Every sunday morning I would sit on 7.117 & work the slower code ops I would start at 6am & by 1or 2pm the yxl had to drag me off the radio I remember the 3905cc had a cw net weekly, listening & copying that helped build up my speed as well as all the bulletins in the last decade I worked more cw qso where the other guy was on a keyboard sadly now I live in antenna restricted housing due to an injury with no HF... my skcc#15416 & cwfist17760
EDDIE W2DE HERE.......I'm crazy abt cw. to me it's classical music and rock&roll detest hoa........in az it sucks............i moved to nj my dream and possible recommendation is for u 2 find a technical software computer ham let him ham up ur computer so it controls a rig via internet anywhere u have a buddy who will let you operate....it's my kind of dreaming that keeps u away from giving up i'm 88 a widower and only 100 watts and a g5rv but i'm still chasing dx lucky me, i only need 3 to have them all on the wall......... 73 i mean --... ...-- . -..
Morse Code is alive and well, even worked 16 straight contacts last night on 6 meter CW. Very refreshing to hear the good CW ops on 50 Mhz. So sick of hearing about FT-8, computers doing all the work is just not ham radio. Get those keys loosed up and enjoy the REAL HAM RADIO!
Morse code lives on, thank goodness, but we all know there are those who want it to go away. The fact that it's still here, all these years since it was dropped as a license requirement, is eating away at their guts like an acid.
Im learning morse code because of my passion and enthusiasm on this mode of communication. Not for my license and to brag.
Same, altough in Brazil we have to pass a morse code exam (5mn text 10wpm, RX/TX) for upgrading purposes. I'd take that exam, 3rd attempt when I'm super-ready, kinda piece of cake. Wished could practice on-air in portuguese every day. Simply impossible due to QTH and very limited shack and antenna.
You got to be kidding me!!! Every day now I go on 12 meters and call CQ on CW to get my WAS CW on 12 meters. I call and call, but nothing. Most people on FT8 now. Not only 12 meters has the lack of CW, the same on other bands as well.
I can’t say for 12 meters since I have no interest in that band. I spend all my time on 20 and 40 meters.
I have heard much different opinions about the removal of the code requirement. Many people have said that it has actually revitalised code because the only people getting into code are the ones who are passionate about it, not just the ones who had to learn it to get their ticket. Further, it has led to the proliferation of slow code, helping even more people get into it by way of real-life practice that's at a comfortable speed.
Try a different band and time. Wednesdays are good; that's when the CWT minitests are on. 1 hour of REAL operating. 1300-1400, 1900-2000, 0300-0400 (all UTC). Starts 28 kHz up from the bottom end of 160/80/40/20/15/10, as conditions permit. I typically make 50+ Qs in an hour on the 0300Z session, all S&P.
I bet you will find many of those using FT8 already have WAS,WAZ, DXCC on phone and CW so they are striving for the same awards utilizing a new mode. That is also the only way one can achieve triple play. Work entities on CW, SSB and digital. Quite a few of the FT8 stations are operating in automatic mode and run that way 24/7. No human operator is at the helm. I know at least 10 Hams running FT8 on multiple stations to cover the bands. That is all automatic while they rag chew somewhere else. The only reason I occassionally use FT8 is for that exact reason. I have 320 confirmed on CW/SSB and DXCC, WAS, WAZ on all bands except 10/160. FT8 is a new venue to keep people active. Personally I consider FT8 to be a robot radio mode and already lost interest. In the last 3-4 months I have not worked any DX and only checked into or ran a 80m net Sunday mornings. That means my equipment is only turned on for an hour a week.....
You need to do your homework Chris. Four organizations including the ARRL, FCC , Equipment Manufactures and Equipment Retailers determined that Morse Code was an outdated mode of communication and it should not be required for a Ham Radio FCC license. Morse Code none the less survived on its own merits without the sanction of these organizations whom could have cared less if it had died off completely. I personally sat in on some of the discussions to remove the code. I know what was said. I taught Morse Code in the Military and have been pounding the brass since 1960.
In terms of how the world communicates and transmits information, Morse is an outdated mode of communication for the overwhelming majority of purposes (yes, I'm aware of niche uses). Plenty of activities people enjoy doing and find value in are outmoded examples of the genre (as an amateur photographer I still shoot film with a large format camera). Yet even after being removed from the exams, Morse still thrives, businesses have sprung up to provide new CW-specific radios, and people have continued to learn and hone their skills in this mode even without the regulatory requirement. None of the hams I know personally hold any indemnity to the mode. Those that don't know it are interested, but haven't set aside the time to learn it yet (myself included). It doesn't feel dead or dying to me. Nobody is compelled to learn it, but people still do despite it being "killed". You said it yourself when you typed "Morse Code none the less survived on its own merits without the sanction of these organizations". Emphasis mine. Chris
Every time I hear or read some comment about "no code hams have ruined it" I cringe a bit. I only got into the hobby because I wanted to experiment with WSPR. WSPR seemed fun to me and CW seemed like the dumbest thing any human would want to waste time on. No way in hell I would have gotten a ham ticket if code would have been required. Fast forward two years after making my 1st HF QSO (which was CW) and I find myself 99.9% CW and having a SKCC number with an "S" on it. By most comments on the thread I'm one of the 'no codes' that ruined the bands'. I'll try to be a better ham. Drawing interested people into the hobby should be the priority. The bands are ruined by jerks allowed to free run without enforcement. Not the 'no codes'.
LOL - might not be "dead" but its woeful absence in the selection process has pretty much destroyed the amateur bands. Just one man's opinion there, no-coders. Not sorry! Before no-code, the hacks were restricted to 2 meters and 75 meter phone. Now they're everywhere. Do the math? The CW requirement was more than just a pain in the backside ... it was what set the bar kind of high ... which required some extra discipline to clear.