On Feb 12, 10:30 pm, "Stefan Wolfe" wrote:
"Jim Shaffer" wrote in message

...

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:35:46 -0500, "Stefan Wolfe"
wrote:

Don't bother disagreeing with me; it is the
large subset of the amateur base that you have to convince and,
unfortunately, that will take a while to change IF it ever does change.

And when you're all dead, nobody will remember you, or if they do
they'll laugh their asses off.

So you depend upon some sort of massive die-off to validate your license
class?

Its in the cards. The ARS hasn't enlisted young people in numbers
since the 60's. The die-off is coming.

On Feb 14, 5:10�pm, wrote:
On Feb 12, 10:30 pm, "Stefan Wolfe" wrote:





"Jim Shaffer" wrote in message

.. .

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:35:46 -0500, "Stefan Wolfe"
wrote:

Don't bother disagreeing with me; it is the
large subset of the amateur base that you have to convince and,
unfortunately, that will take a while to change IF it ever does change.

And when you're all dead, nobody will remember you, or if they do
they'll laugh their asses off.

So you depend upon some sort of massive die-off to validate your license
class?

Its in the cards. *The ARS hasn't enlisted young people in numbers
since the 60's. *The die-off is coming.

As the old romans said, "Sine die." :-)

LA

On Feb 14, 8:10 pm, wrote:
On Feb 12, 10:30 pm, "Stefan Wolfe" wrote:





"Jim Shaffer" wrote in message

.. .

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:35:46 -0500, "Stefan Wolfe"
wrote:

Don't bother disagreeing with me; it is the
large subset of the amateur base that you have to convince and,
unfortunately, that will take a while to change IF it ever does change.

And when you're all dead, nobody will remember you, or if they do
they'll laugh their asses off.

So you depend upon some sort of massive die-off to validate your license
class?

Its in the cards. The ARS hasn't enlisted young people in numbers
since the 60's. The die-off is coming.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


That's what the hams get for trying to keep everyone else out of it
for so long, even when they knew radio theory, and for trying to keep
it their own little exclusive club wher only a very few people are
members, even though they don't know a thing about radio theory.

Keep people out for decades. Now there's a huge gap between the "old"
hams" and the "new" hams.

which means the die-off is coming, as you say.

On 2007-02-11 16:45:13 -0500, "policy-ham" said:

Found on qrz.com. The ARRL now only wants only no code hams. And as
for the rest of us?


???

Get over it already and move on. They ARE doing code too or can't you read?

Code is still used but it is not relevant today in testing any more.
GET OVER IT. MOVE ON. No one is stopping you from USING CW. USE IT IF
YOU WANT.

Awwwwwwww, it sounds like the little boy needs a teething ring after he
realizes that he has to share his playplace with others.





policy-ham wrote:

Found on qrz.com. The ARRL now only wants only no code hams. And as
for the rest of us?

W1AW Special Event, Midnight Exam Sessions to Mark New Amateur Rules

NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 9, 2007 -- As new Amateur Radio Service rules phase
in Friday, February 23, eliminating the Morse code requirement, Hiram
Percy Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will mark the milestone with a
weekend-long special event. In addition, a number of Central
Connecticut volunteer examiners will be on hand at ARRL Headquarters
-- both before and after the new rules become effective at 12:01 AM
EST -- to offer Amateur Radio examinations under both the current and
new rules. ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND,
is helping to coordinate the celebration. He says Headquarters staff
and other volunteers will keep W1AW active for the "Welcome Weekend"
event.

"W1AW will be on the air all weekend for this special event to
celebrate the fact that so many amateurs have gained or will earn new
privileges as a result of the rule changes," he said. "The station
will operate starting at 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Friday, February 23,
continuing into the wee hours and resuming operation during the day.
Then W1AW will be on the air on both days of the weekend, from 10 AM
until 5 PM -- perhaps longer as conditions and enthusiasm dictate."

Operation will be on both SSB and CW. W1AW operators will concentrate
their activities on the Technician and General class HF subbands. On
SSB, the station will use its normal phone frequencies -- 1.855,
3.990, 7.290, 14.290, 18.160 and 21.390 MHz. On 10 meters, W1AW will
operate SSB on or about 28.480 MHz.

Henderson says operating will be casual unless pileups develop. "The
purpose is to welcome newcomers to new privileges," he said.

"First Contact" certificates will be available as part of this event.
ARRL invites anyone making a first contact or first HF contact to
enter the contact information on the ARRL "Welcome Weekend" Web site
and receive a certificate in return. "If the first contact is with
W1AW we will also be including a W1AW QSL card for the contact,"
Henderson added.

