[CW] ARRL refused to support code requirement

[Ed Tanton]

At 06:58 AM 8/1/2003, N2EY@aol.com wrote:

>In a message dated 7/31/03 9:01:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>n4xy@earthlink.net writes:
>
>
> > BUT with no requirement at all, the significance of a
> > code-only band segment becomes a good deal less tenable.
>
>Why? I think it becomes much more tenable.
>

Simple: the word "significance" is the key point here: as members of a 
minority (CW users) whose importance in the scheme of things has just been 
pronounced to be zero; the question may be asked: why should they have any 
exclusive bands.


>The ARRL is in the classic rock-hardplace situation. There are lots of ARRL
>members, and directors, who are procodetest and lots who are anticodetest. 
>The
>directors are elected by the membership, and full voting membership is 
>open to
>anyone with a valid FCC ham license and a few $$. Neither side has the upper
>hand. and so the policies that come out are compromises at best. Look at the
>'98 proposal (5 wpm General, 12 wpm Advanced & Extra) - just about halfway
>between the old status quo and 5 wpm for all.
>
>But if we abandon ARRL membership because they don't support us on code
>testing the way we want, all we're doing is abandoning them to the nocodetest
>folks. And those folks are not all newbies or Techs.
>

Where did I suggest that we "abandon the ARRL"? Don't read words into other 
people's mouths Jim. I said I was "grumpy" about it-and I am. I personally 
resent the daylights out of it. I agree they have to represent ALL their 
members-I am unconvinced that they did that-much less 'us' CW persons... 
whatever percentage of that "all their members" we may represent.

> >
> > The "FIGHT", if there is one left to us, is to retain those exclusive
> > band-segments. Those segments are ALL WE HAVE LEFT. Somehow we have to
> > convince them that they will not; they cannot, weasel about that.
> >
> >
>
>As pointed out elsewhere, we have no exclusive CW-only spectrum below 30 MHz.
>It's all shared with every data mode allowed on HF. You can run PSK-31 on
>3501 under the current rules.

Don't be disingenuous. The RTTY and digital modes people have VASTLY better 
manners than their SSB brethren, and you know it. They have obeyed 
voluntary band plans for years and years. The only band plan the SSB crowd 
has obeyed is: "how can I get more band to be rude in-since my 5KW is 
crowding out by all the OTHER 5KW stations?" It's not the "camel's nose" 
they want to get under the edge of the tent, it's the other end.


73 Ed Tanton N4XY <n4xy@earthlink.net>

Ed Tanton N4XY
189 Pioneer Trail
Marietta, GA 30068-3466

website: http://www.n4xy.com

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