[Boatanchors] No code

[Adam Liette]

Hello, all. Don't normally post, but just wanted to comment. I am a very 
avid user of Nextel's Two-Way deal, as my employer and several non-ham 
friends use it also. But as an ARES EC, let's think of this. On 9/11, 
how many cell towers were operational in NYC? In London recently, the 
cell towers either overloaded or were purposely shut down due to the 
cellphone activated detonators.

Now, in a county where the local EMA and Sherrif's offices are Nextel 
based mostly other than dispatch, how are we not valuable when a 12 hour 
power outage has the cell site battery supplies run dead? One of my AECs 
and I sat back and laughed watching a disaster drill last year and 
hearing "I have him on two-way." LOL

As far as code, take it from a "cracker jack box" Extra class. Keep it 
for the Extras! Make VE's Extra class for all and give'm the 5wpm. I've 
never made it past 10wpm, but am proud of what I've done. Make 'em work 
before they can sell a license to the dude down the street. If they have 
to work for it, they'll be serious enough to do it the right way.

73 all,
Adam, N8YD
Flowertime01 at wmconnect.com wrote:

>Bob, & Tony,
>
>I agree we need numbers. I see Tony's point.
>My take on the problem is the cost of the hobby against the
>return on the hobby.
>
>It cost most Amateurs well over $500.00 to get started. Even a hand held to 
>get on the local repeater will cost you a couple hundred.  If your interest is 
>just
>talking to people and not having to type it in and wait for a reply, You can
>do almost as well on CB for return on satisfaction. CB works fine for chit 
>chat.
>
>Unless your self driven to contest, CW operation, other self inflected 
>challenge, Amateur Radio just does not interest most people.
>
>Cell phones are dealing us out of lots of emergency response activity.
>You can have a computer and Internet connection for less than an Amateur 
>radio station. Then you still need a computer and Internet connection to do RTTY, 
>digital modes, SSTV, and send in your contest log book.
>
>Every time someone suggest home brew and low cost AM you catch an ear full 
>about using excess band width.
>
>We have to find the real core value in Amateur Radio and then learn to market 
>it effectively. Explain to me again why I want to spend my allowance on that 
>and exactly what do I get in return? If we have to answer that question to the 
>new fellow, we are not going to get his involvement. As the venture is now, 
>Amateur radio is a costly no return interest. The folks that are in, are in for 
>some self motivated interest.
>What ever this self interest is we cannot sell it to the masses. I do not 
>have an answer to help our numbers grow. I am not happy to see code go. No code 
>will not make our numbers grow.
>
>Roger KC6TRU
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