[W8lrc] FCC TO REINSTATE MORSE CODE TEST

[Tom]

FCC TO REINSTATE MORSE CODE TEST


"It was a big mistake eliminating the Morse Code test," admits FCC official


Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2022 - Today, on the heels of instituting a 
$ 35 application fee, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission 
or FCC) approved Report and Order 14-987.AF which reinstates the Morse 
Code test for General Class and Amateur Extra Class licensees. "It was a 
big mistake eliminating the Morse Code test," admits Dot Ditty, the 
FCC's director of examinations. "We now realize that being able to send 
and receive Morse Code is an essential skill for radio amateurs. As they 
say, it really does get through when other modes can't."

Not only will new applicants have to take the test, but General Class 
licensees who have never passed a code test will have one year to pass a 
5-wpm code test. Similarly, Amateur Extra class licensees that never 
passed a code test will have one year to pass a 13-wpm test. Those 
amateurs that fail to pass the test will face revocation of their 
operating privileges. Materials for administering the examinations will 
be distributed to Volunteer Examiner Coordinators by the end of April, 
so that they can begin the testing on May 1, 2022.

"This isn't going to be one of those silly multiple-choice type tests," 
noted Ditty. "We're going to be sending five-character random code 
groups, just like we did in the old days. And, applicants will have to 
prove that they can send, too, using a poorly adjusted straight key."

Technician Class licensees will not be required to take a Morse Code 
test, nor will a test be required for new applicants. "We discussed it," 
said Dasher, "but decided that since most Techs can't even figure out 
how to program their Baofeng portables, requiring them to learn Morse 
Code seemed like cruel and unusual punishment."

When asked what other actions we might see from the FCC, Dasher hinted 
that in the future applicants taking the written exam may be required to 
draw circuit diagrams, such as Colpitts oscillators and diode ring 
mixers, once again. "We're beginning to think that if an applicant 
passes an amateur radio license exam it should mean that he or she 
actually knows something," she said.

For further information, contact James X. Shorts, Assistant Liaison to 
the Deputy Chief of Public Relations for the FCC at (202) 555-1212 
orjim.shorts at fcc.gov. For more news and information about the FCC, 
please visit www.fcc.gov.

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