[Fists] Quitting ARRL?

[YoDoc@aol.com]

The recent postings by FISTS members who have resigned their ARRL memberships 
puzzle me.  What's puzzling about them is that these are hams who obviously 
enjoy being hams, operating in their favorite preferred mode (CW, of course), 
and otherwise seem to be enthusiastic about amateur radio.  However, based on 
their disagreement over a single issue, they voluntarily resign from, and 
thereby remove a bit of the strength, of the only organization within amateur radio 
which has any hope whatsoever of preserving it for the future -- the ARRL.

I am a FISTS member and an active, on-the-air user of CW and the digital 
modes -- I haven't been a regular user of SSB phone at any point of my "career" as 
a radio amateur.  I enjoy CW and am a true believer in it's many operational 
benefits and advantages, mainly from having experienced them first-hand.  In 
the last thirteen years, I have devoted a great deal of time participating in 
amateur radio-related BBS forums and Usenet newsgroups (mainly 
rec.radio.amateur.policy) debating the code testing issue with our opposition.  My conclusions 
drawn from this experience are that those who seek the abolition of Morse 
code testing as an amateur radio licensing requirement are exactly as we suspect: 
Self-serving individuals looking for a more powerful alternative to CB radio, 
or simply people who don't wish to make any more effort to expand their 
capabilities as an amateur radio operator than to push a button and talk on the HF 
phone modes.  These people don't understand the benefits and advantages of 
Morse/CW simply because they have not, and will not, make the effort to become 
proficient CW operators. I also believe that the only thing that gets people to 
make that effort in the first place is a Morse code testing requirement for HF 
privileges.  

The Morse code testing issue has always been a "third-rail" issue for the 
ARRL, mainly because they created it.  The ARRL's "Incentive Licensing" scheme of 
the late '60's created permanent disaffection among then General-class 
amateurs who lost most of their HF privileges due to the lack of a  provision to 
"grandfather" existing General- and Advanced-class ticket holders to the Extra 
class when Incentive Licensing took effect.  While a great many of them "bit the 
bullet" and achieved the Extra-class under the new standards in order to 
retain their existing privileges, a great many did not, and therefore developed a 
keen resentment of the ARRL, the FCC, and anyone and anything connected with 
their loss.  This was the ARRL's first mistake, and it was a doozy.  Later, 
after many proposals aimed at making it easier for people to become licensed, 
along came the "No-code" Technician license, then "Novice Enhancement," giving 
10-meter SSB privileges to Novices and code-tested Techs.  This left gaps in 
operating capability among those holding the two "entry-level" license classes, 
and drove greater demand for more "dumbing down" of the licensing structure.  
What came next was, in my opinion, the disastrous "Restructuring" which 
eliminated all but the 5 WPM code test, on the premise that this was necessary to 
eliminate the FCC's involvement with Medical Waivers, which were becoming 
problematical due to actual and perceived abuse of the system.  

The factions on both sides focused their displeasure on the ARRL, and 
perhaps, rightly so, since the ARRL originated, sanctioned, or merely did nothing 
while these changes to the licensing structure were made by the FCC.  Both 
factions wanted the ARRL to exert it's influence on the FCC to change things over to 
their way, and the permanent polarization of opinion left ARRL officials in a 
position where they could never go into a room full of radio amateurs and say 
the right thing.  This may possibly explain the "attitude" exhibited by some 
League officials when approached on this issue.  I can't honestly say that if 
I were in their position that I wouldn't have adopted the same attitude 
myself, though I'd like to think not.  

Now, here on the FISTS reflector at least, we're seeing hams and ARRL members 
of long standing suddenly canceling their memberships over this issue.  While 
they have the right to do so, I consider these actions to be petulant and 
self-defeating.  Like it or not, there is no other organization within the 
Amateur Radio Service which has the technical, political, and material resources 
necessary to fight the many regulatory battles currently threatening the future 
of the ARS.  And, like it or not, code testing is, at present, the least 
serious among these issues.  I have seen the ARRL's BPL video and am convinced that 
this is something which will cause a great deal more actual harm to our 
operational capability than some New Age, dumbed-down, give-away licensees who may 
take advantage of "No-code" HF licensing in the future.  I don't see the FISTS 
making any more of an effort to flood the FCC with opposition to BPL than they 
did to oppose the "Restructuring" NPRM.  An HF spectrum full of persistent, 
high-level noise will do a lot more to ruin our day as hams than a few thousand 
more HF phone operators ever could!  However, if we all resign our ARRL 
memberships in a display of acrimony over their perennial botching of the code 
testing issue, that's exactly what could happen.  

I'm not saying that the ARRL can make BPL go away.  In fact, I have my doubts 
that they can.  Money talks, hobbies walk.  BPL can bring in billions of 
dollars of revenue to power utilities, Internet Service Providers, the 
manufacturers of the interfacing hardware and software, and everyone else who gets 
involved in making the thing work.  How much revenue does the Amateur Radio Service 
produce?  Perhaps a few tens of millions in equipment and publications sales, 
but that's a drop in a bucket compared to general consumer-based electronics 
and the Internet.  Amateur radio may very well be on it's way out, but I, for 
one, am not willing to give it up without a fight.  The only "soldiers" on our 
side are the ARRL officials who are leading the fight against BPL, restrictive 
antenna ordinances, spectrum re-allocation, and all other threats to the 
future of the ARS.  There is no other organization that can take their place and 
have any hope of producing positive results.  At the end of the day, the ARRL 
may not even succeed, and we may eventually lose a lot of these battles.  I 
don't want to be wondering if it was my resignation which may have incited other 
resignations, which may have had the domino effect leading to a significant 
loss of the ARRL's ability to represent my interests.  

I strongly urge my fellow FISTS members to think before you act.  Like it or 
not, the ARRL is the only game in town, and though we may not be 100% 
satisfied with their actions, we still need to support them.  Yes, it is possible that 
we need a change of leadership at the Section Manager and Division Director 
levels.  So, get on the ball and work on that -- from within, as a member of 
the ARRL.  

73 de Larry, K3LT
FISTS 2008, CC 703
Member, ARRL (and always will be)
ARRL OBS DE Section