RadioBanter - View Single Post - Why do hams always stand in the way of progress?

March 7th 04, 03:40 PM

wrote in :

Well Me Jon, the only reason your are NOT on HF is your ham ticket.
It's a "TECHNICIAN" class.

There are many more operations on HF (shortwave) than you have stated.

I don't know how they give ham tests in AZ, but in the eastern part of
the country we are not "SWORN" in or take any kind of oath. And yes, I
agree that most ham do spend tons of hard earned money on their gear,
especially IF your on HF.

It is true I have a technician class license but that's all I wanted.
I live in a covenant-controlled community so I can't put up huge yagi
antennas to operate on HF. I know you can get smaller profile antennas that
fit in an attic but I am more than comfortable with my license now.
I wasn't "sworn" to do anything either. That was perhaps the wrong
term. What I should have said was that amateur radio's charter is to
provide emergency communications when needed (I don't know if that was a
condition of the FCC granting frequency space or something the ARRL came up
with).
What I'm worried about is that commercial interests seem to have
precedence over amateur radio interests. Ever since BPL has been talked
about the ARRL has been showing in their tests the harmful interference,
yet BPL has continued to move forward. The reason is because BPL has money
behind it; us amateur radio operators don't have lobbying groups (maybe the
ARRL does lobbying but I doubt it). I don't even operate in HF so this
issue doesn't affect me but I can see where it's going.