G3YKB: Saying What Needs to be Said

A big 'well said' to Mr. Brian Hodgson, G3YKB (unless the RSGB got the author wrong - they often make such mistakes), for highlighting the utterly silly way in which Morse code is shoved in front of all new amateurs for their Foundation Licence, even though the licence itself now has no such requirement, as used to be the case.

Is a Morse assessment justifiable for a licence that doesn't even require the skill?

The perpetuation of Morse is understandable.  But it must also be reasonable, proportionate and justified.  If we look at any of these terms, the arguments of the pro-Morse lobby instantly start to look very flaky indeed.

If a licence does not require you to know Morse (and I am living, operating proof that this is so), then there is no reason, proportion and therefore justification in shoving Morse in front of anyone trying to show their first nervous (and much sought-after) interest in our fine hobby.

Brian Hodgson is spot-on with his assessment that Morse is putting new members off the hobby.  It always did.  I decided I would be a class B licensee years ago, and just play with VHF and above.  But when I passed, I found all I wanted to do was do DX, which VHF isn't that suited to.  It meant I simply never transmitted until years later, when B licensees were finally permitted to join the 'upper class' on the lower bands without Morse.

Whilst digimodes have not rendered Morse useless, they have highlighted substantial progress in weak signal transmissions that at least makes Morse look much, much less defensible than it used to be.  You can no longer defend Morse on the basis that it is 11dB better than SSB, because digimodes can take you down way beyond that.  I daily make contact by PSK and JT65 with operators in their 80s and 90s, so it's not simply a generational thing.

I still think all amateurs - myself included - should make the effort and learn Morse, even if only at a slow speed.  But by far the more important view is that Morse needs to be removed from the confused imagination of those who think they might be interested in radio, but are too afraid to ask, and so never become involved at all.  That really is a tragedy.