Date: Tue, 19 Apr 94 04:30:05 PDT From: Ham-Policy Mailing List and Newsgroup Errors-To: Ham-Policy-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Ham-Policy@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Ham-Policy Digest V94 #176 To: Ham-Policy Ham-Policy Digest Tue, 19 Apr 94 Volume 94 : Issue 176 Today's Topics: ARRL rpt on preferred calls LICENSING DELAYS (2 msgs) Send Replies or notes for publication to: Send subscription requests to: Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu. Archives of past issues of the Ham-Policy Digest are available (by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/ham-policy". We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 14 Apr 94 21:31:16 GMT From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!pegasus.cc.ucf.edu!pegasus.cc.ucf.edu!not-for-mail@ucbvax.berkeley.edu Subject: ARRL rpt on preferred calls To: ham-policy@ucsd.edu While contemplating bellybuttons prvalko spake thusly: > Naturally, coming from Newington (in the 1 district) I would expect this > from their committee. 1 area and 0 area calls are the most desireable > as the most easily spell english language words. For example : > 73 =paul= wb ==> 8 <== zjl Who in their right mind would want a 1 or 0 call? John -=- kr4ah. Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the actions of any Alpha-Hotels other than myself. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Apr 1994 15:32:03 GMT From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!usenet.ucs.indiana.edu!master.cs.rose-hulman.edu!e106-2.rose-hulman@ihnp4.ucsd.edu Subject: LICENSING DELAYS To: ham-policy@ucsd.edu The following letter was sent to our Indiana, Federal government represenatives. Honerable Richard G. Lugar Senator Honerable Dan Coats Senator Honerable John T. Myers Congressman Dear Senator Lugar I am writing to you concerning the excessively long delays in processing by the Federal Communications Commision Licensing branch at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. This office processes all of the Amateur Radio Service,s requests as per FCC form # 610. As of this date this office is informing telephone callers that the processing delays are running 14 to 16 weeks! I understand this office has four personnel to process all form 610 applications. This would include any changes to existing amateur licenses, as well as thousands of new license applications. Typically in past years, this processing time ran two to three weeks. For your information, The Amateur Radio service self-administers all testing for new licenses. This is accomplished at no cost to the government by trained and certified volunteers. At dozens of testing sites across the country, Volunteer Examiners then forward on to Gettysburg the 610 forms for new amateurs after carefully checking for correctness. As of this date approximately 27 persons just from the Terre Haute, Indiana area alone are waitig for licenses. Many of these took testing sessions late last year. I personally am not awaiting action by this office, but I have a group of Boy Scouts who have been studying since last fall to receive their amateur licenses and are becoming very discouraged by this unnecessary delay. Nationwide there must be hundreds of individules waiting for action from this office. I'm sure I don't need to tell you of the invaluable service the Amateur Fraternity provides to the nation daily. This service is practially self-administered and self-disiplined. I remember a commanding officer in the submarine service telling his junior officers: Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions!! I beleive we have a very quick and simple solution based upon the Amateurs nearly century-long record of national service. If the American Radio Relay League, ARRL, the national association of amateur radio operators, were to ask for and coordinate volunteers from the area near Gettysburg to come to the office there and assist the personnel in catching up the backlog, this would happen quickly, and at no cost to the government. I'm sure someone could come up with a thousand excuses why this wouldn't work, but everyone is tired of excuses. Senator Lugar, will you please get behind this solution also? We are asking all Amateur Radio operators across the nation to contact their national repersentatives and request this solution be implemented immediately. Sincerely Dave Gahimer K9ZCE END OF LETTER Please feel free to copy and ammend/change this to send to your national represenatives. Its OUR government folks! It is what we let it be. It will only change if we make enough noise to make it change. I understand changes are in the planning stages, that doesn't get anything accomplished NOW. DAVE ------------------------------ Date: 18 Apr 1994 15:50:24 -0700 From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!news.cerf.net!ccnet.com!ccnet.com!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu Subject: LICENSING DELAYS To: ham-policy@ucsd.edu EE DEPT NOVELL SUPERVISOR (supervisor@rose-hulman.edu) wrote: : The following letter was sent to our Indiana, Federal government : represenatives. ........ : If the American Radio Relay League, ARRL, the national association : of amateur radio operators, were to ask for and coordinate volunteers : from the area near Gettysburg to come to the office there and : assist the personnel in catching up the backlog, this would happen : quickly, and at no cost to the government. I'm sure someone could : come up with a thousand excuses why this wouldn't work, but everyone : is tired of excuses. : Senator Lugar, will you please get behind this solution also? : We are asking all Amateur Radio operators across the nation to contact : their national repersentatives and request this solution be : implemented immediately. : Sincerely : Dave Gahimer K9ZCE : END OF LETTER Of course this would then apply to all backlogged branches of government. Dear Senator Tidewater, The backlog of licencing Nuclear Power Plants is staggering. The process is taking up to ten years now. The Nuclear Power lobby has a pool of qualified individuals who could come over and process these applications in days. Senator, there are people who need electric power in your rural districts who may have to wait up to ten years, unless we can do something NOW. We hope you get behind this popular initive and let us serve you. :) :) ;) ;) Bob -- Bob Wilkins work bwilkins@cave.org Berkeley, California home rwilkins@ccnet.com 94701-0710 play n6fri@n6eeg.#nocal.ca.usa.noam ------------------------------ Date: 18 Apr 1994 17:55:40 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!umd5.umd.edu!mark@network.ucsd.edu To: ham-policy@ucsd.edu References , , en.u Subject : Re: Incentive Licensing In article , Tom Dement wrote: >Bill Turner writes: > >>To understand what's going on you really need to know where the old >>timers are coming from. It's not CW, it's not phone, it's not packet. >>What it is is the special status of being a licensed radio operator. ... > One last more desparate note, If we dio not get more "young blood" in this >hobby, we are gonna lose our places in the radio spectrum faster than you can >key SOS. These appear to be contradictory perspectives. Either you are going to reserve the special status, or you are going to attract more people. Let me give you an example... I've been thinking about getting into ham radio. I was thinking about it because I'm interested in building some devices that use video (real time or slow scan) and telemetry/telecommand. Some sort of packet protocol would be suitable. I understand this will take a bit of study to get a better knowledge of radio-electronics (rather than digital). But I have to learn morse code? That's like telling somebody "Yes, we're going to let you type on this word processor, but FIRST, you have to prove you can make your own quill pen and ink." I don't particularly have a problem with people wanting to make their own quills or with them wanting to communicate in morse code. They are both things people do for fun. But for me, it is just an artificial barrier that makes the whole thing less attractive. Maybe the code requirement is supposed to keep me out. But if it is, don't be afraid to say it. ------------------------------ Date: 18 Apr 94 20:01:55 GMT From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!modem65.ucdavis.edu!ddtodd@ucbvax.berkeley.edu To: ham-policy@ucsd.edu References , , <2ouhis$q23@hecate.umd.edu> Subject : Re: Incentive Licensing In article <2ouhis$q23@hecate.umd.edu> mark@roissy.umd.edu (Mark Sienkiewicz) writes: >Let me give you an example... I've been thinking about getting into >ham radio. I was thinking about it because I'm interested in building >some devices that use video (real time or slow scan) and >telemetry/telecommand. Some sort of packet protocol would be suitable. My suggestion would be to go down to Radio Shack or a ham radio store in your area and get a study guide. I can't imagine you are going to do any high speed packet or real time video in the hf bands and there is no morse code requirement for access to all the VHF and higher bands. >I understand this will take a bit of study to get a better knowledge >of radio-electronics (rather than digital). But I have to learn morse >code? That's like telling somebody "Yes, we're going to let you type on >this word processor, but FIRST, you have to prove you can make your >own quill pen and ink." Pretty stupid at times. There have to be some form of examination precess to keep regulation and keep the parts of amateur radio that we all enjoy. For now this includes Morse code. Flaming here won't change that, nor will it change anyone's mind. If you really want to cause change get together with a few like minded friends and write a petition. If the FCC starts receiving a couple hundred well thought out proposals a year to eliminate or restructure the Morse Code portion of the amateur radio exams they will eventually take action. cheres, Dan ================================================================= Dan Todd ddtodd@ucdavis.edu KC6UUD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Clinton and Al Gore know that the Constitution guarantees an individuals basic right to keep and bear arms, and they will uphold that right. - Whitehouse Position Paper ================================================================= ------------------------------ End of Ham-Policy Digest V94 #176 ******************************