[Fists] Circle-A in Morse Code

[Cheryl W. Ring]

Fred,

The article on the ARRL web page talks about a recommendation from an ITU
working group about putting a new morse code symbol in.

The ones that are putting this new character in is the ITU.

It does say something interesting that I didn't realize before, they have
changed the ITU group that is responsible for morse code from the ITU-T
group to the ITU-R group where it was before.  I don't agree with this
because "telecommunications" is greater than "radiocommunications" and
includes radiocommunications.  But what the change does is that the very few
countries that use morse code on land lines no longer have the ITU-T group
looking over the standardization on Morse Code.  Not very good!  But perhaps
ITU has also changed the meaning of "Telecommunications" to mean "except
radio" - but this wasn't what it meant even 10 years ago.

The article seems to say that there was a proposal at the ITU-T group (it
says that the later ITU-R group was practically identical to the ITU-T
proposal) and that the change for the administration for the morse code was
agreed to be switched to the ITU-R group.

It says that IARU (and ARRL) president Larry Price suggested it at a
November-December Group 8A meeting - and then it goes on to say that the new
draft is nearly unchanged from the ITU-T groups draft.

So that says to me that the ITU-T group decided what character would be @
and not the IARU, especially since the IARU is only an observer at the ITU
and not a voting member.

You're absolutely right about the weaving of the web at ARRL and IARU - the
Headquarters of IARU is 225 Main Street... Newington, CT.

These people don't write straight forward news stories either - they twist
them to make ARRL look good.

What I'm saying is that ARRL tries to make itself look important.  They're
not important compared to the FCC and the ITU - they attend the meetings and
they have friends but they don't vote and they definately don't make
decisions.

The @ morse code symbol is proposed by the ITU.  That's what the ARRL web
page says.

But the ARRL web page also tries to glamor up the IARU by saying IARU
suggested it - which they might have done, but they don't write the reports,
or make the choices, and so forth because they don't have a vote.

Maybe that's what you didn't understand - this is ALL about the ITU.  It is
what THEY did, even if ARRL/IARU President might have suggested something.
But recently the ARRL likes to pride itself on things that it shouldn't -
like << Radio Amateurs are *first-responders*. >>

Hams are NOT professional communicators - the nearest thing we have to that
is the National Traffic System - which is an excellent system - especially
the CW nets and the Trans-Continental Corps.  These are people I'd call
communicators.

Is the ARRL an equal to the NTS - not any more!  They threw these excellent
men and women and the whole system in the "New Delhi Dumpster".

I'm still waiting for the other shoe of what the ARRL is stirring up to fall
on us.

Too bad we can't change ARRL into "Telecommunications" so that we would have
a vacancy in the "Radio" side of things.  FISTS would do a much better job
than ARRL would. ARRL is only interested in money and politiical power - not
in the things that really matter.

73

David Ring, N1EA



----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Adsit" <ny2v@earthlink.net>
To: <fists@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 8:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Fists] Circle-A in Morse Code


> Did I say that? I never even quoted anything or said a word about the ITU.
> Read THIS again please:
>
> "To keep up with the times, however, the IARU proposed adding a new
> character--the commercial "at" or @ symbol--to permit sending e-mail
> addresses in Morse code. The draft new recommendation proposes using the
> letters A and C run together (.--.-.) to represent the @ symbol."
>
> Did I say the change was done by the ARRL? NO. So why did you bring it to
> my attention?
>
> ARRL Trivia: I could be wrong but I am quite sure Dave Sumner K1ZZ is the
> Executive Secretary of the IARU, and Paul Rinaldo who wrote the article
> under discussion is the IARU recording secretary and past ARRL President
> Larry Price, W4RA, heads up the IARU. What a twisted web they weave. I
> added this just for the heck of it, David.  But it shows the influence
> wielded by the ARRL in the IARU during its meetings. I haven't the
> foggiest if they had a hand in this matter. But they did publish an
> article about it.
>
> Merry CHRISTmas and Happy CW New Year.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Cheryl W. Ring
> To: Fred Adsit ; fists@mailman.qth.net
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 7:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [Fists] Circle-A in Morse Code
>
> Fred,
>
> I don't think it was the ITU that wanted to do away with morse code in ham
> testing, it was the IARU that wanted that.  They succeeded.
>
> This change wasn't done by the ARRL:
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Fists mailing list
> Fists@mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/fists
>