On 9/5/07, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
          > On 9/4/07, Sam Conant <samcvt@comcast.net> wrote:
          > no Morse Code requirement any more
>
> What? They finally got rid of Morse for exam? I recall seeing that on
> the cover of a "CQ" mag a while back.......
>
> Likely a touchy topic in some ways, but has Morse been deemed
> "useless"? Or did they try to make the exam "easier"?

Neil,
I believe the intent was to make the amateur license accessible to a
larger population. The basic written exam is not difficult, but code
takes many hours of practice to master.

Morse is certainly not useless, as it will be intelligible under
conditions where voice will not. With the development of digital modes
of modulating a signal, CW may have become less critical for emergency
communications, but it is still probably the most reliable.
--
John Meeks

Vanagon Rescue Squad
http://www.vanagonauts.com/Vanagon_Rescue_Squad74.htm

'91 Multivan, '85 GL
Northern Michigan
KC8ZFN