[AMRadio] FW: The Man from Dayton!!!!

[Bob Peters]

THIS IS THE COMPLETE SPEECH VERY WELL DONE>>>W1PE

>
>       FCC FORUM - Remarks by RILEY HOLLINGSWORTH, K4ZDH
>
>
>       Special Counsel, Spectrum Enforcement Division, FCC Enforcement
>Bureau
>
>
>       Well you could have gone to the Flea Market, but you came to 
>CHURCH
>instead! I've got you now. Thank you for coming to Dayton. Just by your

>sheer numbers you make the DARA Hamvention one of the most powerful
forces 
>in Amateur radio, and it shows that you are serious about it ...and
that 
>you care about its future.
>
>
>       By participating in an event such as this you help ensure its 
>future
>...you show your numbers and your determination.
>
>
>       I'm not going to go over enforcement updates - there's no need 
>to
>take up your time on that. You can follow Amateur radio enforcement in
the 
>publications---QST, CQ Magazine, and on the websites of ARRL, RAIN
Report, 
>Newsline and now our own FCC webpage by going to FCC.gov and going to
the 
>Enforcement Bureau pages. The ARRL web page has a link to that as well.
>
>
>       I want to talk to you about what bothers me most about Amateur 
>Radio
>...and I want to give you a homework assignment.
>
>
>       The blatant rule violators ...I think you can see that we are 
>taking
>care of them - or most of them - on a gradual basis. Current violations
are 
>about what we would expect from a service your size.
>
>
>       But what concerns me most is this: You still need to "lighten 
>up." I
>said that last year but you need to take it to heart more. All of you
can 
>learn from each other. And you need to work together more and show a
little 
>more respect for your diverse interests and for the service as a whole.
It 
>isn't about you. It isn't about enforcement. It's about Amateur radio.
>
>
>       Every time you get on the air, you need to decide what's most
>important to you ...the best interests of Amateur radio as a whole, or
your 
>own pride or ego or "rights". I realize I may be preaching to the choir

>here, but on the air you need to be more cooperative and less 
>argumentative. And I need you to take this message with you when you go

>home.
>
>
>       Your homework assignment is to read Dave Sumner's article in May
>2007 QST, page 9. I have a couple hundred copies for you and if you
can't 
>get one, contact me and I'll scan one to you.
>
>
>       In a nutshell, I have good news and bad news. The good news: 
>nothing
>is wrong with Amateur radio. It is a good service that is showing its
value 
>to the public on a daily basis. Bad news is that there is an element of

>Amateur radio that too often reflects present society generally.
Whatever 
>the phenomenon behind Road Rage - whatever that is - that's what I am 
>talking about. All of you need to work together and depend upon the FCC

>less to solve your operating problems. We live in a rude, discourteous,

>profane, hotheaded society that loves its rights, prefers not to hear
about 
>its responsibilities, and that spills over in to the Ham bands.
>
>
>       I can't really say it any better than Dave Sumner did in May 
>2007
>QST-Page 9, and your homework assignment is to read it: "Most of the 
>unpleasantness that erupts from time to time on the most popular HF
bands 
>can be avoided if we're willing to be flexible in our frequency
selection."
>
>
>       I have some messages to all the groups along these lines. But 
>before
>I get to that, I want to say that a little more kindness would go a
long 
>way in your service. Lots of you are like people in a parking lot
arguing 
>over a parking space when there are hundreds available. We are all
ordinary 
>people, and even on the best days, probably work and think at around
60% 
>efficiency. We are not the greatest nation on earth. We think we are
but we 
>aren't and we aren't the greatest people. Look at the evening news for 
>about a week if you don't realize that. And think about what the rest
of 
>the world sees going on in America.
>
>
>       What we ARE is this: "We are rude, self important, cell phone
>yapping, road raging, and stressed out monsters behind the wheel." And
all 
>too often behind the microphone. You are increasingly calling upon the
FCC 
>too much to solve your problems. Remember: "Most of the unpleasantness
that 
>erupts from time to time on the most popular HF bands can be avoided if

>we're willing to be flexible in our frequency selection."
>
>
>       To all Amateur Radio operators in general: I was looking at a 
>1968
>QST the other day and noticed inside the back cover an ad for Swan 
>transceivers. Some of you might remember the 350 and the 250. These
were 
>really state of the art at the time. The 350 has 17 little controls and
one 
>big one. The VFO, presumably to make it easy to change frequencies. Now

