Re: A Little History Lesson   
     By: Daryl Stout to CHARLES STEPHENSON on Sat Nov 24 2018 04:21 pm   
      
    DS> Charles,   
      
    DS> I got into it originally for Skywarn Severe Weather operations in   
    DS> 1991, when the FCC removed the Morse Code requirement (5 wpm exam) for   
    DS> the Technician Class license.   
      
    DS> In 2000, the FCC reduced the Morse Code Requirement to just 5 WPM for   
    DS> the Technician Plus (Technician with 5 wpm code exam credit), the   
    DS> General, and the Amateur Extra (it was originally 13 WPM for the General   
    DS> and Advanced, and 20 WPM for Amateur Extra). In 2007, the FCC removed   
    DS> the Morse Code requirement altogether. People are learning the Morse   
    DS> Code now because they WANT to...and NOT because they HAVE to.   
      
    DS> The funniest story I heard on that (I likely have posted this in other   
    DS> echoes) was these 4 hams sitting around a restaurant table in Annapolis,   
    DS> Maryland...telling each other dirty jokes in CW (it stands for   
    DS> "Continuous Wave", another name of Morse Code). This drop dead gorgeous,   
    DS> curvaceous female, walked up to them, and admonished the group "You boys   
    DS> need to watch your language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy across the   
    DS> street", and walked out!! They were as red as tomatoes!!    
      
   Wow... Thanks for the info! I'm def. gonna log on and read more about it. I've   
   only seen maybe 2 rigs in my life and was rather confussed by just looking at   
   it. At the time I had other things on my hobby list, but I've always wondered   
   about HAM radio.    
      
   Thank you!   
   Regards,   
     KrUpTiOn   
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    * Origin: The New Frontier 2: thenewfrontier2.hopto.org (OH) (1:226/17)