"Keith" wrote in message
...
That sure hits the nail on the head. I'll probably learn it then promptly
forget it through non-use. Same as I did for my old merit badge in Boy
Scouts years ago. I still think it's just a hurdle to keep too many people
from getting access to those frequencies. Whether that's a good idea or
not,
I can't say.

At one time it was necessary to know Morse code, but in the last 50 years,
equipment and techniques have changed so much that Morse is no longer the
primary mode of usage. I was, for years, a fan of rtty art. How much of that
do you see anymore? It seems now that I just have a few phone contacts on 40
meters and although we have all of the exotic digital modes in the shack, It
is just not used much. I guess I have reached a 50 year burnout or maybe,
heaven forbid, maturity.

Leanne
s/v Fundy

I suspect that repeater IDs in morse will be dropped as
when if the code requirement completely goes away. In any
case, I believe the ID is sent at 13WPM.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

I agree with keeping the 5 WPM requirement. Being able to read an SOS,
read a repeater ID, etc., etc., is a good thing. And it does not hurt
anyone at 5 WPM. At that speed you can take a cheat sheet with you and
look the longer, harder to remember ones as they are sent. Of course, I
suppose there is someone that will have trouble as soon as they got to
those really tough ones with both dits and dahs... :)

-.- .---- .--- .... .

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

I agree with keeping the 5 WPM requirement. Being able to read an SOS,
read a repeater ID, etc., etc., is a good thing. And it does not hurt
anyone at 5 WPM. At that speed you can take a cheat sheet with you and
look the longer, harder to remember ones as they are sent. Of course, I
suppose there is someone that will have trouble as soon as they got to
those really tough ones with both dits and dahs... :)

-.- .---- .--- .... .

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will be up
to them.

L.

"L." wrote in message
rio.net...

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

I agree with keeping the 5 WPM requirement. Being able to read an SOS,
read a repeater ID, etc., etc., is a good thing. And it does not hurt
anyone at 5 WPM. At that speed you can take a cheat sheet with you and
look the longer, harder to remember ones as they are sent. Of course, I
suppose there is someone that will have trouble as soon as they got to
those really tough ones with both dits and dahs... :)

-.- .---- .--- .... .

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the
least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will be
up
to them.

L.


Rules are rules until they are dropped.... But "I" nor my team will not
allow nor ANY team should or be expect to allow ourselves to be subject to
any punishment as may be handed down to allow a "cheater" to get away with
it. Don't place the exam teams in jeapardy just because you don't like to
follow rules. 5 WPM is NOT that hard. In 2 weeks at about 15 minutes a day,
you can learn code sufficiently to pass that exam.... To not, is pure
laziness. Bitch about 13/20 all you want, but 5 is as easy as it gets.....

L.

L. wrote:


A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will be up
to them.

L.

Calm down, I thought maybe it was okay to have one.

They seemed to give a lot of latitude when I took mine about 3-4 years
ago. I was told I could answer some questions and "gist" the QSO if I
could not or did not want to copy it all down.

As it was, I probably had the best Morse skills in the room (including
the volunteers giving the test) when I took mine. The volunteers
running the test were having a lot of trouble getting the playback
system to work (about 10 headsets ganged up to a cassette player) and in
getting the tape rewound and staged to where they wanted it.

And their Morse skills were either poor or very rusty. So they said,
this is the test, get ready, go! But wound up starting the test with
the last quarter or so of the final practice QSO still going on and none
of the volunteers had a headset on at that point. I did not want to
raise a disturbance for the other (5-6?) testees so I simply started
copying down everything I heard and turned it in at the end.

After I took the written test they said I had passed the theory and code
tests and I was a Technician with Code.

It is another issue but I am a real bone head on theory and have some
trouble recalling tabular data that pretty much has to be memorized so I
did not pass high enough for the General. But I didn't whine about how
hard that was for me.

Maybe after we get done throwing away the Morse requirement we can throw
away all the info in the test that is not needed by people who buy
radios instead of building them. What about that?

And how about not having to memorize all the things that I would
normally and prudently look up on a wall chart or a handy reference?
I'm getting my first social Security check this month and it seems to be
affecting my memory. :)

But the bottom line is that when you have a structured group of people
that have learned something "the hard way" they expect everyone else to
go through the same hoops to join the group. And they are not always wrong.

