A member sent me this from one of the DX lists. I hope it puts a smile on your face. Subject: [dx-list] That Darn ARRL Did It Again! From: Ron Notarius W3WN <wn3vaw@verizon.net> Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:54:44 -0500 To: dx-list@yahoogroups.com So, based on what I've been reading here, and actually for some time now since the phone band expansion was announced a few months back, let me see if I've got this all straight. The ARRL pushed through the No Code HF license to increase membership and therefore increase revenue. No, on second thought, the ARRL is impotent with the FCC because they have no money to influence the FCC and therefore is to blame for not stopping this. No, no, the ARRL is in bed with the FCC to screw amateur radio operators. No, no, no, the ARRL is just clueless and has no idea what side of the bread is buttered. Ah, shucks, now I've got it, they're just a bunch of back stabbers. Nope! They represent the special interests and sold out the CW ops for the digital ops. No, make that the CW & Digital ops for the Phone ops. No, still wrong, they sold out the "coders" in favor of the "no coders." I think. But they sold out. Or sold somebody out. Or something. Well, they sold something, anyway. No, no, no, wait, now I've got it. The ARRL pushed this through so that they could increase the number of tests given and reap all their money from those! Oops! Still wrong. Actually, the FCC is run by politicians and political hacks (imagine that) who are in league with the League. Or is it that they ignore the League? I keep getting confused. Oh yes, and all the people posting on this DX list and other lists are almost universally against dropping the CW test. Too bad the FCC doesn't read this list and the others and listen to us! My goodness, do they actually expect us to file petitions in this day and age of message boards and reflectors? -------------- Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, Fred and the boys at No Code International must really be thrilled. Not only have they finally got their agenda pushed through, but they got the League to take the heat on it from all sides. Haven't read about anybody complaining about their actions... and weren't they the ones who've been filing the petitions on this in the first place? Come to think of it, haven't heard anybody praising them, either. Interesting. -------------- We have to face an unpleasant truth: Outside of Amateur Radio, the use of the International Morse Code as a regular, routine, and accepted method of communications has virtually disappeared. Outside of beacon and repeater ID's and the like, it's gone. (Tangent: Going to work on the "T" the other day, I heard the Port Authority's repeater ID in CW. The LRT driver muttered 'I wonder what all those beeps mean, I hear them all the time.') So, once the ITU determined that Morse proficiency was a skill the rest of the communications skill didn't need, and dropped it as a mandatory requirement for HF access by Amateur Radio operators, the rest was inevitable. I also think it is unfair to blame the ARRL for being ineffective in stopping this. It's not a question of them being impotent (although Mal does have a good point about the $$$ behind lobbying). I don't think the FCC paid any attention to ANY of the comments filed. Again. Someone in the FCC was given the task of writing up the NPRM, and it sailed through almost unscathed -- because, IMHO, the decision was made to take the path of least resistance and simply eliminate Element 1 BEFORE the NPRM was filed. So all those comments were, IMHO, for naught. Every single one. Why should this surprise you? BPL is technically flawed and an obsolete technology as currently being implemented, yet the FCC is pushing it. Why? Because the politicians running the FCC have friends in the industry who are dangling money. This is a surprise? As I recall, when 220 - 222 was taken away, didn't one of the Commisioners very soon after quit and take a job with one of the firms that lobbied for it? Nah, that couldn't be a payoff... and before anyone says it, that happened when the Other Party had their people in charge of the Gov't, not the Current Party. Political payoffs are, er, non-political in that respect. So what do we do? Well, first we take the only group that has any reasonable hope of dealing with the FCC, gripe about them constantly, fail to fund them, fail to support them, leave them with few tools (including $$) at hand, and then when they fail to succeed at a near impossible task, assess blame, quit, turn others against them, threaten to form a new group and split our ranks further, and leave them is worse shape to continue the fight or fight the next one. Yeah, that makes sense. Here's a novel thought to chew on: You say the League is part of the problem, not part of the solution? Fine. Then find a good communications attorney, figure out how to afford him (or her), have his staff research the FCC's notice for obvious flaws. Then file suit to stop it, or take whatever other action deemed appropriate. THAT should show the League how to do things, right? After all, it will probably be a week or three until the Notice shows up in the Federal Register, especially with the holidays coming up, and then you have another 30 days until it takes effect. Plenty of time for a crack research team. Well, it's that, or continue to kvetch and moan here on the reflctor, which won't actually DO anything, but will make us all feel better, right? Oh, and please, keep blaming the League. After all, it has to be SOMEBODY's fault, and they're an easy target, right? 73, ron w3wn __._,_.___ Messages in this topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx-list/message/39957;_ylc=X3oDMTM2dmJwa20yBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwMDYxMDQEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BG1zZ0lkAzM5OTU3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3Z0cGMEc3RpbWUDMTE2NjM0MjQyMgR0cGNJZAMzOTk1Nw--> (1) Reply (via web post) <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx-list/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxOWVrcm1uBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwMDYxMDQEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BG1zZ0lkAzM5OTU3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3JwbHkEc3RpbWUDMTE2NjM0MjQyMg--?act=reply&messageNum=39957> | Start a new topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx-list/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlczF0NGZhBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwMDYxMDQEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTE2NjM0MjQyMg--> Messages <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx-list/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMzZkanNqBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwMDYxMDQEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA21zZ3MEc3RpbWUDMTE2NjM0MjQyMg--> ============================================ The following bulletins are published on the DX-list. 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