[SADXA] FCC & ARRL (My 2-cents worth)

[WD7F - John]

To the Amateur Radio Community,

 

I recently received a forwarded email from a fellow AM operator which documented a letter to the President of the ARRL and her shrugged shoulders response to the subject of CB radio and the FCC non-enforcement of that band, not to mention the encroachment of the ham bands by the non-licensed and activity such as that on 14.313.

 

That resulted in a response from another ham which was point-on for me:  

 

The ARRL has used the power of this club to convince the FCC to dumb down the Ham test so the 99.5%  of the CB crowd can be hams (at $39.00 a year to the ARRL) Which of course created the awful mess ham radio is now experiencing.  Then claim in public the ARRL shares the true hams concerns on enforcement, but, we (ARRL) have no influence over the FCC in pressuring the FCC to enforce the rules. 

_

This ham, purposefully not identified by me, went on to say:

 

That is why I never joined the ARRL and QRT my station. Amateur radio is an unworkable hobby for most hams and it is only going to get worse. Unless those that really love this hobby, stop sending money to the ARRL.

 

In my opinion, it ain’t gonna’ happen because the vast majority of hams today are appliance operators.  Yes, we have many who have learned through the efforts of elmers and their own volition and became knowledgeable and skilled.  That being said, most of the ham community is not going to vote for stiffening the requirements to be licensed.  In addition, our government is comprised of people who have become indifferent to the principles of hard work and pride of accomplishment and now worry about fairness and perceived inequality. They all talk a good line but won’t stand up to the mediocrity.   Hell, everybody should be able to be an amateur radio operator, it’s the right thing to do.

 

Considering all, I am probably guilty of complacency as well as I read the latest issue of QST.

 

As Pogo said many years ago, “We have met the enemy and he is us!”


de WD7F

John in Tucson