"Chris Kirby" wrote in message
...
"nana" wrote:


The IRLP CANNOT be accessed by others. It is STRICTLY designed for radio
to
radio access only.
ECHOLINK can be accessed by others and is NOT the topic of conversation.


Just for the record, everyone on Echolink (links and individuals
alike) have been validated by one of the Echolink validation team. I'm
not sure that it is really necessary, but it happens. So, like it or
not, there's very little chance of a non-licenced person using
Echolink.

... and (lest we forget) what does it really matter anyway? ...

This is a hobby. There are authorities whose job it is to ensure only
those with licences transmit. We are just end users of the service.

I for one don't really care whether the chap at the other end actually
has a licence or not providing he sounds and behaves like a radio
amateur. I will not hesitate to talk to someone who gives a callsign
and sounds like an amateur. I pay my licence, and leave it to the
authorities to sort out if he is bona fide or not.

I must say that I have to disagree with you on this point OM. If we, as the
hobbyists, have little interest in the use of the bands by 'pirates', then
why should the authorities be concerned. Amateur Radio has, in most parts
of the world, always been largely "self regulating" which means it is
primarily up to us, the users, to ensure the bands are used properly and
report any unlawful operations to the authorities. This is largely because
we, as licensed amateurs, are supposedly "responsible persons" that are more
than capable of taking care of "our hobby"

If we show little interst in this, you can be assured the bands will fall
into disarray and the authorities will start to regard us as no more than
CBers with more frequencies.


Here, we pay to renew our licences every year. How is someone supposed
to know whether someone who was a bona fide amateur has paid for the
forthcoming year. Of course, we don't know, but if he behaves like an
amateur, we assume he is licenced.

Callbooks, databases, common knowledge. I do not mean to say that we should
be 100% certain of all contacts, or that we should go 'out of our way' to
check every single contact, but by the same token we should NEVER adopt the
attitude "it's not my problem" and "I don't care if he is licensed or not".
They are very dangerous attitudes to have and will, eventually, spell the
end of Amateur Radio. What reason do we give newcomers to study and sit
their exam if they know you will talk to them anyway? We might as well just
change the bands to CB now and open it up to anyone - that is basically what
you are advocating.

Now, open the debates!!


--
Martin, VK2UMJ

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