> Instead, they encourage what will sell magazines and > more Yaecomewood disposable radios.
I've heard other stories like the reasoning of the Novice Enhancement Act was because sales were falling off for the 'big three', and by giving novices phone privledges, they could 1) boost their faltering sales, 2) attract more hams to the bands (to sell more radios) > Some point out the the ARRL has taken more of an interest in AM and vintage gear > as of late. My response is 'why did they ever lose interest?'. If they've done > anything at all, it hasn't been freely or happily, more grudgingly. Enough > people want to know about 'real radio' and how it works that they've been forced > to do something or lose any remaining credibility. When you look at all they've > done (or not done) in the past, it's difficult to see their more recent > attention as sincere. > What is the figure hams who are members? Something like 25%? That in itself says > a lot right there. You'd think they'd embrace ALL aspects of amateur radio and > do EVERYTHING they could to please all users without having to do one at the > expense of another. They seem content though to push books and sell advertising, > which is why so many refer to them as the Amateur Radio Retail Lobby. A $10 > million plus publishing house, basically. The reference I like is "Awful Racket Raising League" :-) > What do you think the chances are of the ARRL sponsoring an AM contest some > weekend? Or a vintage gear event? As good as an AM WAS endorsement, or as bad? > It's amazing how some consider AM operation to be a waste, yet have no problem > with contesters taking up so much spectrum most(every?) weekend, or as W9STB > points out, to say that 6 kc is 'too wide' while turning their back on the CW, a > mode more "efficient" than SSB. You don't have to look hard to see where their > focus is and why. I still fail to see the big draw to the so-called 'full fidelity ssb signal', where some ssb'ers have gont to the extreme of introducing their "rack audio" equipment past the pre-amp stage, and directly to the balanced modulators on their SSB rigs. If they -really- want to have audio -that- wide, then they should be on AM. At least then, when they're transmitting that 'beautiful' audio with a carrier, the listener has the option of hearing that station in full-fidelity mode (6 to 10kc), instead of trying to listen to 6kc of ssb audio through a 2.4kc ssb filter. Where's the sense in it? > I wish Pete and Mark luck as well, hopefully they'll make progress and prove us > naysayers at least somewhat wrong. If the past is any indication, though.... Agreed. 73 = Best Regards, -=Geoff/W5OMR=-