>let's go to a 2007 QST magazine and look on the back cover at the
Kenwood 
>TS570. It has 46 little controls and knobs, and one big one, the VFO.
Look 
>near the back at the ICOM 7800. It has about 75 little controls and 
>buttons, but the real big knob is still the VFO ...presumably to make 
>changes in frequency the easiest function of all!
>
>
>       That's why you are the only service that has thousands of
>frequencies and hundreds usable at any given time of day or year. It
was 
>designed that way to give you alternatives, to have fail safe back up
plans 
>and to experiment and lead technology. Even the public safety services 
>don't have thousands of frequencies.
>
>        Now some frequencies are like bad neighborhoods. They are being
>cleaned up but it will take more time and it's just not something that 
>happens overnight. We will get there. Take 14.275 for example. Probably
in 
>the future it will be determined that RF radiation does indeed cause
brain 
>damage, but ONLY at 14.275. It is a bad neighborhood. Stay away. I get 
>calls every week from the same group of people who went to 14.275 and
got 
>abused.
>
>
>       Now if you had 3 alternative streets you could take to work 
>every
>day but when you used one, you always got a rock thrown at your
windshield, 
>wouldn't you decide to take one of the other streets after, say, 5 or 6

>windshields? After several windshields the logical question would arise
as 
>to who is the biggest fool - you or the person throwing the rocks! Why 
>don't you take the same approach to Amateur Radio?
>
>
>       There are good operators and poor operators, just like 
>everything
>else in life. There is a Canadian there that Canada considers mainly a 
>fruitcake and doesn't take him seriously. Their Amateur rules are more
lax 
>than ours and so are some of their laws. It's an international problem
and 
>we can do very little about it. But when you go there and take the bait

>(And you ALWAYS seem to take the bait!) ..you get into arguments, you
make 
>the problem WORSE and you make it an American problem as well and
Amateur 
>Radio gets a black eye. There is a bad operator in Italy. too. But
these 
>are not problems we can correct.
>
>        The other day I was talking to one of the complainants about 
>14.275
>and I asked why he insisted on going there. He said "Well, old (name 
>deleted) likes to talk there and he doesn't have any other antennas".
Well, 
>that must be a hell of a precisely cut antenna to only operate on the
20 
>Meter frequency of 14.275! I heard an argument there the other
afternoon 
>and one operator was saying "I'm not going to be driven off the
frequency. 
>I got rights!"
>
>
>       The Orientals have a saying about Americans; they say an 
>American
>will lose butt to save face. Just go somewhere else. The world is ugly 
>enough ...don't add to it. People make mistakes and 90% of interference

>perceived as deliberate is accidental or at least unintentional. Listen
to 
>this complaint we got:
>
>
>       "I've listened all day to a drift net beacon on 75. It's S9 here

>at
>home so its probably up or down the Bay. Please make a DF and find it."
Now 
>that message came in at 4:57 PM. At 6:29 PM THIS message came in:
"You're 
>going to laugh. It was a Linksys five port Ethernet switch in the next 
>room. When I tried to DF it with a selective AM radio I noticed the
signal 
>went silent when I left home."
>
>
>       Why do you always assume an offense? Again, "Most of the
>unpleasantness that erupts from time to time on the most popular HF
bands 
>can be avoided if we're willing to be flexible in our frequency
selection." 
>Again, in a problem like 14.275, just leave. Report it to us if it is a

>violation. But just use one of the hundreds of other useable
frequencies 
>you have and enjoy radio!
>
>
>       I know of one net that when they get interference they say "OK
>everyone, go to frequency B." They just remain silent for half hour. It

>drives the interferer crazy because he can't find them!
>
>
>       As Dave Sumner said in his May article: "It is unfair to your 
>fellow
>Amateurs to assume every instance of interference you may encounter is
a 
>hostile act." Even if it is, the best contribution you can make is to
leave 
>and not make it worse. Remember that saying from the 60's: "What if
they 
>gave a war and nobody came?" Well, what if they gave an argument on 75 
>Meters and nobody came? You can help us and help Amateur radio by
making 
>this contribution: Don't respond. Don't become the problem. Report it
to 
>us, then use the big knob. It is possible that with current society
being 
>rude and hotheaded, this is as good as your service can get for a while

>anyway. That remains to be seen, but defuse problems, don't add heat to

>them.
>
>
>       We can enforce our rules but we can't enforce kindness and 
>courtesy
>or common sense. And a very wise person, who happens to be standing to
my 
>left (Bill Cross), once told me: "You just can't regulate stupid." If
we 
>could, we'd be working for the United Nations instead of the FCC.
>
>       Now I have specific messages for more of you.
>
>
>       To the Nets: Just because you have been on the same frequency 
>for 75
>years, that doesn't mean you own it. All frequencies are shared. If you

>vary your frequency, or even if you don't have a net one night, the
radio 
>world isn't going to end.
>
>
>       To repeater owners: Just because you are coordinated doesn't 
>mean
>you own the frequency. Coordination is a recommendation, not a
frequency 
>assignment. It's your call sign on the repeater and it's your station
and 
>your responsibility ...just as if you had left the door open to your 
>station at home. If there is abuse, lock the door. Don't ask us to be 
>baby-sitters or hall monitors of your repeater. That's what control 
>operators are for. Nobody asked you to start a repeater. If you shut it

