Morse code required for the privilege to use the HF bands. Until 2000, proficiency at the 20 wpm level was required to receive the highest level of amateur license (Amateur Extra Class); effective April 15, 2000, the FCC reduced the Extra Class requirement to five wpm. Finally, effective on February 23, 2007, the FCC eliminated the Morse code proficiency requirements from all amateur radio licenses. While voice and data transmissions are limited to specific amateur radio bands under U.S. rules, Morse code is permitted on all amateur bands—LF, MF, HF, VHF, and UHF. In some countries, certain portions of the amateur radio
Morse code mnemonics the elements of the Morse code characters onto pictures for easy memorization. For instance, "R" () might be represented as a "racecar" seen in a profile view, with the two wheels of the racecar being the dits and the body being the dah. Syllabic mnemonics are based on the principle of associating a word "or" phrase to each Morse code letter, with stressed syllables standing for a dah and unstressed ones for a dit. There is no well-known complete set of syllabic mnemonics for English, but various mnemonics do exist for individual letters. In the Czech language, the mnemonic device