🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:34:04 GMT, in
<i2ratc$tt7$1@news.eternal-september.org>, sfdavidkaye2@yahoo.com (David
Kaye) wrote:

>Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:
>
>>Back in the 1980's every little fiefdom from the homeowner's association 
>>to the city to the county to the state were writing 
>>ordinances/regulations/laws that virtually said ham operators could only 
>>have antenna systems THEY approved, no matter if the amateur, who 
>>provides emergency communications in time of national disaster, could 
>>communicate with other amateurs or not.  They didn't care if your radio 
>>worked, they cared that noone could see any antenna, at all if they 
>>could get away with it.
>
>Antennas are ugly, especially those 40 meter rotating monstrosities.  Also, I 
>think the service hams provide during disasters is very overrated.  When you 
>live among other people you have to get along with other people.  This means 
>complying with local regulations designed to improve the aesthetics of a 
>neighborhood.  
>
>Signs of a low-class neighborhood include cars parked in front yards and huge 
>ham antennas.  I'm thinking San Leandro just off Davis Street, and most 
>neighborhoods in Concord and Pittsburg.  
>
>If hams truly want to serve the public that they're always talking about 
>serving, then they should erect disguised antennas or at least those that are 
>somewhat pleasing to look at.  

Amen!

>>Amateur Radio Relay League, our national ham radio organization that 
>>coordinates and lobbies and kisses the bureaucrats' asses to keep us on 
>>the air and keep commercial interests, like sellphone companies, from 
>>stealing our frequency bands we've had since 1900, with only partial 
>>success, [....]
>
>It is *right* that the FCC should take away some ham bands.  Ham radio is 
>experimental radio.  There isn't much to experiment with any longer, and the 
>remaining bands provide plenty of space for experimentation.  Most hams don't 
>experiment at all.  They buy lots of equipment and work QSO's halfway around 
>the world to talk about their rigs.  They collect wallpaper.  They don't 
>provide much of a community service, except in those very rare instances of 
>disasters, and then I don't see that they do that much that can't otherwise be 
>done by local disaster folks using conventional VHF and UHF 2-way.  

Amen on this too!

-- 
John

"We have met the enemy and he is us" -Pogo