As the deadline for this issue of QST looms we have accumulated about four months of experience with the absence of a Morse code licensing requirement in the United States. Judging by reports from around the country and our own on-the-air observations, things are going reasonably well.

At the bottom of the sunspot cycle -- where we are right now -- fewer HF bands are open and the ones that are open are more crowded than usual. A large influx of new HF operators at this point in the cycle could have been a bit chaotic. In actuality their arrival has gone quite smoothly, aided by a welcoming attitude on the part of many veteran operators.

At first, Technicians and others who are new to 10 meters must have wondered why the band was "forbidden fruit" for so long. Signals of other than the local variety were pretty rare. That's normal at the bottom of the cycle. Some time spent on 10 when conditions are poor increases one's appreciation for the good times that are coming, when you will be able to work the world with low power and a modest antenna. By May the sporadic-E season had arrived, giving many Techs a chance to get started on Worked All States or simply the opportunity to get acquainted with like-minded people hundreds of miles away.

We're pleased to report that ARRL membership increased in each of the past three months and now stands at more than 151,000. The biggest contributing factor is the increase in interest and activity that is evident among the relatively large number of recent upgrades to General and Amateur Extra. If you are in this group, welcome -- or welcome back! -- and thanks for your support of Amateur Radio's national organization. A second factor is a rise in the number of new licenses being issued. While the Technician license has been available without a Morse exam for the better part of a generation, it seems to be more attractive now. It's too early, though, to know whether these upward trends will last; they could just reflect pent-up demand.

One thing that's certain is that there has been no decline in the number of people wanting to learn and use the Morse code! Anyone who had feared (or hoped) that CW would wither away can put that thought aside. Demand for Morse training remains strong and on-the-air CW activity is robust. Some recent upgrades have told us that now that they don't have to learn CW they're more interested in doing so. It should be more fun for them than for their predecessors whose sole objective was to pass the 5 word-per-minute exam. If that's your only goal, you're likely to develop habits that will get in the way of developing real proficiency.

As documented in last month's QST, the current wave of enthusiasm was very much in evidence at this year's Dayton Hamvention. Attendees at other conventions and hamfests this spring report much the same thing. We're looking forward to a terrific ARRL National Convention in Huntsville August 18-19!

We're also encouraged by reports of what some clubs are doing to welcome newcomers and returnees. One is the West Palm Beach (Florida) Amateur Radio Club, a longtime ARRL affiliate. In March, two members opened their homes and shacks to help new General licensees and others interested in learning HF operating procedures. In May an Antenna Soldering Party was successful in teaching the new members, as well as some of the more experienced operators, the finer points of constructing a wire dipole antenna. The group made antennas for the 20, 40 and 80 meter bands and took them to a nearby park for testing. Many of the newer members successfully completed their first HF contacts using the antennas they had just built. Now a Kit Building Class is forming where participants will build and test 40 meter transceiver kits. Congratulations to the gang at W4HAW!

A recent ARRL affiliate that emphasizes having fun in Amateur Radio is the Portage County (Ohio) Amateur Radio Service (PCARS), KD8CKP. If you don't believe they're having fun, visit their Web site at www.portcars.org and take a look at their outstanding newsletters! The club has taken advantage of free program material available at www.arrl.org/multimedia to help educate its members about contesting and DXing. Other recent programs dealt with the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), QRP, and a hands-on workshop building and testing HF antennas. Hats off to the PCARS!

These are but two examples of great work being done in communities throughout the country to introduce the wide range of opportunities in Amateur Radio to a new wave of licensees. If your club is doing something similar or you've come up with even better ideas, please share your experiences with your ARRL Section Manager and Affiliated Club Coordinator, and in Newington with Assistant MVP Department Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ. Norm shares ideas via a monthly electronic newsletter, ARRL Club News, that is available free of charge to any ARRL member. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by following the instructions at www.arrl.org/clubnews/.

In short, Amateur Radio is off to a good start in adjusting to the FCC's rules changes. The development of skills and the sharing of knowledge -- which, by the way, is a two-way street -- are taking place in the best traditions of Amateur Radio. To everyone who is helping, thank you! To our newcomers, you have much to look forward to as radio amateurs. The best is yet to come.

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