded PERRO. When they send PERRO, you would have no idea that it means DOG, in Morse code or otherwise. CW doesn't magically translate between languages.

 

Popcorn is on...

 

That's mostly true for the standard few things exchanged in a normal cookie-cutter QSO. Things like RST, QTH, OP, radio is, ant is, etc.

But it's nowhere near true for general conversation. Try translating your post, the one I'm replying to, into CW which would be understood equally well by someone who knew only English and CW, or another who understood only Italian and CW, or another who knew only Swahili and CW.

It's true that CW eliminates the problems of pronunciation and accents, and that can certainly be an advantage in exchanging the simple info of a very basic QSO. But it's far from a universal language for general conversation.

 

I'm using a phone app to help gain copy speed and when it booted up it warned that it was an outdated mostly unused form of communication. I like the app a lot though.

 

Chris you make a good point, yes we all have different priorities, I sometimes forget this.

TU for reminding me of this 73'

 

While I admire those that can send and copy CW at anything over 5wpm and I hope to join those ranks someday soon, I find many of the comments here ignorant and snobbish. If you wizened CW snobs want the hobby to DIE with you, if you want the FCC to take away your bands due to lack of activity, please push to bring back the CW requirement for licensing. Instead of griping about the new crop of operators, maybe you should work to improve the lot, but maybe that's TMLW!

 

Okay, I give up. I searched over six websites that feature popular Internet, texting, and chat abbreviations and came up empty for TMLW. Please define.

 

Too much like work?

 

As someone who can handle CW with relative ease up to about 45 wpm (after that, I lose interest because I have to pay such close attention to it that my head hurts!), I agree completely. While I could hardly believe it when the FCC dropped the Morse code requirement, I can't see that we would have more operators or even better operators with it. <donning my flame retardant suit> I love the comments about how 'it's beginning to sound like CB' or 'the quality of operators has gone downhill since the CW requirement went away,' but doggone it, the ones I hear on 40 and 75 meters making a total mockery of good taste and completely flaunting the FCC regs have mostly been licensed longer than I have and are older than me. (47 years in the hobby, 61 years old) Which means that they DID have to go through the CW baptism by fire to become a licensed operator. If you listen to the CW bands, I just don't hear this wild free-for-all that folks keep talking about which has apparently happened since the CW requirement was dropped. I'll go one further: at my tender age of 61, I'm younger than about 98% of the guys I QSO. It's just my considered opinion, but I believe we'd have less CW operators right now if the code were still required. <quickly donning flame retardant hood, too> CW is my node of choice for 99% of my QSOs and it will be until I make my last contact. There's lots of room for other modes, even though I have zero interest in pseudo-automated digital modes or voice. CW isn't in any danger of dying tomorrow or even next year.

- Matt, AA4MB

 

Nice way of putting it. I don't think you'll need the flame retardant because that's what I've seen with my short time on hf.

 

The people that do it now do it for a love of the art. Thats a pretty good reason I reckon. Thats all the reason you need.

 

Credo che con i satelliti i collegamenti sono più sicuri e non hanno ostacoli di nessuna sorte

 

È vero, ma a molti di noi piace il codice. È bello fare ciò che ci rende felici.

Qualsiasi metodo scritto facilita la comunicazione tra le lingue. Parlo solo un po 'di italiano e avrei difficoltà con questa conversazione se usassimo la voce.

73

Translation:

I replied:
True, but many of us enjoy the code. It's good to do what makes us happy.

Any written method makes it easier to communicate between languages. I only speak a little Italian, and I would have trouble with this conversation if we were using voice.

73