Losing CW to voice??

[KA1EZE]

ARRL talking about eliminating novice subbands (see http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2001/12/21/2/?nc=1)

They mention: "A guiding principle was that no class of licensees would lose any privileges as a result of refarming."

What they want to do is stretch voice into the novice band.

But it seems like that's losing privs to me! Although you can operate CW in a voice band, the practicality would say no.

And even if so, it looks like if you're a general, you would not be able to do CW where you previously could in the novice area.

What does everyone else read in this? It sure doesn't seem like a win for cw use does it?

Rick

[WB4M]

Hi Rick,
Now you see the big picture.   The SSB hogs have had their eyes on the CW and digital frequencies for quite sometime.   When CW is totally eliminated as a requirement, don't be surprised to see the SSB ops push for "more room".   Fortuneatly, the great influx of PSK ops and other digital modes has pretty much saved the digital areas form encroachment by phone ops.

[N7DM]

I know for certain that as long as there are Hams in the World...working DX (serious or casual)...CW will live on and on...and on.  Consider how many Eu hams have English skills enough to 'talk' on CW..while never even trying to SPEAK those sounds. Did you take a foreign language in High School ?  A Deuce of a lot easier to read and write than speak and listen to; CW is a lot like reading and writing.  As for elimination of the Phone Sub-bands...It would be like 160, I think. Narrow IF filters would let us work as we need. Not fun, but live-with-able.  One day, i was in QSO with a guy on 20 CW. Terribly crowded. We QSY'ed up to 14.280....had a nice QSO at 28 or so...and I don't think those phone guys even knew we were there !!
"Music Mode Forever"

73    "dm"