Code Or NO-Code?

It still happens to be a highly controversial topic within our Amateur Radio community, of which for good reasons both sides hold extremely strong views and convictions.  So, before I go any further, please remember that everyone is entitled to an opinion.  As Ham operators, we should all do our best to respect each other's views, regardless of which side of this issue you believe in.

The early history of amateur radio has documented that in the past, all licensed operators were required to show a specific level of Morse Code proficiency, or face the possibility of not being allowed on the amateur bands at all.  This rule served a unique purpose for creating a single common bond between all hams, and for what it's worth, helped keep a substantial amount of "Riff-Raff" off the Ham bands.  However, it is not, nor has it ever been the only bond all amateur radio operators have or share.

One profound bond all amateur radio operators share, regardless of license classification, is that in the eyes of our federal government and the general public, licensed ham operators are indeed considered "Public Servants" within our communities.  We are ready and prepared to offer aid and assistance through Emergency Radio Communications at our immediate disposal.  Yes, we "Licensed Ham Operators" are suppose to hold a certain amount of public service clout within our communities!  Sadly, some states still have a hard time recognizing the importance of our contribution within our communities, but that's an entirely different subject.  Let's stay focused.

The FCC's official "Report and Order" (R&O) in the "Morse Code Proceeding", WT Docket 05-235, published in the Federal Register, makes the effective date of the new "code-free" rules February 23, 2007.  Some Hams view this ruling as detrimental to our hobby, while others openly applaud the FCC's decision to drop Morse Code as a "requirement" to get a Ham license.  Simply put, some want code to stay as a requirement, and some don't. 

Over the years, the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) continues to announce an alarming sharp drop in new memberships.  One of the biggest reasons is because home computers, along with the increasing speed of the Internet, make it easy for everyone to openly communicate on a world-wide scale with no studying or testing required.  

Fact is, (and respectfully speaking), as the population of our elder and more "well seasoned hams" slowly join the ranks as 'Silent Keys', younger folks are becoming less interested in our hobby.  It's also no secret that more people are refusing to study for a ham license, or have a desire to learn about something considered 'antiquated', especially by today's advanced digital standards.  Yes, I'm referring to Morse Code.  Please, before anyone decides to toss lettuce and tomatoes at me, I would like to clarify myself.  As a licensed ham, I have nothing against Morse Code, especially if someone chooses to learn how to properly use it.  And, by no means should it be completely abolished from ham radio.  Morse Code has been a part of the amateur radio hobby since it's inception,  and if Hams want to use it, there's no logical reason to get rid of it.  However, using it as a "requirement" to get a ham license, or to restrict people from going places within the ham spectrum is, in my opinion, highly questionable.

Meanwhile, back in Washington D.C., all the large cellular phone and commercial communications giants continue to actively lobby our federal government into forcing Hams to hand back more portions of our precious amateur bands.  It's a problem that just won't go away.  Plus, the large drop in ARRL membership only supports their lobbying efforts, while they adamantly claim there are amateur bands we rarely use, and therefore should be handed back.  Now, this is going to sound very callous and cold, but make no mistake about it.  These so called super-cell phone corporations could care less about us amateur radio folks, and actually hope that more and more hams eventually become silent keys.  They already know the ham radio population is slowly shrinking, viewing it as a golden opportunity to get more of our Ham radio spectrum out of us.  Let's face it, in the past we've already lost (or, given back) portions of our 220mhz VHF band.  The more bands we let slip through our fingers, the next generation of Amateur Radio Operators will be the ones who suffer.  Ultimately, there will be less spectrum for them to experiment and communicate.  As I said earlier, it's a problem that simply won't easily go away.

So, getting back to the original question of Code or NO-Code, and how do we preserve what little spectrum we now have?  Well, for one thing, keeping Morse Code as a "requirement" to operate in the HF bands has become bad policy for amateur radio in general, especially in this day and age of home computers and digital communications.  If we expect our younger generations to show an interest in our hobby, we as Hams need to become more progressive by making the license process more of a "challenge of knowledge", rather than forcing people to learn an antiquated form of a memory skill.  A skill that is no longer used at all by local state or federal government agencies.

Learning Mores Code should be reserved as a "choice", not a requirement, which after showing a set level of proficiency, would allow Hams to use all the CW portions of HF, as well as all other band allocations.  Simply put, Hams with code endorsement can go anywhere, and those who don't can go anywhere phone privileges are allowed (including HF).  One FCC test should be sufficient to allow everyone the opportunity to become a Ham Radio Operator with privileges within all the phone portions, with a secondary 5WPM test available for those who wish to enter the CW (Morse Code) areas of the amateur radio spectrum.  This way, we're opening the doors very wide for new prospective Hams, which means higher membership enrolment with the ARRL.  As a result, Ham radio manufactures will also benefit by increased sales!  Ham radio will slowly start growing again, with a good chance of gaining more (not less) spectrum from the FCC, instead of giving it back to the cell phone companies.  It becomes a win-win situation overall.

 Rick Hollwedel/N2TKB

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