We begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. For the week of November 12th, 2004, this is The Rain Report.
I'm Blair Alper, KA-9, SEQ, soon to be back in the cornfields of Iowa. If you missed last week's
program featuring one of Ham Radio's real cheerleaders, Bob Heil, K-9 EID, you'll be able
to stream that program until the next Rain Report is posted, thanks to audio bandwidth being
underwritten by CQ Communications. This week we bring you another excerpt from the 2004 live
town hall meeting held at the Dayton Hamvention this past spring. Here's amateur radio newsline
producer and forum moderator Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, to introduce this talk. Morse is going to be no
longer a requirement. It's going to be something you'll do because you want to. That's probably
going to happen very shortly, but Morse code is probably the oldest tradition there is in amateur
radio. When I got started, I had my novice license, 1958. We were only allowed to operate Morse code,
but even well before that, the first hams, the very first hams, they didn't have a microphone,
they didn't have a keyboard, they had a homemade key and a transmitter that transmitted radio
sparks. And from that was born one of the most important traditions of amateur radio,
the knowledge of Morse code. I don't think there's anybody in the United States or perhaps the world
that is more of an authority on the tradition of Morse code and what it means than Nancy Cott,
WZAC. She's from Minimore, Michigan. And Nancy, I've got to be real nice to because Nancy's also
my editor at World Radio Magazine. I'm proud to present the editor of World Radio and US
Representative Office, which is the worldwide CW preservation service, Nancy Cott, WZAC.
I'm not used to using a microphone. I'm taking a little untraditional approach to the tradition
of Morse code today. The A-R-R-L has reprinted a book called 200 Meters and Down, which documents
the history of amateur radio. When radio transmitters were first invented, they used spark
gaps and the only way to send information was by using Morse code, keying the electrical spark on
and off. Vacuum tubes were invented in the early 1900s, which made voice transmissions possible,
and commercial broadcast stations came into use in 1920. Amateur radio operators also changed to
vacuum tubes, which made voice transmission available and affordable. You would think that
voice would be very popular with these amateur operators of the late 1920s and 30s. After all,
speaking words is easier and quicker than tapping them out with the telegraph key,
but this wasn't what happened. When the book 200 Meters and Down was first published in 1936,
it tells that the typical amateur radio was 25 years old, had a station worth about $100,
and he used CW exclusively, even though someday he expected to use voice. That seemed odd to me
that even though these hams had access to voice for the last 16 years, they preferred CW and they
weren't jumping on the voice bandwagon. Why is CW still the preferred mode with many hams sticking
to CW exclusively? I smiled when I realized that in 2004, I'm in the same position. After all,
here I am with an Omni 10 Tech, with a 10 Tech Omni 6 and I have never plugged a mic into it.
I tried to analyze my own feelings, but I couldn't really tell you why I preferred to operate CW.
A friend suggested that maybe it's because when we make a new CW contact, we know that the operator
on the other end has had the same kind of discipline and persistence to also master the code,
which makes you feel a certain kind of kinship with him. That's lacking on sideband, where all
you know about the other op is that he likes to talk. Well, there may be some truth to that,
but I don't think it's an adequate answer. While I was researching some other topics,
the real reason why CW has remained such a strong part of ham radio came to me. You may have heard
me say that once a person learns a new CW, it becomes an intriguing mind game, a game that
doesn't become stale like computer games do, but actually becomes more interesting with time and
your accomplishment level. There is more to CW than what meets the ear. I believe that the following
explanation is extremely important to the future of CW and I hope you'll agree with me. It's a
theory discovered by a European professor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an author of a series of books
about the theory that he calls flow. When Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was a boy, he lived in war-torn
Europe. He saw his hometown and its culture ruthlessly trampled, leaving the residents in
despair. But Mihaly noticed there were a few plucky individuals who had risen above the ruins and
offered comfort and courage to others. They made a deep impression on this frightened little boy.
After the war, he searched for an explanation for the difference between the people who remained
cheerful under difficult situations and those who didn't. He studied psychology and philosophy,
and to make a long story short, he has been the professor of philosophy at the University of
Chicago for the last 23 years. At the university, he had access to resources necessary to conduct
his lifelong search for what it is that makes people happy. Over the years, he and his research
team developed sampling methods and conducted thousands of interviews. Professor Mihaly found
that to have the happiest repeatable individual experiences in life, several things are required.