The ARRL anticipates a huge influx of upgrade applications once the
Morse code requirement disappears. In addition, all Technician
licensees will have limited HF privileges starting February 23,
whether or not they've passed a Morse code test.

Amateur Radio exam sessions both before and after the zero hour will
offer an opportunity for applicants either to upgrade under the
outgoing licensing rules at the last possible opportunity or under the
new licensing rules at the first possible opportunity.

"Dual exam sessions are scheduled at ARRL Headquarters around the
effective time of the new licensing rules," says Brennan Price, N4QX,
a former ARRL staff member and an ARRL VEC volunteer examiner. "At 11
PM on February 22, a session will be held for candidates wishing to
upgrade under the existing rules. A few folks have expressed interest
in such a session." Price says all Amateur Radio written and
telegraphy elements will be offered until midnight.

"At 12:01 AM February 23, a second session will begin under the new
licensing rules," he said. "Examiners will not only be evaluating
previously earned Certificates of Successful Completion of Exam
(CSCEs) for upgrades, but will be offering all written elements." Two
teams of volunteer examiners will be on site until all applicants have
been served.

On or after February 23, applicants upgrading on the basis of a valid
CSCE must present the certificate for element credit, fill out an
application and pay any applicable exam session fee, which most VECs
charge. Only after the VE team has issued a CSCE for upgrade credit
may applicants actually use their new operating privileges on the air.

Additional Welcome Weekend information will be available on the ARRL
Web site in the days leading up to February 23.

policy-ham wrote:
Found on qrz.com. The ARRL now only wants only no code hams. And as
for the rest of us?

W1AW Special Event, Midnight Exam Sessions to Mark New Amateur Rules

NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 9, 2007 -- As new Amateur Radio Service rules phase
in Friday, February 23, eliminating the Morse code requirement, Hiram
Percy Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will mark the milestone with a
weekend-long special event. In addition, a number of Central
Connecticut volunteer examiners will be on hand at ARRL Headquarters
-- both before and after the new rules become effective at 12:01 AM
EST -- to offer Amateur Radio examinations under both the current and
new rules. ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND,
is helping to coordinate the celebration. He says Headquarters staff
and other volunteers will keep W1AW active for the "Welcome Weekend"
event.
...

ph:

Since 1995 the hand writing on the wall spelled out the doom of CW.

However, the sheer momentum which was built up by the dyed-in-wool
hardcore CW'ers carried it on. Time and time again resurrected it from
its' tomb and breathed life anew in CWs' brittle bones.

The arrl, being the professional politicians (or, as I like to refer to
ALL politicians--public butt lickers) they are, make the proper noises
and finally let lose the grip they had on the dead and bony fingers of
CW. However, don't be fooled. They only do so because even they have
woken to the fact there will be no resurrecting CW another time and do
not wish their true motives to be seen in the light of day. Now they
seek to shore up the old and ancient myths and class systems which has
made amateur radio a good ole boys club and placed it under their control.

Beware, the future will only bring more stealth, deception and
disinformation from the arrl as they seek to maintain the status quo on
what is left of their control freak, class system and good ole boys club
which they have established for amateur radio. They need to have their
dead old fingers pried from its' death grip they maintain on amateur radio.

JS

Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy, rec.radio.amateur.misc,
rec.radio.cb, rec.radio.shortwave
From: John Smith I on Wed, Feb 28 2007 8:19
am
Subject: ARRL Now Only Wants No Code Hams - Holding Midnight Exams

policy-ham wrote:
Found on qrz.com. The ARRL now only wants only no code hams. And as
for the rest of us?

W1AW Special Event, Midnight Exam Sessions to Mark New Amateur Rules

snip of much-repeated "news" item

ph:

Since 1995 the hand writing on the wall spelled out the doom of CW.

JS, that evolved in ALL radio services from a much earlier
period. In general the experiences of and with radio
communications during World War 2 was the "Great Awakener."

However, the sheer momentum which was built up by the dyed-in-wool
hardcore CW'ers carried it on. Time and time again resurrected it from
its' tomb and breathed life anew in CWs' brittle bones.

In amateur radio that may be exaggerated but true.

The built-in fact of amateur radio being basically a hobby
makes it ultra-conservative insofar as actual innovation
and experimentation is concerned. Hobbies are a pasttime
for most and thus there is less time available for
participants to either learn more, keep up with, or
actually do operating. As a result, many prefer the
"tried-and-true" methods and modes they are used to, or
feel comfortable with.

Underneath all of that amateur radio activity is the
long-term but subtle emotional influence of amateur-
radio-oriented media, namely the enormous quantity of
publications of the ARRL. The ARRL has kept the Mythos
of Morse alive for decades, decades longer than it
deserves as a communications means. The enormity of
their publications base has been in existance for so
many decades that few members are aware of their
(insidious) influence on their thinking.

