[Ham-Mac] ARRL discrimination - Think different

[Volker Grassmann]

Hi fellow hams,

I don't want to make this issue even more complicated but considering 
your impressive drive in this matter, I wish to suggest another idea - 
a stupid idea perhaps ...

What do we want to achieve? The answer is simple: we want more Mac 
software available in ham radio.

Who is the person or organization we need to talk to? From my 
perspective, we need to talk to those people capable to push this issue 
in the desired direction.

Who is this? Apple, of course, and ... Steve Jobs.

I can imagine, that Apple may consider radio amateurs an interesting 
target group: 1) there are 100.000s of hams in the U.S. and in the 
world, 2) hams may be considered early users of innovative 
technologies, 3) hams may be considered multipliers in the market 
because we interface private and professional users in various aspects, 
4) Mac OS X is gaining more and more momentum in ham radio (see 
Steve's, NI5V, growing list of OS X applications), 5) ham Mac users may 
generate lots of awareness (see, for example, this email forum or, 
alternatively, the 'human race' TV documentary driven my a 'MacHead'), 
6) ham Mac users represent a very large number of operational Mac 
systems (sum the amount of Mac computer systems we are using at home 
and in our companies and we can say: "see, ham Mac users represent more 
than 100.000 Mac systems in the market" - wow!, 7) .... (add your 
personal arguments here) ...

What I want to say: there are many smart people in this forum and 
therefore I am convinced we can prepare an attractive and juicy package 
of arguments convincing Steve Jobs to consider radio amateurs an 
attractive target group, worth to be mentioned on their webpage and 
worth to be sponsored in OS X software development, dxpeditions, public 
activities and ... eductational initiatives. If we can initiate some 
sort of cooperation or project, we may go back to our national ham 
organizations and they will definetly listen to us, guaranteed.

Think different!

vy 73s,
Volker (DF5AI)
http://www.df5ai.net