What It's Going to take...

I might be wrong but I think that the Heathkit HW-12, HW-22 and HW-32 series of 200 watt SSB monobanders did not have a key jack as the came from Heathkit circa 1964 - 1967. I had the 12 and 22 and do not recall a key jack. I don't think anyone got upset with Heath over it though. There were third party mods that did include extending the tuning range and adding CW capability.

73
George
K3UD

 

If the FCC publishes all of the answers my guess is almost all of them.

Mike - K1MH

 

I guess you better get the envelope and stamps ready! It's going to happen and soon. But somehow I don't think you will, I think you will take another breath of fresh air and continue being a ham.

 

I know what it is like to care for someone, as I did for my wife before cancer took her away. Give me a call, Willie, I'll chat with you any day!! And we'll just drown out that jerk if he shows up!!

 

And the FCC will, once again, get sucked in by the law of unintended consequences.

If, as is likely, fewer and fewer people learn Morse Code there are two things that have high probabilities of happening.

1.)Fewer and fewer low cost entry vehicles (i.e. CW transmitters) will be produced because of lower demand
2.)leading to fewer and fewer young hams of small to modest means being able to enter into the ARS.

I suppose it could be said that this represents a move by the FCC to introduce class warfare into the ARS by arbitrarily and capriciously implementing rules and regulations that will ultimately increase the barriers to participation by the poorest among us.

Perhaps we should see if the Rainbow Coalition will take this on as a cause, much as the lobbying groups and governmental agencies forced the major computer makers and retailers to do with the educational establishment so that the poor would not suffer from an "internet" gap. This "push" would be to see that the poor don't suffer from a "amateur radio" gap. Perhaps the major radio manufacturers and retailers could be forced to provide a certain amount of equipment to qualifying young people (below the ages of 21) based on family gross income as well as funding remedial "electronics classes" leading to amateur radio licenses for those unfortunate youth that do not have any other means to keep up with those who have been lucky enough to hit lifes lottery.

Yeah! Yeah! I can see it now!! The FCC becomes a major player in increasing the number of new electronic technicians among the poorest minorities through the use of Amateur Radio as a recruiting tool! Why, if we soak the radio manufacturers hard enough we can solve the poverty problem in this country!!

tim ab0wr

 

My comments are inside the quote.

The FCC needs to take a look - and a listen - to amateur radio of today, and stop basing their rules on the amateur radio of the 1950s. It is not the same hobby, not the same service, not the same anything that it was then.

That is really not attributable to any one or any group. It is a matter of time and technology. It has all changed. It is about to change even more dramatically, moving even further away from the intent as well as the letter, of those rules. They are terribly outdated and do not begin to reflect the amateur radio of today.

Ed

 

I thought there was a key jack on the back, but that may have been the "A" models, as they added sideband selection. I never owned one, but did use the 75 meter model that belonged to a friend. It was an "A" model, not the original. I never tried it on opposite sideband or on CW - I just have a vague mental picture of a key jack on the back. May have been some other radio entirely!

Several modern radios, most notably the so called "CB-ham" rigs for ten meters, do not have CW capability. Of course, most VHF and UHF rigs don't unless they are specifically an all-mode. I have three that do not have key jacks and do not offer CW capabilities.

I have heard, though, there is a transceiver available for 40 meters that is sideband, FM and AM, but does not have a key jack. I think, though, it is actually designed as a Freebander radio for use below 40 meters. I don't recall the brand or model. It is being marketed as a ham transceiver.

Ed

 

ignorrant "Hams" ? DUMBING DOWN ? You sir need to get out of my hobby . Hams insulting Hams ? you are missing the whole point . If you only knew who ignorrant and Dumb you sound .. pfffftt it's operators like you that make me not even want to key up a station for fear that some chump like you may respond . I can do the code but dont enjoy it .. does that put me in your ignorrant dumb class?

 

George,

We're still not far apart. This piece offers suggestions to everyone, but I am only making suggestions and mostly to those who post on QRZ. I believe this will be a tough pill to swallow for alot of folks. I still talk to amateurs every day who have not heard of the NPRM and when they find out, the first reaction is disbelief.

I try to answer the question here of what we will have to do to make this NPRM work. Can we do it? If we want to we can, but I believe many will just not want to. Personally I will post my concerns on QRZ and do as I suggested, not talk about it on the air. Will others do the same? If they don't (and they probably won't) we'll have a tough road ahead. Yet, maybe in the future one disgusted person may remember this article and give it a try.

To those who were upset that nobody will talk to them, the same thing happened to me. Guess what? I found that the chip was on MY shoulder for expecting to be accepted with open arms. I was patient and polite. Now I have no problem. I also began to use CW more and it is my primary mode these days. People are nicer there and always ready to help newcomers.

 

According to their website, the FCC is still issuing
commercial radiotelegraph tickets for 1st, 2ed and 3ed.

Can somebody help me understand why ?

John / W2IMX

 

Blah Blah Blah.... For those of you who constantly complain about the changes in amateur radio then why are you still a ham?

W5RKL

 

Excellent question!

As I have said, the FCC will do what is politically and financailly expedient. We can either accept change and adapt or whine and complain. I vote accept change.

The only constant in life is change.

 

It's official! Go to www.googlefight.com! Enter no-code into one field, and pro-code into the other. No-code wins by a landslide. LOL! Oh, and please, take this in the light-hearted manner it was intended!

 

What it's going to take for this to work... Well first of all. Everyone has to stop the name calling. Change is going to happen rather you or i think its good or bad.

 

AI4CB, I just wanted to say thank you.

Michael
KE5EIY