No more morse code for ham radio?

-. --- / -- --- .-. . / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / ..-. --- .-. / .... .- -- / .-. .- -.. .. --- ..--..

What you see above is the subject line of this journal entry in Morse Code (courtesy of this Java Morse Code translator, as I am too lazy to figure it out for myself). It's kind of neat to look at, despite being incomprehensible to the layman. Still, in the realm of communications, Morse Code does have its advantages. For example, if a craft find itself in distress with the radio so damaged that speech is garbled, an ... --- ... can still make it through the static. Most ham radio operators don't find themselves on angry seas, however.

This may be one of the reasons that the FCC is considering dropping the Morse Code testing requirement for ham radio license applicants. This would have been thrilling news to me about 15 years ago, when I was first discovering all things radio. Back then, I was as lazy as I am now and two things prevented me from getting into ham radio: 1.) the Morse Code test and 2.) the price of equipment. My interest in ham radio waned quickly once I tuned into a police scanner and discovered how painfully boring ham radio conversations were (at least in Northern New York). I had no interest in ham radio whatsoever once I became involved with an FM college radio station. It seemed that I had the most to stay when I had access to one microphone and two CD players.