I love the code and think everyone should know some. Maybe my 26 years
as a Navy cryptologist, with a good part of that involving the copying
of Morse code, is affecting my thinking. I still enjoy hearing "bens
best bent wire" sent in morse. Heaven forbid I should stumble off band
and hear a crusty old Radioman at NPL calling NPM with a "banana boat
swing" to his fist. I'd probably cry.

Cheers!

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
L. wrote:


A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the
least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will
be up
to them.

L.

Calm down, I thought maybe it was okay to have one.


Calm down? First of all, I'm not "upset". But - you are kidding, right? You
"thought" it was ok to have one? Cheat sheets are NEVER allowed. You weren't
allowed them in school, you surely aren't now either. IF any team EVER let
anyone use one, then it was a fraudulent exam session - pure and simple. ANY
"honest"' VEC and the FCC would stand by that.

They seemed to give a lot of latitude when I took mine about 3-4 years
ago. I was told I could answer some questions and "gist" the QSO if I
could not or did not want to copy it all down.


See my comments above...... regarding the cheat sheets - if you were given
"latitude"..... Be careful what you admit to, the FCC could make you RETEST.
AND if they find you failed, then you and the VEs are also subject to
punishment. The CW tests USED to be either Fill in the blanks OR Multiple
choice or whatever the team chose to use. FIB and MC were the two most
widely used. NOW they are ONLY "Fill in the blanks". You needed then AND
NOW, to pass 7 out of 10 in answers to pass the exam. IF you failed the code
exam written, they could look at your code copy and IF you had the
prescribed number of characters "straight"' in a row with NO MISTAKES, they
could pass you on that. THAT is how it is SUPPOSED to be done.

As it was, I probably had the best Morse skills in the room (including
the volunteers giving the test) when I took mine. The volunteers
running the test were having a lot of trouble getting the playback
system to work (about 10 headsets ganged up to a cassette player) and in
getting the tape rewound and staged to where they wanted it.


Then if you were that good, you shouldn't have needed a "cheat sheet". THEY
should have been General class or above. I don't know.... faulty equipment
still doesn't give "latittude" towards "answers". WE would have started it
over - PERIOD. What you had copied would have been passed off as a "warm
up".

And their Morse skills were either poor or very rusty. So they said,
this is the test, get ready, go! But wound up starting the test with
the last quarter or so of the final practice QSO still going on and none
of the volunteers had a headset on at that point. I did not want to
raise a disturbance for the other (5-6?) testees so I simply started
copying down everything I heard and turned it in at the end.


Then they should have stopped the test and got the tape qued and started
over. That was not a good example of testing.....

After I took the written test they said I had passed the theory and code
tests and I was a Technician with Code.


Congradulations - if you did it "honestly".

It is another issue but I am a real bone head on theory and have some
trouble recalling tabular data that pretty much has to be memorized so I
did not pass high enough for the General. But I didn't whine about how
hard that was for me.


ALL exams have ALL the answers in books widely available. If you had
trouble, then you need to study more. Memorizing answers A, B, C, D - just
doesn't cut it. One does NOT get the proper understanding of it. If you KNOW
the stuff, then the test will come easier. The only thing is, when you read
one of the "widely available" study guides, though the answers are the same,
the alignment - IE; A, B, C, D - may not be. I know a guy who tried
memorizing that way once and failed. The book was shown to us after, and the
answers were in a different order.

Maybe after we get done throwing away the Morse requirement we can throw
away all the info in the test that is not needed by people who buy
radios instead of building them. What about that?


WHY? Then when all the electronics goes to hell, who then goes on in
interest to become those who design and manufacture your stereos, tvs, play
stations, computers, etc. ? MANY who get licensed as hams, go on to be
broadcast engineers, etc. Especially if they're young with the hobby at
heart. The old farts, well, that is another story. SOMEONE has to "learn"
electronics. HAM is usually a stepping stone. Man, they once said this is
the dumbing down of America..... IT SURE IS. With the "I don't want to learn
it" attitude, in a few years, this country won't be worth a good ****. ANY
country who strives for excellence will beat us hands down then........
We'll have a bunch of dumb asses who won't know how to do anything.

And how about not having to memorize all the things that I would
normally and prudently look up on a wall chart or a handy reference?
I'm getting my first social Security check this month and it seems to be
affecting my memory. :)


MAN, that is PURE LAZINESS. For Christs sakes, they're not asking to recite
the Bill of rights! Just a "few" formulas. Why bother reading a "driver's
license manual" to learn how to drive, to pass the exams which require you
to know all the signs of the roads? WHY DO ANY STUDYING???? Why not just all
of us end up a bunch of morons because of laziness? Ohms law is one of the
most basic formulas you can be called on to remember and how to do it. When
I had trouble with it in school in shop class, I was made to write it 100
times. Believe me, I learned it fast. It was tough then - as a teen who was
rebellious against "hard work", doing all that writing, but ya know what????
I'm glad as hell it was drilled into me. Electronics became not only a great
hobby but my business.

