The Last Official Morse Code Exam Given in the U.S.A.
by Darryl Widman, KF6DI VE Team Contact Person
The FCC, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that the Morse Code exam is not ever to be given again as a condition of passing any Amateur Radio class of license. The official limit of the date and time of the last Code exam to be given is Thursday, February 22, 2007 at midnight Eastern Standard Time. After that date and time, Code exams will be history in the United States.
This little bit of information presents an opportunity for someone to become famous! How so? Well, a few members of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club were struck by the idea that a special VE testing session might be given between 8:30 P.M. and 9:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time in Santa Barbara on the above date, thus allowing that lucky and special person to become the absolute last person to take and pass a Morse Code exam in the U.S.A., ever!
This message should appeal to all Amateur Radio operators who hold the Technician class of license and have never yet passed their Morse Code exam (Element 1) part of the requirement to become General class holders. Also, those folks who hold a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) for General or Amateur Extra class could take this Code exam so as to feel like they had "done it right!"
Above all, the very last one to pass his or her Code exam would, as stated above, become instantly famous by having his or her name appear in the publication of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club -- Key-Klix -- and, if verified by the ARRL as the "last to pass", somewhere visible in QST magazine to be seen all over the U.S.A. and the world.
If you would like to become world famous, get in touch with me, Darryl Widman, KF6DI, Contact Person for the Volunteer Examiner Team of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club and pre-register for this spectacularly special VE exam. You will be given the time, place and what to bring for this testing session. Call me at 805-969-2326 afternoons or evenings.
And yes, Code is NOT dead! Code will live on forever!
Study hard and practice. Not much time left. 73 and Good Luck!