With the release of the licensing amendments for the amateur service comes once again a reminder of not only Amateur radio's position in the community, but also the reasons and justifications for its statutory existence - a statutory existence which is clearly being slowly normalised and to a certain extent, by implication, reduced in its functional importance. Such normalisation is to be expected, for instance the changes to the interference requirements, where it is now recognised that certain recieving equipment such as television recievers have always been far more subject to internally generated spurious responses to out of band signals than radio recievers. It is only reasonable that amateur radio stations ought not interfere with such services and that the onus should be upon them to maintain an interference free relationship with their neighbours.
There is however another issue which I feel is far more important, and it is one which I think the Amateur community as a whole has become increasingly unwilling to acknowledge: the issue of self regulation in accordance with statutary requirements. Amateur radio is a priviledged hobby, and with priviledge comes duty. Any failure to perform the duties which are essentially obligatory under the determinations of the act can only increase the likelihood that such priviledges offered under the act will be taken away and replaced by a set of rules which more effectively reflect the generally displayed attitudes and actions of those who use the service.
How we uphold and enforce the regulations upon ourselves is a clear indication to the ruling body, not only of our commitment to Amateur radio's tradition and historical importance, but also our commitment to recognise its priviledged position. Every time we fail to note bad operating procedure, every time we allow poor language or blatant misuse of the service to pass us by, every time we fail to impose restraint upon our own practices, we place this priviledge in danger.
Amateur radio is not a lassez faire institution. It has rules and regulations which if not observed and - most importantly - not enforced by each of us upon each other, then it will eventually lose its traditional role, and the priveledges this role confers.
I suggest we all not just keep this in mind, but that every time we are on the air we actually do something about it.
Priviledge and Duty in Amateur Radio
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VK2MS
Re: Priviledge and Duty in Amateur Radio
In the general stream of what you have written are some truths but which we are denied now by the hierarchy which controls the WIA and others involved in the present new licensing scheme Confrontations (as seems to happen with some operators and new licencees) will be the result of easy licensing and the complete resistance to teaching history and traditon to those who dont know or don't care. We are allowing the self destruction which commenced decades ago to continue. We cannot exist inb fear..we are the people who provide last resort communication, we are the people who fought in wars where sigs was paramount we are the people who opened up the frequencies for those who came to make their fortunes from it. Remember who we are.
Ham radio is fragmented now and cannot be taped together with rules, only by traditions. For example specifically the "hierarchy" refuse to accept the ages old tradition of gentlemanly acts and wisdom in drawing attention to unacceptable language, improper procedures, and the various other day to day matters which in tradition Hams managed. I have been instructed, and I will not obey, not to engage people in education in Ham traditions and manner. The ham is not a wimp, the ham argues his case, but he does so with expertise and with the brotherhood of tradition, not the forelock tugging to orgnisms which claim to represent him.
You mentioned TV. Long long before TV was amateur radio, the lesser companion but the fore-runner of professional radio.In the introduction of TV ought to have been filtering and have invoked engineering protection against unwanted Rf. The argument has long been we do our bit and TV manufacturers should do theirs. We cannot do everything particularlt when antennas are under attack. Keeping that in the forefront of any argument is important. Hams cannot protect against every new fashion and trend. Hams must put the case solidly, particularly in the brave new world of world wide serfdom, called "globalisation" that thse who came after us know what we do and it is for them also to provide a product which meets the environment.
Amateur radio when an organisation of competents is not a hobby, it never was even when a weekend entertainment or might-times spent in construction and repairs, It is a brotherhood, brotherhood of radio scouts, something which cannot be replicated in easy licensing manifestos.
As you say it is not "laissez-faire" but it does become simple when each gives way to the tradition of Ham radio, those who know what that means. Those who don't are carried by those who do and fight for those who do. The fight is individual but it is an individuality which is a part of a brotherhood in arms.It is not a hobby, it never was, it is not a hobby of entertainment like knitting or golf or fishing, it was and still can be a brotherhood of experts whose antecedents earned every kHz of every band.
The concept of 'privilege 'from hierarchy is the concept of the servile, in my view we expertly put our case and we make the tradition clear. Without the tradition and with the community comrehending, depending upon the tradition and that when all communciation fails, hams on Vox and CW are the only link between an event and the outside world. Computers and repeaters and satellites fail. What is left is very often portable HF radio.
We should not hide that proven fact under a bushel but raise our voices and our profile and not be railroaded into an organisational church in which we are used and tithed for the purpose of an hierarchial politics. In the meantime, I agree, take control of what we have and insist we all learn respect and obey the traditions. We are a part of the community, sometimes the most essential part. Keep it in mind but know the facts and work with the traditions as a brotherhood. That's my view, it will not change, I have watched the last 50 years of backpeddling and never agreed with it. I simply cannot agree that Ham Radio operators should go cap in hand,, time after time, fighting for a proper share of what they gave to others. It should be enshrined immutably in law.
Cheers
Ham radio is fragmented now and cannot be taped together with rules, only by traditions. For example specifically the "hierarchy" refuse to accept the ages old tradition of gentlemanly acts and wisdom in drawing attention to unacceptable language, improper procedures, and the various other day to day matters which in tradition Hams managed. I have been instructed, and I will not obey, not to engage people in education in Ham traditions and manner. The ham is not a wimp, the ham argues his case, but he does so with expertise and with the brotherhood of tradition, not the forelock tugging to orgnisms which claim to represent him.
You mentioned TV. Long long before TV was amateur radio, the lesser companion but the fore-runner of professional radio.In the introduction of TV ought to have been filtering and have invoked engineering protection against unwanted Rf. The argument has long been we do our bit and TV manufacturers should do theirs. We cannot do everything particularlt when antennas are under attack. Keeping that in the forefront of any argument is important. Hams cannot protect against every new fashion and trend. Hams must put the case solidly, particularly in the brave new world of world wide serfdom, called "globalisation" that thse who came after us know what we do and it is for them also to provide a product which meets the environment.
Amateur radio when an organisation of competents is not a hobby, it never was even when a weekend entertainment or might-times spent in construction and repairs, It is a brotherhood, brotherhood of radio scouts, something which cannot be replicated in easy licensing manifestos.
As you say it is not "laissez-faire" but it does become simple when each gives way to the tradition of Ham radio, those who know what that means. Those who don't are carried by those who do and fight for those who do. The fight is individual but it is an individuality which is a part of a brotherhood in arms.It is not a hobby, it never was, it is not a hobby of entertainment like knitting or golf or fishing, it was and still can be a brotherhood of experts whose antecedents earned every kHz of every band.
The concept of 'privilege 'from hierarchy is the concept of the servile, in my view we expertly put our case and we make the tradition clear. Without the tradition and with the community comrehending, depending upon the tradition and that when all communciation fails, hams on Vox and CW are the only link between an event and the outside world. Computers and repeaters and satellites fail. What is left is very often portable HF radio.
We should not hide that proven fact under a bushel but raise our voices and our profile and not be railroaded into an organisational church in which we are used and tithed for the purpose of an hierarchial politics. In the meantime, I agree, take control of what we have and insist we all learn respect and obey the traditions. We are a part of the community, sometimes the most essential part. Keep it in mind but know the facts and work with the traditions as a brotherhood. That's my view, it will not change, I have watched the last 50 years of backpeddling and never agreed with it. I simply cannot agree that Ham Radio operators should go cap in hand,, time after time, fighting for a proper share of what they gave to others. It should be enshrined immutably in law.
Cheers