[Fists] Re: end of CW

[Jim Reid]

Hi guys,

I have just sent the following to Jim Maxwell,  the Pacific's
Director on the ARRL board.  I hope you also will express
your opinion,  one way or the other on this issue.  I feel
it would be a mistake to allocate additional SSB spectrum
space at the expense of digital/CW spectrum.  And this
is particularly true in light of the less than majority 
response the ARRL committee received about the issue
in it's earlier survey.  See the following for more detail,
at least as I view it.  Some of my thoughts have been
expressed by others,  and I thank them for their contribution
to my thinking:

"To Jim Maxwell,  ARRL Pacific Division Director

Jim,

I strongly oppose the following implied report to the
ARRL BOD as given to the ARRL membership in
the e-mail of 21 Dec. '01:

The ARRL Novice Survey committee WILL recommend to the 
board of directors (at their January 2002 meeting) to petition 
the FCC to reduce 125 kHz of CW/digital subbands and convert 
them to telephony use. 

I do not believe this is the "will" of a majority of the ARRL
membership;  it certainly was not the will of those who
responded to the committee survey, as follows:

1. "On 80 meters, nearly 40% of those responding opted for a 
plan that would extend the US phone allocation to 3700 kHz,...."

Nearly 40% is NOT a majority of those responding,  of whom,
"Nearly 61% of those responding were Extra class licensees."

Of course,  it does serve the  interests of the 75 meter phone
mainland crowd of Extra license holders.

2.  "On 40 meters, nearly half of the respondents picked the plan to
extend the primary US phone allocation to 7125 kHz...."

"Nearly half..."  is NOT a majority!

3.  "On 15 meters, nearly half of those responding wanted the US 
phone allocation extended to 21175 kHz...."  

again,  nearly half is NOT a majority!

What,  in fact,  was voted by even less than the majority of those 
responding, of whom 61% were obviously Extra Class SSB operators,  
was to enlarge "their" SSB bands at the expense of CW band portions.

4. In a Dave Sumner editorial, he  promoted the digital
hi-tech modes to radio amateurs. The number of hams who use 
sound  card digital modes increases every day. Amateur radio
needs to allow for this expansion and encourage technically
savvy computer enthusiasts (i.e., young people) to join our
ranks. Reallocating CW/digital subbands to phone will only hinder
such progress,  not promote and encourage it.

5. Amateur radio needs to remain a hi-tech service. We must justify
our existence to public officials and bureaucrats who favor
selling off/ reallocating our spectrum for the "greater good."  
Essentially all of Riley Hollingsworth's enforcement actions 
involve SSB operations on either 75 or 20 meter SSB,  and
the FM mode repeater service on 2M.  Problems are not happening
among digital and CW operations in our HF bands!

6. Don't let the League misappropriate its limited resources when it 
should continue  concentration on things like CC & Rs which prohibit
our HF antennas and the Spectrum Protection bill.

Please do not vote to expand phone subbands "to the detriment" of
hi-tech CW/digital operation. Please do not vote for the
expansion of phone allocations even if you think others will vote
that way. You are my representative with the League. Vote for
the hi-tech future and for long term good of the amateur radio service.

Mahalo and 73,  Jim Reid  KH7M
On the Garden Island of Kauai"