>< Danny n7dc wrote: > Yes, it IS a hobby. The emergency proviso has been an > excellent excuse for us to continue to keep the bands, > and indeed expand them from time to time. >... > Everything is a personal choice, and when that goes, so do I.
I'm sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news, Danny. It may be a shock, but there really isn't any need for ultimatums. Don't worry, we remain free to pursue amateur radio as our personal choice of hobby. But don't look for the FCC rules to enshrine it. If you wish the Amateur Radio Service to be changed into the Amateur Radio Hobby, petition the FCC or lobby Congress to change the rules. But before you start working on that, consider this: What would you give up to change it? As a just a hobby, Amateur Radio would not require licensing. In fact, it would be on the same level as woodworking or stamp collecting. They are both wonderful hobbies. But as simply the "Amateur Radio Hobby", there would no longer be a bonafide charter for us to pursue new digital signal technology, deliver emergency communications, or advance the art... so the government would be justified to auction off most of our spectrum for the public benefit and better use of the public airwaves. Billions of dollars of better use. No thank you. I'm content with the Amateur Radio Service, I think hams and the rest of society have been "well-served" by the "service". Bonnie KQ6XA Need a Digital mode QSO? Connect to Telnet://cluster.dynalias.org Other areas of interest: The MixW Reflector : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themixwgroup/ DigiPol: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Digipol (band plan policy discussion) Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
