Germany moves to keep code tests

The Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) in a submission "Morse code and WRC 2003" to the IARU Region 1 Conference being held in San Marino in November, support the retention of Morse code as an amateur licence qualification.
It urges all IARU Region 1 member societies to ask their radio authorities to keep Morse code as an amateur licence test requirement.
DARC argues that in all of the previous discussion in the IARU Region 1 about the obligatory knowledge of Morse code, one major requirement not under dispute is to keep the knowledge level of amateur radio examinations at least at the current standard.
DARC seems to rely on this to mean that Morse code should continue as a licence requirement. "Morse code watch" says time will tell if the DARC submission gains support from other IARU Region 1 radio societies.
A vote of DARC members earlier this year narrowly supported retention of the code requirement.
DARC also states in its submission, that the IARU Administrative Committee's "Guatemala Resolution" on the issue needs to be reviewed.
In a media release issued in October 2001, the IARU AC stated: … recognising that the Morse code continues to be an effective and efficient mode of communication used by many thousands of radio amateurs, but further recognising that the position of Morse as a qualifying criterion for an HF amateur license is no longer relevant to the healthy future of amateur radio,
Resolves that
1. member societies are urged to seek, as an interim measure, Morse code
testing speeds not exceeding five words per minute;
2. setting aside any previous relevant decisions, IARU policy is to support
the removal of Morse code testing as an ITU requirement for an amateur
license to operate on frequencies below 30 MHz.
The DARC has also proposed that IARU Region 1 societies should, as a group, discuss the introduction of a Novice licence system before introducing a low level entry licence to their individual radio authorities.
This proposal could be seen as referring to those nations, including Britain with its Foundation licence, who have or intend to jump the gun on a uniform CEPT Class 3 (novice) licence.
12th September 2002

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