The arrl, being the professional politicians (or, as I like to refer to
ALL politicians--public butt lickers) they are, make the proper noises
and finally let lose the grip they had on the dead and bony fingers of
CW. However, don't be fooled. They only do so because even they have
woken to the fact there will be no resurrecting CW another time and do
not wish their true motives to be seen in the light of day. Now they
seek to shore up the old and ancient myths and class systems which has
made amateur radio a good ole boys club and placed it under their control.

In all fairness and logic, SURVIVAL of anything is the
most important human motivator. Politicians,
organizations, and corporations all have a basic need
to SURVIVE. They must cater to their constituency or
target market to do this.

The ARRL can be summed up as having two basic components:
A publishing house (prime) and a membership organization
(secondary). ARRL's annual reportable income exceeds the
million-dollar value by at least an order of magnitude;
they reported higher-than-ten-million dollars income to
the IRS four years ago. They could NOT have achieved that
just from annual member dues.

An oft-used argument is that the ARRL offers "so many 'free'
services." The ARRL VEC exam fees are the top of the limit
yet some of the other seven (?) VECs charge less. The ARRL
offers "help" on license renewals and paperwork to the FCC.
That is just lip-gloss since: (1) There is NO charge to any
licensed amateur at the FCC except for Vanity call
applications; (2) Paperwork handling AT the FCC for license
adminstrative matters is no more difficult to do on the
Internet OR by mail than through the ARRL (as an intermediary).

Back before the Internet went public in 1991, it was very
convenient to have the ARRL "represent all radio amateurs"
in lobbying and legal-speaking to the FCC. Most citizens
tend to shirk direct talking/communicating with their
government (although some have done so and effectively so).
Having a legal firm on retainer IN Washington, DC, is more
effective than individual citizens writing letters from
Montana, Arizona, Hawaii, or Oregon, all several time zones
away from DC and days of postal delivery away. [CT is in
the same time zone as DC and physically much closer than,
say, most-populous California] Radio amateurs tended to
prefer someone "speaking for them" so that they would have
more time to play with their radios.

Another argument of those championing the ARRL is that
they "have a democratic-principled representation" through
their own established Districts and "elections." Actually,
there are NO similarities to our federal government's
democratic principles and practices; the only similarity
is to several national fraternal orders, all private
organizations. Supposedly there is a "third-party
observer" to ARRL elections, but that is NOT anything
similar to the built-in Checks and Balances of the real
federal government. Those federal (and local) Checks
and Balances DO NOT APPLY to private membership
organizations. Yet the IMPLICATION of similarity is so
often done that it has become just-another-urban-myth,
emotional sustenance for its membership.

The ARRL remains a MINORITY special-interest-group in
US amateur radio...yet they imply (often) that they
"represent all [US] amateurs." The ARRL only publishes
a CLUE as to their membership totals twice a year; In
the "publishers sworn statement" about QST, the member-
ship magazine of the ARRL. ARRL membership is still
only a quarter of all US amateur radio licensees. QST
survives as a periodical on its advertisers ad purchases.
QST is the major periodical target for manufacturers
and service-providers of the amateur radio market. QST
has a virtual (if not de facto) monopoly as an amateur
radio advertising medium in the USA. Note: Three other
INDEPENDENT amateur radio interest periodicals have
survived for over a double decade of existance of each
yet two have had to close or sell. Their incomes
depended on advertising space sales. When the ad
monies diminished those independents did not have the
demographics to attract enough advertisers as compared
to the ARRL. The number of members keeps QST demographics
high, thus it serves to keep its survival intact...and
serve as a free advertising medium for its OWN products
and services.

Beware, the future will only bring more stealth, deception and
disinformation from the arrl as they seek to maintain the status quo on
what is left of their control freak, class system and good ole boys club
which they have established for amateur radio. They need to have their
dead old fingers pried from its' death grip they maintain on amateur radio.

Human life expectancy will take care of that. Eventually
the core membership of the ARRL and its chieftans will
understand that this new millennium is NOT the same as it
was in the 1930 to 1960 period when They were young (and
supposedly vibrant). Times and tecnology have changed
enormously yet the Mythos persist on the "necessity" to
hold to the old, old standards. However, to retain their
CONTROL ("they know what is good for ham radio") while
they still live (and rule) they must insure that the Big
Publishing House survives. That income is what gives them
the perquisites and power of quasi-rule over others. They
MUST acquiesce their quaint old ideas and mythos however
much that hurts their psyches. WE still have time to see
the Change happening...but I am not optimistic about it.