But the bottom line is that when you have a structured group of people
that have learned something "the hard way" they expect everyone else to
go through the same hoops to join the group. And they are not always
wrong.


It is only as hard as you make it. ANY THING with work or hard earned money
put into it, makes it worth more. When you have something given to you,
you're more apt to abuse it. Had you not went to school to learn, you
wouldn't be anywhere near as far ahead.

I love the code and think everyone should know some. Maybe my 26 years
as a Navy cryptologist, with a good part of that involving the copying
of Morse code, is affecting my thinking. I still enjoy hearing "bens
best bent wire" sent in morse. Heaven forbid I should stumble off band
and hear a crusty old Radioman at NPL calling NPM with a "banana boat
swing" to his fist. I'd probably cry.


I bet the Navy made you study SOMETHING. And, if you had to do Morse in the
service, then why are you bitching about it now? Surely if you did it there,
you can do it here WITHOUT A CHEAT SHEET. If you were to use a cheat sheet
in the Navy to receive a message of a pending attack, by the time you got
done decoding using a cheat sheet, the message of a Bomb is headed your
way... the bomb has probably HIT.

Look, this isn't "personal".... but I DO disagree with you or that you've
experienced....... Any reference I've made as to a dumb ass and so on, is
not to you - personally. It is in general if things do end up going as you
seem to suggest.

Cheers!

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

L.

Hooah!! I remember a friend that took his 5WPM by writing down the
dots and dashes. Then in the "think-time" after the test he was able to
remember the code. VEs outlawed that practice pretty quick!

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista


"L." wrote in message
io.net...
"L." wrote in message
rio.net...

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

I agree with keeping the 5 WPM requirement. Being able to read an
SOS,
read a repeater ID, etc., etc., is a good thing. And it does not hurt
anyone at 5 WPM. At that speed you can take a cheat sheet with you
and
look the longer, harder to remember ones as they are sent. Of course,
I
suppose there is someone that will have trouble as soon as they got to
those really tough ones with both dits and dahs... :)

-.- .---- .--- .... .

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the
least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will
be
up
to them.

L.


Rules are rules until they are dropped.... But "I" nor my team will not
allow nor ANY team should or be expect to allow ourselves to be subject to
any punishment as may be handed down to allow a "cheater" to get away with
it. Don't place the exam teams in jeapardy just because you don't like to
follow rules. 5 WPM is NOT that hard. In 2 weeks at about 15 minutes a
day,
you can learn code sufficiently to pass that exam.... To not, is pure
laziness. Bitch about 13/20 all you want, but 5 is as easy as it gets.....

L.

Lines: 25
Message-ID:
X-Complaints-To:
X-Abuse-Info: Please forward a copy of all headers for proper handling
X-Trace: ldjgbllpbapjglppdbdpiflmbcekedmfhojhikkbagflhcbobg iiddancopfppnphboeneagdmedomkfhgjfjiklkmnnojcmihbi hliohechmkebafjffeobjmmidimdmnkmcjnfolkihdbfopgkhf bmgdpmhfjg
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2004 13:52:23 EDT
Organization: BellSouth Internet Group
Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2004 17:52:23 GMT
Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com rec.boats.electronics:56754


On 2004-08-08 AMcom said:
as a Navy cryptologist, with a good part of that involving the
copying of Morse code, is affecting my thinking. I still enjoy
hearing "bens best bent wire" sent in morse. Heaven forbid I
should stumble off band and hear a crusty old Radioman at NPL
calling NPM with a "banana boat swing" to his fist. I'd probably
cry. OK, whatever all that means
LIked that one, won a qlf contest sending that phrase years ago.

Another similar one I used ot hear was "bens best beer bet."

73



Richard Webb, amateur radio callsign nf5b
active on the Maritime Mobile service network, 14.300 mhz
REplace anything before the @ symbol with elspider for real email

--



"So she said it was either her or ham radio....OVER"

COmments below.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
L. wrote:


A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the
least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will
be up
to them.

L.

Calm down, I thought maybe it was okay to have one.

I guess the term "CHEAT SHEET" still has the conatations of CHEATING.

