[ETSList] From one of our members to Frank Fallon

[Drew_Moore]

COMMENTS ON: A LICENSE STRUCTURE IS NOT HAM RADIO

I had many e-mails about last months long essay, nearly all positive. 
Thanks folks.  Here are a few you may be interested in reading.

Frank,

Thank you for the expanded answer published in the Beacon. Years ago,
folks got in trouble for pointing out that the earth is not the center
of the universe, but many hams seem to think that ham radio revolves
around them and their activities whether it be code, contesting, nets,
ragchewing, certificate chasing or whatever. As Ben Franklin pointed
out, the alternative to hanging together is to hang separately.

I am particularly dismayed by fellow FISTS members who have made a big
show of "resigning" to protest the perceived anti-code stance of the
ARRL.  I use CW more than 90% of the time, but it is good to remember
that until the code proficiency requirement was "dumbed down" to 5 WPM,
it was 0% of the time, because I had no (or very limited) HF privileges.
Once I had my HF privileges, I found out that SSB running 100 W with a
simple antenna often leaves you out of the running, and that CW is
simply more effective (and, to me, more satisfying). Having guided 2 of
my kids through the driver's license ritual, I know that you learn how
to really drive after you pass the road test.

I think the current ARRL proposal is reasonable considering political
reality. We know certain approaches that haven't worked well: the novice
license and downgrading. Like you, I had an original novice license that
lead to nowhere (and never considered that it might have been possible
to retake the test and start again). As a technician it was rather
impractical to get any on-the-air CW practice that would have lead to 13
WPM. But why didn't technician privileges retain at least the crippled
privileges of the lesser class? Vengefulness cast in the guise of
preventing perpetual novices. We don't want nor need hurdles or barriers
to the entry to ham radio (but I hasten to add that 5 WPM is a pretty
low hurdle, as hurdles go). 

When it gets right down to it, there seems to be an epidemic of
selfishness that sometimes shows itself as excessive power, bandwidth,
or ego and a disinclination to share. The continued health of ham radio
depends on our collective willingness to share our time, skills, and
spectrum with other radio amateurs.

73,
Bob Block