[MRCA] Digital sigs on 5357 kc

[Ken Downs]

Garret,
Silly me. I had been hoping  the "no contesting" rule for the WARC bands (including 60 meters)
would keep that operating style off those bands. As you say, though, arrl and others want to get it
going everywhere.  Has the League announced a new book dedicated to 60 meters yet? I expect
it will come out with one - can't let a potential money-maker go unexploited. Bah. Humbug.

w1krt


On Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:33:07 -0600, Garret Scott  wrote:

You are all missing the point. Today, HF Ham Radio is primarily a sport. 95% of the operators are not here for the technology, the history, to reach out to the young, or to teach. Neither are they on HF for emergency preparedness. Rather, they are on the air for the sport of it; to contest and prove they can do it more and faster, regardless of whom they walk over in the process.

I learned this the hard way dealing with the ARRL staff during National Parks On The Air, where they made it very clear that the whole effort was purely for the sport, and nothing else, even specifically comparing the activation of a brand new historical park to a baseball team, which they weren't going to allow, because they didn't like it since it was new, even though it fully met the rules.

That park's history was that it dealt the final blows which ended WWII. ARRL couldn't care less about that history, or the outreach to hundreds of people, children, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, War Veterans, citizens and dozens of hams putting hundreds of hours into it. No, all that mattered to the ARRL staff was that it was, in their singular dictorial opinion, a "good" contest. This, from the top, from our leaders. The staff told me this, directly, and personally, in no uncertain terms.

That's it. Ham Radio, at least on HF, has to a large extent been distilled down to a contest, a sport, and little more.

Garret
W8BUG
 



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