"Carl R. Stevenson" wrote in message ...
Dick Carroll; wrote:
. You know as well as anyone, better than most, that almost the
only
"enforcement" we've had on the ARS for many years
prior to Riley's appointment WAS the code test.

Now, a 'difficult' (for that type of individual) test which
discourages,
yea, FILTERS him from active, open participation is a poor
excuse for monitor vans and well trained and equipped crews.
But it's what we had.

Now we have Riley and a 5wpm code test. Soon only Riley. When
he goes, I
for one believe the ARS will follow his exit, not far behind. By
that time
there
will be far more than adequate evidence that the ARS is no
longer a viable
self- policing entity, staffed with conscientious people willing
and able to
conduct themselves in a manner commensurate with the priveleges
granted,
most of which will shortly be summarily withdrawn.

Dick,

EVERY time there has been change of any real sort in ham radio, there
have been cranky olde fartz like you preaching "end of the world" doom
and gloom ... and every time it has not come to pass ...

There have also been predictions and promises of a "brave new world"
that the new changes would bring. Which also did not come to pass.

Witness:

conversion from spark to CW;
conversion from AM to SSB;
introduction of packet radio and other "new-fangled @^#%$ computer
thingies";

None of these were forced on hams by regulatory change. Hams adopted
them voluntarily. For example, spark wasn't outlawed for hams until
1927, even though it was essentially abandoned by hams by 1923 or 24.

AM is still popular on HF - in fact, more popular than 20-30 years
ago. What caused hams to abandon AM in large numbers was the simple
fact that an SSB transceiver was less expensive than an AM
receiver-transmitter combo of equal effective power. That transition
also drastically reduced the amount of homebrewing done by hams.

Packet is still mostly the 1200 baud of the '80s. The biggest new
modes of the past decade or so are PSK-31 and APRS. Good stuff!

the introduction of the no-code Tech license;

Which has not resulted in greatly increased longterm growth nor a
techno revolution.

restructuring 3 years ago;

Which has not resulted in greatly increased longterm growth nor a
techno revolution.

and many others I'm sure I've omitted.

Here are some, just for discussion:

- the 1929 rules changes that drastically cut the spectrum available
to hams and greatly increased the signal quality requirements.

- the 1951 introduction of the Novice, Tech and Extra licenses

- the "incentive licensing" changes of 1968-69 that drastically
increased the requirements for a full privileges license. And ushered
in a period of growth and innovation....

The point is, the world (and ham radio) is NOT going to end ... despite
your rants that it is.

That depends on what is meant by "ending".

Actually, on the contrary, if these changes hadn't happened and we were
still stuck in the spark era (i.e., if cranky olde fartz like you had
stopped
the progress of ham radio over the years), we WOULD be in danger.

Apples and oranges. Rules changes are not the same thing as choices
made by hams. And the AM-SSB wars did not help amateur radio.

If you want to see what presents the biggest danger to the future of
ham radio LOOK IN THE MIRROR ... the enemy you fear is yourself,
with your backward thinking, unwillingness to accept progress, and lack
of tolerance for newcomers (unless, of course, they've suffered through
the same fraternity hazing rituals that you had to endure, lo those many
years ago and think in exactly the backward, narrowminded ways that
you do).

When you're done looking in the mirror, you can look a your cronies,
Larry, Dave Heil, and the whole list of like-thinkers... they are also
part of the enemy you fear ... for they think and act essentially the
same way as you do.

THERE is where the REAL danger to the future of ham radio lies ...
in people who are so married to/stuck in its past that they despise
any thought of change, progress, and the newcomers that it will
bring (unless the newcomers are acceptable "clones" cast in your
own image).

Well, there you have it.

However, those newcomers are the future of ham radio ... for us older
guys will surely die, and if there aren't younger folks to replace us ham
radio will die with us.

I am younger than you, Carl. In fact I'm younger than many who post
here. Yet I'm more of an oldtimer, too.

There are newcomers of all ages today. I have already seen many hams
come and go, either as SKs or dropouts. There are many who are hams
only in that they are still in the FCC database. A good number of them
are much newer than me.

It's up to us to WELCOME and ENCOURAGE
them ... their ways will not be the ways of the past ... things change and
nobody can freeze time.

Yet at the same time it is folly to equate "change" with "progress".
Not all of the changes in the ARS have been for the best.

I can remember a time when you simply could not find anything of
offensive content on the ham bands - they were G rated, regardless of
mode. This wasn't just because of the mores of the times or
enforcement by FCC - it was "the way hams did things" - a tradition of
high standards - passed on from oldtimers to newcomers.

I can also remember a time when most hams were unafraid to build,
repair, modify or simply fool with their equipment. Today it is the
homebrewer who is unusual.

The most important values of the ARS do not need to change. Things
like adherence to the regulations and standards, courtesy on the air
and off, technical know-how, operating skill, welcome and help for the
newcomer, respect for the oldtimer, making a place and a space for all
who follow the rules.....these things must be preserved, or ham radio
is dead.

But insulting, berating, demeaning them, and trying
to keep them out is not the way ..

If they see hams insulting, berating and demeaning each other, what
are they to think?

Think about these things long and hard before you look yourself in
the mirror again ... without some reflection, reconsideration, and change
in your ways, you may not like what you see ... the enemy that is YOU.

Am I "the enemy"?

(Try to be *completely* like Scrooge ... go through the change, don't stay
stuck in the first part ...)

Words for all of us to live by....

73 de Jim, N2EY