They seemed to give a lot of latitude when I took mine about 3-4 years
ago. I was told I could answer some questions and "gist" the QSO if I
could not or did not want to copy it all down.

Those are the rules, not a "gist". You can have good copy, or in the absense
of good copy (perfect I recall), you can pass if you can pull out the
important pieces of info from the QSO.

As it was, I probably had the best Morse skills in the room (including
the volunteers giving the test) when I took mine.

Doubtful.

The volunteers
running the test were having a lot of trouble getting the playback
system to work (about 10 headsets ganged up to a cassette player) and in
getting the tape rewound and staged to where they wanted it.

Has not much to do with their competence in Morse code.

And their Morse skills were either poor or very rusty. So they said,
this is the test, get ready, go! But wound up starting the test with
the last quarter or so of the final practice QSO still going on and none
of the volunteers had a headset on at that point. I did not want to
raise a disturbance for the other (5-6?) testees so I simply started
copying down everything I heard and turned it in at the end.

Seems like their competence at running a cassette player it the issue.

After I took the written test they said I had passed the theory and code
tests and I was a Technician with Code.

Congratulations! Now keep studying and get a real license.

It is another issue but I am a real bone head on theory and have some
trouble recalling tabular data that pretty much has to be memorized so I
did not pass high enough for the General. But I didn't whine about how
hard that was for me.

You are a man with character. Just keep at it. If getting a ham license was
easy they would call it CB.

Maybe after we get done throwing away the Morse requirement we can throw
away all the info in the test that is not needed by people who buy
radios instead of building them. What about that?

Bad idea. Most of the theory remaining on the tests deals with being able
to determine if you are operating legally and safely. Off the shelf
rigs don;t come along with someone to install the rig properly and
with someone standing behind you to tell you if you are radiating
legally. Antennas and feed systems are not totally off the shelf and
your neighbors are not required to put up with interference from you.
You have to be able to determine that yourself. Also, homebuilding
is still legal and thank goodness still practiced.

And how about not having to memorize all the things that I would
normally and prudently look up on a wall chart or a handy reference?

Same reason you had to take english, history, math, etc in school. You have
to know a bit about things to understand what the chart on he wall is
saying.

I'm getting my first social Security check this month and it seems to be
affecting my memory. :)

I hope I live so long

But the bottom line is that when you have a structured group of people
that have learned something "the hard way" they expect everyone else to
go through the same hoops to join the group. And they are not always
wrong.

I seem to recall having to take a driver's test to get a drivers licence.
And
an FAA test to get a pilots license.

I love the code and think everyone should know some.

Then then 5 WPM requirement should sit well with you. That is pretty
much what it accomplishes.

Maybe my 26 years
as a Navy cryptologist, with a good part of that involving the copying
of Morse code, is affecting my thinking. I still enjoy hearing "bens
best bent wire" sent in morse. Heaven forbid I should stumble off band
and hear a crusty old Radioman at NPL calling NPM with a "banana boat
swing" to his fist. I'd probably cry.

OK, whatever all that means

Cheers!

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
Hooah!! I remember a friend that took his 5WPM by writing down the
dots and dashes. Then in the "think-time" after the test he was able to
remember the code. VEs outlawed that practice pretty quick!

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista


"L." wrote in message
io.net...
"L." wrote in message
rio.net...

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

I guess I'm a little behind as well. If I recall correctly, when
the
last rule change happened that made 5WPM the speed for
General and Advanced, it was stated that the ITU requirement
was the reason that it could not be dropped entirely. Once the
ITU dropped the requirement, the FCC would iniate action
to follow suit. Personally, I think the code should stay.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

I agree with keeping the 5 WPM requirement. Being able to read an
SOS,
read a repeater ID, etc., etc., is a good thing. And it does not
hurt
anyone at 5 WPM. At that speed you can take a cheat sheet with you
and
look the longer, harder to remember ones as they are sent. Of
course,
I
suppose there is someone that will have trouble as soon as they got
to
those really tough ones with both dits and dahs... :)

-.- .---- .--- .... .

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

A CHEAT SHEET???????????????

Buddy, if you're not ready for an exam, you're going to fail. Come to
my
exams and be caught and the exam is OVER and YOU FAIL. And that is the
least
you can expect. Being turned into the FCC for any possible action will
be
up
to them.

L.


