"KØHB" wrote in message ink.net...

Since
97.1 is headlined "Basis and Purpose", we can pretty much accept that
97.1(a) is the equivalent of a direct order.

An order to the entire ARS, not to individual amateurs. Of course, if
no
individual amateurs do what 97.1(a) says, the ARS doesn't do it
either.

And a service which doesn't at least fulfill its B&P loses its reason
to exist.

Putting it another way, if ARRL BoD at their meeting this weekend passes
a resolution that the FCC has not authorized us to public service
communications, and therefore hams are no longer mandated to provide it,
our continued use of the spectrum would come to a quick end.

Fortunately, that won't ever happen.

But the following might:

Last evening I had the pleasure and honor of attending a meeting
of a large and well-known radio club. The meeting was well
attended due to the excellent program presented by Ed Hare, W1RFI,
on BPL.

In both simulation and actual measurements, BPL systems cause
interference levels that make any affected band virtually
useless for communication for amateurs and others near such systems.
Depending on the vagaries of HF propagation, amateurs and others
may experience harmful interference from systems that are not
nearby.

ARRL is doing all it can to fight the BPL threat, but there is no
guarantee they will be successful. The BPL companies are promising
inexpensive broadband access, new jobs, competition, new technology,
and all the other electropolitically and econopolitically correct
terms folks like to hear.

If this sounds like I'm stumping for support for ARRL and the fight
against BPL, yer dern right. Because if BPL gets implemented on
any sort of wide scale, issues like license tests or the
appropriateness of certain callsigns will be academic.

What does all this have to do with public service? Simple: The ARS'
right to exist is seriously threatened by BPL. The companies
pushing it say there are millions of people just begging for the
service, more jobs, etc.. And many of the systems work within
*existing* Part 15 radiated emission limits.

So in some ways it comes down to 'which is more important - this
newbroadband technology or ham radio?' Do you want to defend the
existence of amateur
radio based purely on it being "a fun hobby" with no reference to
public
service? If it comes down to that, we'll lose. Big time.

Some might say "BPL isn't my problem; I don't work those bands".
Trouble
is, you may have to deal with BPL harmonics. And a precedent that it's
OK for an unlicensed unintentional radiator to wipe out hams on HF and
low VHF sets
up a very grim future for any ham band.

Hans is right - take away the public service aspect, and the ARS'
reason
to exist is radically reduced, if not totally eliminated. Which may be
exactly why some nonhams find it necessary to deny that amateur radio
provides any public service, and to describe amateur radio as purely
"a fun hobby".

73 de Jim, N2EY