Wow, it seems the FCC has finally removed the Morse Code test requirement for Tech Plus, General, and Amateur Extra license classes. So there’s really no reason not to go for Amateur Extra, I suppose.

It always struck me as odd that you had to pass a Morse code proficiency test in order to operate on the HF bands, even if you weren’t going to be doing Morse code (aka ‘CW’) communications. Then again, it also struck me as odd that anyone bothers using HF spectrum at all, but that’s a post for another day.

I almost want to peek at the ARRL forums and take an inventory of the bearded kurmudgeons lamenting the demise of ham radio now that Morse Code is giving way to new-fangled modes like voice. Almost.

Lately I’ve been casting about for self-edification projects to capture my interest the way software engineering increasingly does not. I stumbled upon amateur radio once again, and this time spent a bit more time looking into it before dismissing it as a social outlet for the bearded UNIX militants ca. 1982.

I’ve explored amateur radio in the past, but found it completely unsuited to my tastes. First, it is largely a social activity, concerned with communicating with other ‘hams’ using a variety of modes, from Morse code to voice to video. Anyone who knows me will immediately recognize how little that will appeal to me.