Gee folks, how long did it take for the debates over the ban against spark gap in favor of CW, FCC's approval of SSB and other such changes go on . . . back then? I barely remember arguments between hams who were just beginning to use Donald Duck talk vs. hams who thought AM should be the only fone mode! I admit that I'm too way too young to know anything about the fight between spark and CW people. As I've told my people in the GLD, when I took my driver's license exam, Indiana required that I use a car equipped with a standard transmission. On the intellectual level of most code test vs. no code test debates, this makes all the young whippersnappers who took driving tests using automatic transmission far inferior to me. After all, I'm a "real" driver. Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 -----Original Message----- From: Frank Fallon [mailto:n2ff@optonline.net] Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 8:39 PM To: arrl-odv Cc: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:14945] Re: WT Docket 05-235 Joel Harrison wrote:

As I stated in my email yesterday, it is good to see the FCC finally act of WT Docket 05-235.

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Joel, I could not agree more with the statement below. The FCC has ruled: CW is Mode and NOT a religion. I for one have had the debate up to my ears for far too long! I will be interesting to see how ham radio goes in the next few years. It is, I am sure, not the end of the world. And yes, it is LONG overdue! I think it's a nice Christmas present.

For me personally, I'm glad we have the Morse issue behind us so we can move forward. The debate has burdened us for far too many years.

73 Joel W5ZN

p.s. Just so you don't get the two mixed up, I'm not happy with what the Commission did regarding our 80 meter recon petition. That, however, is another matter to address and deal with.