CW Test to QRS?

RAC Asks I/C to Drop Need For 12wpm Testing

From: RAC Headquarters (rachq@rac.ca)
Date: February 11, 2000
Subject: RAC to ask Industry Canada to drop 12 wpm Morse requirement.

The Board of Directors of RAC has voted unanimously in favour of a motion to approach Industry Canada with a proposal to drop the requirement for a 12 words per minute  Morse code test in Canada. Following the lead of the recent FCC decision in the US, as well as in some European countries, RAC proposes that Canadian amateurs who have passed a 5 wpm Morse code test as well as the necessary written examination, be allowed full access to the HF bands. A formal proposal will be submitted to Industry Canada in the near future.

CANADA, AUSTRALIA EYE MORSE SPEED REDUCTION   
         …..from The ARRL Letter      
Canada and Australia could follow the US in reducing the Morse code examination requirement to 5 WPM for full HF access. Radio Amateurs of Canada announced plans this month to ask Industry Canada to eliminate that
country's 12 WPM Morse requirement. The RAC Board of Directors has voted unanimously in favor of the proposal, expected to be filed soon. If enacted, the change would leave 5 WPM as the sole Morse code examination requirement for full HF access in Canada.

Meanwhile, the Wireless Institute of Australia reports it's seriously considering whether to push regulatory authorities to reduce the maximum Morse code license test speed Down Under from 10 to 5 WPM. WIA says it expects to discuss the matter in detail next month with the Australian Communications Authority.

The WIA says a majority of its membership divisions appear to favor the reduction from 10 to 5 WPM in Australia. The general issue of Morse code licensing requirements is expected to be a topic for debate at the IARU Region 3 conference the WIA will host later this year. Discussion of the International Radio Regulations regarding the Morse code requirement is not expected to come up prior to the World Radiocommunication Conference set for 2003.
A single 5 WPM Morse code examination requirement for HF access goes into effect in the US on April 15 as part of sweeping licensing rules changes. The United Kingdom and Sweden also have adopted 5 WPM as the Morse code examination requirement for access to the full HF amateur spectrum. The South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is said to be poised to act on a South African Radio League request for a lower code speed limit there. Other nations have expressed interest in the issue.

The Israeli Ministry of Communications has introduced a new license with a 6 WPM Morse code requirement that gives CW-only access to HF bands. The new ticket does not include all HF bands, however.