When I read his list of requirements, I realized that working at CW, QSO, satisfied all of them.
That was a real eye-opener. It explained why people like CW, why we never tire of it and
continually want to work it. It explained why CW remains important enough to be considered a
tradition through the history of ham radio. You're listening to a short presentation by
World Radio Editor and Code Preservationist Nancy Cott. WZ8C. We'll conclude this week's
RAIN Report in a moment. This is the RAIN Report.
You're listening to RAINReport.com, the only authorized internet source for RAIN audio.
Most of the requirements on his list apply to both voice and code operation. The first requirement is
the experience must have a definite goal. In ham radio, our goal is to complete a QSO. Second,
we must have feedback on our steps to attain our goal while we get feedback from the other operator
when they hear us. And thirdly, we must be able to focus our attention on the event and feel in
control of the situation. Well, I think this applies anytime we're on the radio. But with the
next two requirements, however, important differences occur. The fourth requirement is our attention
must be completely absorbed in the operation. When we operate CW, we are dealing with symbols
which we hear automatically translated into letters and we write them down or hold them in
our memory. When we are doing this at or near our fastest copying speed, the operation demands our
full attention. If our mind wanders, we will miss a letter or a word. Professor Mihai calls this
mental state optimal experience or flow. The same is true when sending CW. Watch someone who is
transmitting near his maximum speed. He will be staring through a fixed gaze as he listens to his
own sending. When in flow, the mind is at its best and its happiest. Olympic athletes strive to have
this mental state when giving their performances. The state also alters one sense of time and time
appears to fly by faster. When the state of flow is over, the person feels content, satisfied,
and has increased self-esteem. When using single sideband, working with voice involves little
concentration. You can count the spare change in your pocket, look outside the window at the
weather while waiting for your chance to talk. Flow is rarely, if ever, achieved. The last one on his
list is we must have the possibility of increasing our skill level. When working code, after a rest,
the mind is ready to enjoy another optimal experience. This increases the proficiency of
the operator, who in turn develops a desire to increase his speed. An increase in speed is an
increase in fun and self-esteem. He frequently hungers for this satisfaction and practices off
the air. There is an awesome range for improvement. Some operators have reached over 60 words a minute.
When using single sideband, there's little chance of developing new skills. In fact, operating the
same basic communication system without flow experience eventually leads to boredom, and this
is not good for amateur radio as a whole. Morse code has been the backbone of amateur radio for
almost a hundred years, and from this presentation I just told you, we can see that Morse code remains
to be a passion for many people because once you get proficient at it, it is a source of great
pleasure and gives us a sense of satisfaction and well-being. If we all took one new ham under our
wing and took a personal interest in them, it would pay off in spades for the future of ham radio.
They need to understand something about code that they just can't get from memorizing enough to pass
a five word a minute test. They need to understand that code proficiency is not a barrier, but it is
a gateway to a skill that will not only give them pleasure, but is also good for them. It will keep
those brain neurons firing way into their golden years and is a terrific stress reducer.
At the risk of sounding hokey, I hope that everyone out here will take my code makes me happy challenge.
Sometimes soon, instead of turning on the television or picking up a microphone when you have some free
time at home, go to your shack and try a CWQ soap. A real chat, not a wham bam 599, name is Nancy,
QTH Michigan, hope to see you again. Concentrate on the moment. Savor the tones coming from your radio
and the feel of the key in your hand, just like hams have for almost 100 years. Let yourself get lost
in the rhythm of the code. Get into the flow. You'll emerge from your shack happier than you were when
you went in because you will have experienced the heart of ham radio and you'll be a little prouder
of yourself because you have become part of the tradition. Nancy Cot, WZHC, World Radio Magazine
editor and a driving force behind Fists, an international organization for the preservation of
Morris Code. The views expressed in this week's program do not necessarily reflect those of this
station or anyone connected with RAINN. Opposing viewpoints are welcome. Now for Hap Holly KC9RP,
RAINN's founder producer, I'm Blair Alper, KA9SEQ, bidding you very 73 from all of us at RAINN,
the radio amateur information network. The RAINN Report is copyright 2004 RAINN, all rights reserved.