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rulwich on ScienceThe FCC will no longer require Morse Code for amateur radio licenses. The move seems to spell the end of using dots and dashes to spell out words over radio frequencies. But will the "Tom Sawyer" effect keep Morse Code alive?
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REBECCA ROBERTS, host:
Though it's been a hundred years since the invention of voice broadcasting, that doesn't mean people have stopped using its predecessor, Morse code. But as of yesterday, the people most likely to use it, ham radio operators, are no longer required to know the code to get a license to broadcast. It may signal the end of an era, but some hams aren't looking back.
Matt Largey of member station KUT has more.
MATT LARGEY: While there was some debate about the change, for many amateur radio operators it's become kind of a joke.
Mr. JEFF SCHMIDT(ph) (Ham Radio Operator): Well, it's the end of ham radio as we know it. Again.
LARGEY: Jeff Schmidt is a ham radio operator near Austin. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates amateur radio licenses, dropped the requirement, saying it was a barrier for people wanting to improve their skills. Apparently, this debate happens anytime amateur radio changes, whether it's licensing or technology.
Mr. SCHMIDT: Oh no, we can't use the spark gap transmitters anymore? This is the end of ham radio as we know it.
LARGEY: The roof of Schmidt's house is covered with antennae. In what he calls the operating position, lights blink and several transceivers line the desk as he listens to static from one of them, turning the dial.
(Soundbite of radio static)
LARGEY: There's a lot of what sounds like junk out there, at least to the untrained ear. But it doesn't take long to land on something that sounds familiar.
(Soundbite of Morse code)
LARGEY: To find someone floating around on the airwaves, you call out to them using the letters C and Q, as in seek you.
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