Rules are rules until they are dropped.... But "I" nor my team will not
allow nor ANY team should or be expect to allow ourselves to be subject
to
any punishment as may be handed down to allow a "cheater" to get away
with
it. Don't place the exam teams in jeapardy just because you don't like
to
follow rules. 5 WPM is NOT that hard. In 2 weeks at about 15 minutes a
day,
you can learn code sufficiently to pass that exam.... To not, is pure
laziness. Bitch about 13/20 all you want, but 5 is as easy as it
gets.....

L.





This in reply to the thread, not to Doug Dotson - personally......

At 5 WPM, if you have enough time to write down the dits and dahs, you sure
in hell have enough time to decipher it in your head. It doesn't take much
longer to write down the letter K for example when you hear -.- as it would
for you to go back and recall it later. So, why not save yourself the
aggrivation and frustration and do it right the FIRST time....? It's plain
and simple... Either you know the code OR YOU DON'T. And if you know it
even reasonably well, you'll do fine..... WITHOUT the crap.

To take a sheet in to the exam with you with all the letters, numerals and
characters and Q signals and such which shows them in dits and dahs - is the
same as taking in with you a cheat sheet with all the Ohms Law formulas,
Frequency Charts, Part 97 rules which you are supposed to know off the top
of your head and so on..... Call it gray if you like, somehow I don't think
the FCC would allow it, if they were still testing. They expect you to know
what you're being tested on, just as your school teachers did. Just before
the FCC quit giving exams, they were in most cases, down to once a month and
quite a drive if you didn't live near a city. IF you didn't know your
stuff, you failed. AND then you wasted a trip and had to wait 30 days to try
again. Cheat sheets? Man they probably would have strung you up, if they
caught you. Actually, the VEs are supposed to check calculators too, to
erase ANY/ALL saved formulas you may have in there, so you "have" to recall
them mentally. The only thing there is, you are allowed to write them down
on your scratch paper from memory - but all scratch papers are to be turned
in with the exams. Writing them on your scratch paper is NOT the same as
taking in a sheet with them already listed. Read the Rules, you'll see
(about the calculators) . Unless they changed and I"m not aware of it, that
still stands. So if that is the case, then WHY would you be allowed a "cheat
sheet"?????

If you got to cheat to get by in life, then what value does your life or any
goals you've achieved - hold?????

The gentleman now ready for his Social Security check surprised the hell out
of me... Folks in that age bracket - I thought - knew what it was to put in
some effort, a hard days' work and get some value out of life. Having served
time in the Navy, which I'm not condeming him of in anyway, I'm surprised he
seems to have taken the attitude he has. To have been trained hard, to put
in effort to get the job done.... I AM SURPRISED.

NOTHING in life worth having - comes free or easy. There is NO free
lunch....... We ALL live by rules... Rules of the road, the bible if you so
choose to do that, the community, FCC and so on. With no rules, man this
world would run amuck and be a hell of a lot worse off than it is becoming
daily.

Furthermore, maybe "my" examples of why the theory are needed weren't good,
but if you don't test at all, then why bother? The ham bands just handed out
like the CB band.... Then what? I'm not condemning CBers either. I know many
good ones. It is the bad apples of the bunch causing the harm. And yes even
the bad apples among the hams that are making Ham radio to become a cess
pool. Giving away a license surely will not clean it up. It can only get
worse. What sir, would you propose if no theory or code, should be done to
get you there? I eagerly await your answer. As Doug points out, there are
STILL things which can be done by hams, and I TOO am proud of it. I've built
equipment from scratch which has saved me hours of labor in my hobby and
business. I continue to learn something new every day. Were it not for hams,
many of the advances made may still be in the imagination stages. Hams
aren't the saviors of the world, but they've brought this world a good ways
into the present. You're still able to make and install your own antennas
which does take "some" knowledge, especially to tune them if need be. OR if
building - to know the formulas to get them to resonate. Many who get on a
radio (CB for example) don't know the first thing of what goes on when they
key the mic. Isn't it nice to know HOW things work or to be able to improve
your system - even if you can't repair the radio due to today's
technology????? There is STILL much to do there.... LEARN IT, USE IT, ENJOY
IT. ONLY THEN - will the fruits of your labor come to pass and you'll then
"APPRECIATE" your time and efforts.

When we WANT to stop learning, to stop trying, succeeding - what will we
have come to? What good will we be to ourselves and/or to others? Why, we
won't even amount to a droid. One can only wonder how terrible things really
will be then. I don't want to take that trip into the twilight zone......
It's ugly enough to think it, let alone experience.

L.