[Hallicrafters] FCC NPRM

Wed Jul 20 22:38:58 EDT 2005

Bill, 	

There is still time for all of us who are opposed to the plan "as is" to write
and file our formal remarks. I would encourage all to do exactly that! Not just
to the FCC, but also to your state Congressman or Congresswoman and state
Senator as well. Present a solid case, backed up by facts these people can
grasp. They are busy, they will not read a long letter. Keep it short, keep it
polite, keep it focused, keep it on facts they can relate to. Such as the
importance of what Ham Radi does for protecting residents in severe weather
situations for the NWS, handling emergency traffic during a hurricane and so
forth. They are always interested in the human element, as that is who goes to
the polls!	

Remind them that cheapening the qualifications for a Ham is just the same as
making police officers less capable with a weapon by requiring less practice
time on the range under strict supervision and training by experienced senior
officers, or knowing when to pursue a vehicle in a chase and when not to, or
risking a disaster by saving money and shortening training time for a fireman
who getes less training and simulated experience in selecting the right agent to
put out a fire with. Hams save lives and our elected officials must be made to
realize it, appreciate it and protect our rights! This is not done by giving out
licenses and lowering the standards so that anyone who wants one can get one.
Remind them it may be their child who is saved because a trained spotter for the
Sky Warn program in their community identifies a for real lowering of a tornadic
cloud and the NWS gets out a warning, the children in the school in the storms
path take shelter and their lives are spared. We are important and anything that
makes us less capable, less skilled and less able to operate properly and
effectively is a threat to America!	

While I personally am opposed to the CW being abandoned totally, after all, five
words per minute is NOT some great challenge! While it may be difficult for some
people, it is doable by almost anyone who really wants to get a license. For
those with special needs, there are alternatives already available. Even if the
CW is only retained for the Extra class, i do not think anybody should be hurt
by that. I do not believe that anyone should be grandfathered, or in any way by
any name, switched from a Technician class license to a General class license
without first taking and passing the General class written examination. If we do
not want to end up with Citizens Band all over again, then we MUST educate,
train and instruct all those joining Amateur Radio, as well as all of those
upgrading their licenses, in the right ways and not just give the licenses away
like is being proposed. If Ham Radio is ruined, it will be because all of us sat
on our butts with our hands in our pockets and did not even try to prevent what
we could have stopped! The 'powers that be' will, and do, hear our voices and
will respond 'IF' we all band together and bury their desks under so many 'real'
postage stamp variety of letters it looks like a snow storm hit the room!
Electronic mail is not effective! It is almost never seen by the person, it is
read and all too often discarded by a secretary or other person. At best it gets
a minor notation in a ledger that the Congressperson or Senator may, or may not,
see every week or month. Then he/she glances at it. But a letter on their desk,
it gets attention.	

Not my opinion, but the suggestions given to me by the staff of several
Congressmen and state Senators I know. But we all first have to take a few
minutes to write a short, concise, easy to understand and 'important to America'
letter and mail it, or we have nobody but ourselves to blame when the Amateur
Radio bands become a sewer of waste products as happendd with Citizens Band
radio.            	

Duane Fischer, W8DBF	

----------
From: Bill Gerhold <k2wh at optonline.net>
To: W4AWM at aol.com; hallicraftersgroup at rogerhalstead.com
Cc: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Hallicrafters] FCC NPRM
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 8:46 PM

It's a damn shame the FCC decided to go with the flow and follow the 3rd
world rule making entities.  I thought the FCC would lead the world and make
a bold statement by keeping the code at least for the Extra portion of the
bands.

But, what will all this mean when the Report and Order comes down?  Does it
mean techs/no-code techs will have General privileges?  Will they be
grandfathered?

K2WH

-----Original Message-----
From: hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of W4AWM at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 8:13 PM
To: hallicraftersgroup at rogerhalstead.com
Cc: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] FCC NPRM

Someone should remind the powers that be that the first and many subsequent 
communications to come out of the tsunami area was CW!

If this keeps up, I guess we will all be good buddies soon. Guess I will go 
into the power mic, roger tones and echo box business!

73,

John,  W4AWM

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