CSvax:svb (12/04/82)
FORGIVE ME FOR ADDING THE 256th OPINION IN THAT MATTER............. 1. It's like assembler programming - you should have done it once. Otherwise you hardly can name yourself a 'ham'. 2. Many of those who complain about it, are not quite serious about ham radio anyway - otherwise they would just go ahead, learn it and decide AFTER THEY HAVE LEARNED IT whether they like it or not. 3. It is the old question - do you 'gently force' people to widen their horizon ........... 4. I have to confess - my first licence was without CW (WGermany has such a licence for many years) - but I eventually graduated...... 5. Funny but true (and beyond straight forward reasoning ) - CW indeed keeps many unquailified people from becoming hams. In WGermany - there is a notable difference of the people on 2m and higher frequencies (the majority without CW exam) and those on the 'low bands'. Stephan v. Bechtolsheim, Purdue CS DF 4 CK / W9 (ex. DC 1 MI - without CW exam) (svb@purdue) (pur-ee!purdue!svb) (Purdue Univ., CS Dep., W Lafayette, IN 47907)