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

Thu Feb 5 20:57:42 EST 2015

The ARRL does piss me off from time to time, but I will remain a member for
the foreseeable future.  By and large, they do more good than harm.  I do
have a lot of ham friends that take the opposite view.  They look at the
ARRL as a parasite, a scourge on the hobby.  However you have to remember
that they are in fact the largest and most powerful advocate that we have
for this wonderful hobby of ours.  So my suggestion to you is that if you
disagree with what they are doing, get involved with the organization and
voice your opinion.  Make the change from the inside.

As far as the 14.313 crowd is concerned, there have been some specific
steps taken by the FCC to address this issue.  Probably not enough though.
I generally never listen to that frequency as I am really not a phone guy,
but when I have I have been just as shocked and surprise of what I hear as
I'm sure all of us have.  In response though is I just turn the dial and
move up or down the band a bit.  That 313 crowd reminds me of many years
gone by.  Anybody who was around in the 70's and operated on 75 meter phone
in 6 or 7 land must have run across the 'Free Thinkers Net'  on 3922kHz.
This was basically the Ralph Ennis (WA6GVG) and Paul McKesson (W7DJV)
show.  Both are now SK which put an obvious end to the 'Net'.  I would
listen those guys and just laugh and laugh.  They were QRMd by the best but
they still muddled on.  Now I really don't think those two guys were doing
anything wrong, but there were a lot of hams who would disagree with their
'free thinking' and try there darnedest to shut them down.  For a DX hunter
like me, well I just let it all pass.  You see, life's way too short for
QRM.

Dumming down the test.  I don't think so.  The tests themselves are just as
tough as always if not tougher.  Getting rid of the code requirement may be
an issue though.  There was a lot of talk that CW would become a dying art
but the naysayers were dead wrong.  CW is more popular today than ever
before.  Myself, I think they should have kept it, but that's just my
opinion.

I've been a ham since '71 and there have always been lid operators.  That
will never change.  The best way to deal with an lid operator is to ignore
them.  If you ignore them, they will go away... eventually.  When working a
DX station or a dxepdition such as the current K1N operation on Navassa
Island you hear plenty QRM and the like.  And then there are the 'UP
Police'  informing the operator that forgot to throw the split switch that
the DX station is listening up the band a ways.  Trust me, you never have
to be one of those guys because they are always there when you 'need'
them.  You see, just let the other guy be the lid!

And appliance operators.  Yes, I suppose we all are.  Coming from an
engineering carrier I can't help but be biased a bit.  I always liked to
build my own equipment to the extent that I could.  You always thought you
could design a better receiver than the one you were using.  And that was
probably true.  But then it occurred to me several years ago.  You ask
yourself.. Do you want to build radios or chase DX.  For me I took the
later road and decide to just buy the radio and operate them.  As much as I
like the thrill of designing a building radios, I like working DX more.
Now don't get me wrong guys, I still know which end of the soldering iron
to pick up!

Jim wo7v

On Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 10:13 AM, WD7F - John <wd7f at wd7f.com> wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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