73s,

wrote:

...
73s,



Len:

Just for starters, it pieces me off that the FCC doesn't even host the
download of the amateur pool questions "right-out-and-openly" on their
web page. This alone gives the VEC and arrl MUCH more credibility then
the toothless old grumps deserve. And, I have complained about this ...
I will continue to do so, use the public funds and keep this outta
private hands and influence!

The arrl need to go, and Carl is NOT looking like a good replacement
with NCI when he boot licks ... amateur radio needs a new start and some
new blood ... someone needs to kick some real booty here.

Regards,
JS

On Feb 28, 5:46�pm, John Smith I wrote:
wrote:

* ...

Len:

Just for starters, it pieces me off that the FCC doesn't even host the
download of the amateur pool questions "right-out-and-openly" on their
web page.

JS, amateur radio is not even close to their main task of
regulating ALL civil radio in the USA. However, they could
make a small link to www.ncvec.org if they bothered.

For real complaints, you might address the FCC on why
they do NOT bother with many updates of the amateur
radio page under the Wireless Bureau. They haven't kept
that updated but sporadically since the NPRM on
Restructuring (FCC 98-143) came out in 1998.

*This alone gives the VEC and arrl MUCH more credibility then
the toothless old grumps deserve.

I'd say the NCVEC is reasonably up-to-date given
their voluntary task of coming up with new QPs every
three years or so. The ARRL is only part of the VEC.

*And, I have complained about this ...
I will continue to do so, use the public funds and keep this outta
private hands and influence!

Sorry, but the privatization of radio operator testing put
that in very private hands of the COLEM and the VEC.
I haven't looked for a COLEM QPC but have no doubt it
exists somewhere. My First 'Phone that morphed into
a GROL went lifetime, no renewal and I have no need to
go look for that commercial pool.


The arrl need to go, and Carl is NOT looking like a good replacement
with NCI when he boot licks ... amateur radio needs a new start and some
new blood ... someone needs to kick some real booty here.

That's a subjective opinion, JS, and I won't fault Carl S. on
what he has done and stated in various places. I disagreed
with what NCI did NOT do immediately on FCC 06-178 when
it first broke news last December...but then NCI is really
an international movement, not strictly one for the USA.

While the USA is a LATE-comer on tossing the morse code
exam internationally, there still exist other countries who have
kept it, one way or another.

In my opinion, NCI could either dissolve or change away from
being USA-oriented with a different direction. NCI's basic
goals have largely been realized and, in that, was a success
to my mind.

As long as there is money to be made from publishing to a
niche hobby activity, the ARRL will be firmly entrenched.
Human attrition will eventually cause their metamorphosis.

73, LA

wrote:

...
That's a subjective opinion, JS, and I won't fault Carl S. on
what he has done and stated in various places. I disagreed
with what NCI did NOT do immediately on FCC 06-178 when
it first broke news last December...but then NCI is really
an international movement, not strictly one for the USA.

Subjective? Well ya, all you see in my posts are one mans humble
opinoions. But then, the president pulls his pants on one leg at a time
(well, I believe he does!) and no mans opinion counts more than
mine--not even his!

NCI has REAL relevance, in my humble opinion ... your mileage may vary.


While the USA is a LATE-comer on tossing the morse code
exam internationally, there still exist other countries who have
kept it, one way or another.

Hmmm. Yep, we may be dumb, but we can always point out someone dumber!
sticks-out-tongue

In my opinion, NCI could either dissolve or change away from
being USA-oriented with a different direction. NCI's basic
goals have largely been realized and, in that, was a success
to my mind.

Yep, time for NCI to step into phase two, hope Carl is "psychic" enough
to realize that!


As long as there is money to be made from publishing to a
niche hobby activity, the ARRL will be firmly entrenched.
Human attrition will eventually cause their metamorphosis.

73, LA



Time for the "common ham" to fire up. Setup some web pages with
training, "elmering", etc. Heck, where is the group
rec.radio.amateur.new-licensees ??? Instead, we have self-protecionist
hams creating groups like "rec.radio.amateur.good-ole-boys-club"

Krist, Dee has better ideas than most, that alone should shame us into
better behavior and efforts ... are we men or are we mice?

The world is owned by the common man (in this case, common ham)--strange
how so few "common men" realize that we put amateur radio forward "one
ham at a time ..."

The little amateur who got me started, ran his rig with dignity, gained
my REAL respect and was one "HELL OF A GOOD JOE" (might I add, was LOVED
by his town and community?) and will always be remembered in my book. I
cannot find his equal easily these days ...

The arrl can go to ... well, you know where ...

Warmest regards,
JS