>down tomorrow, what would happen? People would use OTHER repeaters!
>
>        To the contesters: be more courteous. You are responsible for 
>the
>frequency you are operating on and realize that's true even when you 
>operate split. All frequencies are shared.
>
>
>       To those who don't like contesters: lighten UP!! Contests are 
>short
>lived. Use the WARC bands. Wash the car. Cut the grass. Learn from the 
>contesters - and this applies to you Traffic net folks too - learn from
the 
>contesters. They pass information a lot faster and more efficiently
than 
>you do. Contesters are some of the best radio operators on planet
Earth. If 
>the contesters operated at the same pace as some of the emergency
traffic 
>nets, the contest would be over after the first few dozen signal
strengths 
>were exchanged!
>
>
>       To the widebanders: If you want to be a Broadcaster, apply for a
>broadcast license. Using extraordinarily wide bandwidth on crowded 
>frequencies at peak operating time is rude, selfish and inconsiderate.
>
>
>       To the QRP'ers: Thank you thank you, thank you for your 
>vitality,
>inspiration, enthusiasm and for being BUILDERS again! I wish I could
take 
>your enthusiasm and spread it over all segments of Amateur radio. When
I 
>watch you folks, I see the excitement and magic of my first contact.
>
>       To those who don't like QRP'ers: Lighten UP. ANYONE can use a 
>linear
>amplifier as a crutch.
>
>
>       To the rag chew nets: 4 or 5 people meeting on the same 
>frequency
>every night for 50 years using 1200 watts to talk a few hundred miles
when 
>100 watts would do just fine is not a net. It's an informal roundtable.
It 
>ain't going to hurt you either to vary your frequency or skip a night.
And 
>the so-called "net" on 75 that bills itself as an "Oasis of Amateur
Radio": 
>Give us all a break. You are an ordinary roundtable. And no net is an 
>"Oasis of Amateur radio."
>
>        To those of you who don't like DXpeditions: Lighten UP! If a 
>group
>of people want to spend a lot of money to go to a rock or sandbar in
the 
>ocean, live in a tent and swat flies and scorpions for a week and talk
over 
>Ham radio 24 hours a day, SO WHAT: LET'EM DO IT!!. DXpeditions, too,
are 
>short lived, and such operation must be important to SOMEONE.
Scarborough 
>Reef drew over 50,000 contacts didn't it. And weren't over half of them
CW, 
>by the way? Nobody would have even known about it had it not been
published 
>in popular radio magazines.
>
>
>       And to those of you who have been continual problems and we just
>haven't gotten to you yet: you now have a problem yourselves. Your
renewals 
>are coming up. YOU have the burden of proof in showing that you should
have 
>a license and YOU have to come to Washington to make your case. And we
are 
>going to have a LOT of questions for you.
>
>
>       And finally, to all of you who will no doubt moan about the code
>being eliminated, I say this:
>
>
>       ----IF it was such an earthshaking issue, why did less than 1% 
>of
>you even file comments during the decision making process?? WHY is it 
>important NOW but it wasn't important THEN??
>
>
>       ----HOW can it be a "filter", when the worst enforcement 
>problems we
>have all passed a 13 or 20 WPM code test?
>
>        ----It wasn't eliminated; it just isn't required anymore. For a
>drivers test, did you have to know how to drive a 5 or 6 speed 
>transmission? Well, those are some of the coolest cars on the road!
>
>
>       ----The idea of eliminating the code requirement has been 
>kicking
>around for years, yet there is more code equipment today than ever
before: 
>keyers, keys, straight and bug and readers ...you name it.
>
>
>       We won't know the effect of eliminating that requirement for ten
>years. I personally won't be here ...years of Hamfest hotdogs will have

>taken their toll. But I HONESTLY don't see it as an enforcement
problem.
>
>
>       I'm loyal to the code. I wish we could have kept it at 13. But 
>my
>bet is that dropping the requirement will turn out to be a stroke of 
>genius.
>
>
>       Only Time will tell, but if we don't so something to draw in 
>more
>people, and appeal to greater numbers, in a few years at Dayton we'll
ALL 
>be bumping into each other with our WALKERS! Let's face it folks - look

>around - we're getting' OLD!!
>
>
>       We all need to try NEW things and always work towards keeping
>Amateur radio dynamic. Know the issues: participate in it. But most of
all 
>ENJOY it!!!
>
>
>       And thank you again for all the incredible support you give our
>enforcement program. The self-regulating aspect of your service never 
>ceases to amaze me!
>
>        And in closing, I have yet another message for all of you, in 
>and
>out of the choir: I have been working for you for 8 years, 7 months, 16

>days and about 2 hours now. I can't imagine a BETTER group of licensees
to 
>work with. I have always had interesting jobs with the Commission and I
am 
>one of the few people on earth who like their job. I have always liked 
>working at FCC, but you folks are the BEST and I am so thankful that I
have 
>gotten to work FOR you and WITH you and I sincerely thank you for that 
>opportunity, and I sincerely admire you and respect you for all your 
>passion and dedication. Now don't forget to come up and get your
reading 
>assignment!
>
>       --
>
>
>
>

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