I recall reading where the KGB oh, I think that’s what they still call themselves, I have gone to manual typewriters at their headquarters to increase security of administrative functions.
I wonder if the US military or the US Uniformed Services have maintained their proficiencies in MF and HF Communications, Morse code (CW) is gone by the wayside but plenty of Old Timers l still know how to use it, CW might not be fast and it might not be efficient but when all else fails it is the mode that is going to keep Communications intact. I wonder if CW is going to make a comeback as well?
I wonder if the Navy and the Coast Guard still know how to navigate with a sextant? I don’t think they teach it anymore in fact, I think they might have all gone to electronic charting.
In the early 80's I was teaching 98C at Ft. Devens. The overview lesson plan had us teaching that CW was no longer used.
At the same time there were 05H (058 for you old people, 98H for the post VN folks.) classes being taught across the quad.
re: “Morse code (CW) is gone by the wayside but plenty of Old Timers l still know how to use it, “
There is digital comm mode (JS8, with JS8CALL being the app) that works down to -24 dB SNR, which is about 15 dB below what a good CW op can copy a message at ... this is great during this period of low sunspot activity (and poor band conditions).
A LOT of development has taken place since the days of PSK31, such as the WSJT suite of low-SNR modes courtesy of Joe Taylor W1JT Nobel Laureate and astrophysicist.
I’ll be running JS8 in a little bit here on 40 meters ...