Todd Daugherty wrote:

The Death of Amateur Radio

By

Todd Daugherty N9OGL

I've been asked on the newsgroup rec.radio.amateur.policy
to back up my statements regarding the death of amateur radio and the FCC's
suppression of free speech on the radio. Therefore, I've deiced to write
this paper on the subject. Now, I know there are amateur radio operators who
will not read this article or will write it off as the writes by some crack
pot.

Well, Todd, I've read the entire thing and I've not written it off "as
the writes by some crack pot". I've written it off "as the writes by
some" special crackpot.


But one must remember everyone has an opinion; this happens to be mine.

....and you aren't one to allow reality to stand in your way.

Amateur radio is slowing dying; now many amateurs would disagree with
that statement however, this is a harsh reality.

Many radio amateurs would disagree with your statement because it has no
basis in fact. Now THAT is harsh reality.

Now as I stated above I
have been asked to "prove it" so that what I'm attending to do. Amateur
radio is dying because it is unable to keep up with commercial services.

Amateur radio isn't a commercial service and isn't in competition with
commercial services. It has no reason to "keep up".

On
February of 2000 I participated in a discussion entitled "What the heck is
Packet radio go for anyway" which was started by someone named "Inquisitor"
anyway I pointed out that Packet Radio didn't have the variety as the
internet. If packet was to grow packet would have to basically compete with
the internet.

Packet radio is not the internet. It has no reason to become like the
internet.

For amateur radio to survive
they are going to have to compete with the internet or there will be no
amateur radio in near future.

Sure, Todd--and amateur astronomy is going to have to compete with
roller blading or there will be no amateur astronomy in the future.

As I stated on the newsgroup
rec.radio.amateur.policy look at it this way. Go to streets of your town as
ask the average person on the street if they had a choice between the
Internet and Amateur radio which one would they pick? The vast majority of
people would pick the internet. The reason is the internet provides a vast
variety of information unlike amateur radio. People can talk via email, chat
rooms, voice communication and other systems over the internet. With
Internet 2 coming out the Internet with grow ever more.

Ask the average man on the street to choose between the stamp collecting
and the internet and he'll likely choose the internet. He knows more
about the internet and stamp collecting has no provision for downloading
pirated music or pornography.

Amateur radio has variety of information unlike the internet. People
can talk via their voices, via morse, via keyboard modes, via
television. The two are not the same thing. That's why I'm introducing
Amateur Radio II, aka Amateur Radio Lite. It'll be like amateur radio
but without all of the icky stuff like "RF", "IF", fomulae and morse
code. It'll draw those folks who are "otherwise qualified" and mildly
interested.

Why should someone
take the time to get a license to talk to people all over the world via
radio when they can do it on the internet?

Why would someone take up tightrope walking when there are perfectly
good sidewalks? Why would anyone walk when they can drive a car?


One of the problems that helps propagate this no competing attitude is both
the amateur and FCC's view on content control.

Ahhhh. This is where Todd gets into his favorite rant.

Section 326 of the Communication Act of 1934 prohibits the FCC for
controlling the content of ANY radio station. This also applies to the
amateur radio service. However, this seems NOT to be the case.

You've been given free advice from a professional in the field. You've
chosen to ignore the advice because it conflicts with your rather
uneducated view of the regulations.

When I
announced on the newsgroup about my Information bulletin I received a post
from Riley Hollingsworth the FCC chief enforcer of the amateur radio
service. Telling me to let him know when I go on the air so he can send me a
"QSL CARD". The QSL card he was of course talking about was a warning
letter. This of course is not the first time Mr. Hollingsworth who works for
the FCC tried to suppress Free Speech.

A smarter fellow would have taken the hint which Mr. Hollingsworth
dropped.

In 1990 the
FCC sent letters out to 19 Net and Bulletin stations on 20 meters and of
course the ARRL a.k.a. The Amateur Radio Nazi Party deiced to stick their
Gestapo free speech suppression nose in it.

I doubt that the ARRL "deiced" anything. Your choice of nicknames
further marks you as a very special crackpot.

I was asked on
the newsgroup to prove how I'm being suppressed. Well, when you have a FCC
official threaten you with a warning letter over your Information bulletin
which hadn't even begun. Then the idea if suppression of Free Speech by a
Federal agency is a primary example of my right to voice my opinion is being
suppressed by the FCC.

You were repeatedly asked which things you were being prevented from
saying over the air via amateur radio. You never bothered to reply.
You've provided the FCC enough ammunition through your public statements
here, to nail your hide to the barn door if you decide that you want to
play boy broadcaster.

Dave K8MN