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K2PG
Guest
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« on: May 23, 2005, 11:27:57 AM » |
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From the recent antics of the gang in Newington, it's obvious that the ARRL is worried about declining membership and reduced income. Hence the dumbing down of QST and the recent asinine rulemaking proposal calling for a highly complex subband plan, regulated by bandwidth.
Since the League seems to be reaching out to the hordes of no-code Techs who may someday populate our HF bands, why not expand the pool of prospective members further by reaching out to the hordes of no-theory Techs who already have HF privileges on 26.96 to 27.41 MHz, as well as those on 154 MHz (MURS) and 462 MHz (GMRS and FRS)? Then maybe the pooh-bahs in Newington can leave US alone for once!
Of course, the League would have to reverse itself on an issue or two. Several years ago, the ARRL opposed a rulemaking petition that would have allowed CB'ers to work skip. The League could submit that same petition. As a bonus to us hams, should such a rule change pass in Part 95, the League could move its most obnoxious contests to 11 meters, where they belong. Sweepstakes is a prime example! They could probably also petition the FCC to allow higher power on CB, as this would allow more gaudy riceboxes of the 11 meter variety to grace the ad pages of QST. To boost magazine sales, QST could be sold at every major truck stop along every major interstate highway in the country!
CB and the League would be an ideal coupling, as CB is heavily regulated and the League loves nitpicking regulations that micromanage the Amateur Radio Service. However, since Class D CB stations are no longer individually licensed by the FCC, the League could open up yet another revenue stream by issuing "SSB" ID numbers (selling callsigns)! If "shooting skip" is allowed on 11 meters, the League could move its operating awards there as well. Let an independent amateur radio club take over our versions of WAS, DXCC, etc.
In 1922 and 1923, the cover of QST featured the QST logo and the slogan, "Devoted Exclusively to Citizen Radio". Those issues are now collector's items. Perhaps it's time for that sad, sad magazine to change its orientation and live up to that 83-year-old motto.
The bottom line for us is this: If the League "represents" CB the way it has "represented" us over the years (incentive licensing, this boneheaded bandwidth proposal, and other gems), the 11 meter crowd would certainly have some major headaches on its hand.
Oh yes, let's not forget about BPL. That affects 11 meters as much as it does the other HF bands, so we would still get some benefits from a re-oriented League.
Now...just waiting for the tar and feathers from such League shills as 'CWA!
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