[Elecraft] Sad day for amateur radio

[Larry Phipps]

I guess I should have read it more completely. Yes, I guess it's just 
another case of deregulation, and I suppose we don't need the government 
telling us to like cw ;-)

BTW, I too have that pretty blue piece of wallpaper on my wall, although 
I did need it way back when ;-)


73,
Larry N8LP



Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>Larry, N8LP wrote
>
>Sad day for amateur radio
>
>----------------------------------------------
>
>Not at all, Larry! 
>
>The FCC has simply told us Hams in the USA that it's time to set our own
>agenda. They recognize that there's a huge interest in CW and that it's one
>of the most popular modes today, but they decline to see any reason why they
>need to regulate it. They asked a great question in their Notice of Proposed
>Rule Making: Why should the US FCC mandate a demonstrated knowledge of Morse
>code and not mandate a demonstrated knowledge of other digital modes?
>
>Years ago I earned a First Class Radiotelephone License that allowed me to
>operate and repair the transmitters at commercial television stations, radio
>stations and anywhere a licensed transmitter (other than a Ham rig) was
>located. For most people it involved a two year college-level program to
>prepare for it. That license is now no more than pretty wallpaper. Anyone
>who can pry the cover off of a transmitter is, in the eyes of the FCC,
>qualified to work on it today. 
>
>This is just the same thinking coming to Amateur Radio. 
>
>The commercial technicians and broadcast engineers in the USA have adopted
>their own standards of competence through their professional organizations.
>We are certainly allowed to do that through our Ham organizations. 
>
>But under it all, we in the USA are being allowed to choose our own destiny.
>We have been given tremendous freedoms to continue to explore and enhance
>our hobby, including our use of CW and other modes. 
>
>The on-going chatter among US Hams here on the Elecraft reflector about CW
>operating is a clue about just how vital CW is to the Hobby as well as how
>important it is to understand other modes, even if we choose not to use them
>in our stations. 
>
>We don't need a government agency to which is important to us. 
>
>Ron AC7AC
>
>
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