Can We Afford To Eliminate the Morse Requirement?

By John Clifford KD7KGX

What many who call for the end of the Morse requirement for HF access, and who simultaneously want to grant HF privileges to current no-code VHF/UHF licensees fail to take in account is the impact of hundreds of thousands of new users to the HF bands. Can the bands take this influx of operators, and can we afford to eliminate the Morse requirement? I don't think so, and here's why.

Let's Run The Numbers

Here in the US, 1/3 of the active ham population (200,000 out of 600,000 +/-) are no-code Technician-class licensees. Do we have enough HF spectrum to let every Technician on the air without interference? Let's do some back-of-the-envelope calculations and see....

Let's assume that each SSB QSO will have 4 participants on average (higher than is the norm, BTW). Let's also assume that, for understandability, we must separate SSB QSOs by at least 2 KHz. That gives us the following room on the US General-band segments (based upon the US HF band plan as published by the ARRL):

160 meters - 200 KHz = 100 QSOs

75 meters - 150 KHz = 75 QSOs

60 meters - 5 channels = 5 QSOs

40 meters - 75 KHz = 37 QSOs

20 meters - 75 KHz = 37 QSOs

17 meters - 58 KHz = 29 QSOs

15 meters - 150 KHz = 75 QSOs

12 meters - 60 KHz = 30 QSOs

10 meters - 400 KHz = 200 QSOs

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Total Possible QSOs = 488

We can have a total of 488 separate QSOs, or less than 2,000 HF operators talking at once without interference. This calculation eliminates any other modes that are legal in the phone sub-bands such as SSTV.

How Full Will the Bands Be?

IF every US Technician licensee is given General-class privileges, and just 1% of them get on the air at any given time the bands will be full. There will be no room for General-class or higher licensees in the phone sub-bands. Of course, we all know that hams aren't evenly distributed around the bands but instead concentrate on those bands with openings... higher up during the day and lower during the evenings. I cannot imagine the cacaphony that will ensue when 2,000 new hams get on 20 meters... or 500 get on 20 meters, 500 get on 40 meters, and 1,000 get on 75 meters.

There is already squabbling about frequency usage on 75 meters and 20 meters. When hams who are against the indiscriminate granting of HF privileges warn about the chaos that will ensue, the specter of THOUSANDS of hams elbowing for their 2 KHz share of the band is what they are concerned about. This is why many currently-licensed Generals and above are stating that they will retreat to the CW sub-bands... quite frankly there won't be any ROOM in the phone bands for them.

Two Types of Hams -- Two Types of Ham Radio

The vast majority of Techs who just want to talk to someone in a foreign country on their radio don't care whether they're using their 2m mobile or a new HF rig. These users, what I call 'utilitarians', are more interested in talking than the technology behind the talking. Utilitarians include truck drivers who buy 2m and HF rigs to facilitate communications without bothering to get a license. Utilitarians run CB with linears because they want to talk further than the legal maximum of 5 watts will allow. Utilitarians get Tech licenses and get into ham radio because they don't really care about electronics but want to be able to talk long distances without using a cell phone. While most of these Utilitarian licensees operate within the rules and regulations, they also are not willing to upgrade their licenses to gain additional privileges. In short, Utilitarian operators are not the future of ham radio, but instead will be the force that kills amateur radio, as we know it. What we need are more electronics enthusiasts, 'geeks' if you will, who are fascinated by radio, who want to learn more, who are willing to devote a modicum of time to study for and pass a test, and who have the curiosity that leads to experimentation and discovery of new technologies or new applications of existing technologies.

I worry about the future of ham radio populated with no-code HF licensees, many of whom will not know enough or care enough to operate without interfering with others. Sure, some Generals-and-above aren't good operators, but I think it's a valid assumption to conclude that more (not all, MORE) non-Morse-capable ops are less willing to learn proper operating etiquette or the necessary technological knowledge, as evidenced by their unwillingness to learn a rudimentary knowledge of Morse.

Solutions to the Coming HF Chaos

In short, the bands can't take an influx of hundreds of thousands of additional hams, many whom will not have either the knowledge or the temperament to operate without interfering with the current HF ham population. My solution: either keep things the way they are with a 5 wpm requirement for HF access, or give no-code Techs the same privileges as Techs with the code endorsement, namely CW access to the Tech HF sub-bands where they can learn proper HF operating etiquette and work DX without interfering with the present HF population.

I view IRLP and EchoLink as safety valves for the HF bands, since they allow for DX contacts to be made without using HF. Now, some hams decry these solutions as not being true ham radio (and they have a point), but they do allow no-coders to communicate with people in other regions and other countries. Frankly, these technologies have some advantages over traditional HF operation, including no expensive gear requirement, no big antennas, no in-depth knowledge of radio technology, and no possibility of interference to neighbors or other hams. Rather than ridicule those who use these technologies, we should strongly encourage their use so as to take demand off of the HF spectrum.

I know these solutions will not be popular with the no-coders out there, all whom believe (some correctly) they know enough to get onto HF without causing problems. My response: if you want to talk to DX ops without having to prove Morse knowledge, then get on your local IRLP or EchoLink node. If you want to fire up the HF rig, then spend a couple of weeks studying and pass the 5 wpm test... not because you absolutely need to know Morse but because having the discipline to pass the test is one way of demonstrating that you are willing to comply with the current rules and regulations and thus you are more likely to be a good operator.