October 6, 2024, 6:02 am
Hey everyone, I realized upon reviewing this one that this is probably the spiciest video I’ve done in a while. Didn’t mean for it to be, but I really fell like these things need to be said. I do not want to stoke animosity with the hams doing good work…you guys know who you are. And, you know exactly about the types of hams that I’m talking about.
But more importantly than just me shouting at the internet, this really should be a discussion that is carried forward by others as well. My own opinion is largely unimportant, but if I can start the ball rolling on a larger debate, I think that’s a good idea.We can’t be afraid to talk about these things any longer, especially since a dialog is needed for any solution to be feasible in the future. Hams need to be held accountable for their behavior and for enabling these cultural problems that result in a hesitancy to use emergency services. Every single ham radio operator (or group) knows of a guy in their club or on their local repeater who engages in this type of elitist behavior. Instead of hanging one’s head and saying quietly “that’s just Larry being Larry again”, we need to do more. Exchanging ideas always helps, and I personally look forward to the discourse.
Why is it that radio is treated as a privilege and not a right? Is that mentality (and prior justification) a good fit for today? More broadly, is it Constitutional to license speech?
If licenses were no longer required, but the ham bands were kept for ham use, would the ‘chaos’ that hams claim would happen, really happen? How has the evolution of CB radio licensing provided an indication of how this might go?
Regarding funding for advocacy, are “advocacy” groups being held accountable? Or are we just getting their newsletter and assuming they are fighting the FCC’s creeping restrictions? How is that really going? Are ham organizations really just taking your money, and carving out FCC rules for their own pet projects, such as getting the FCC to approve encryption on one specific organization’s network, while the rest of us aren’t privy to that rule?
Regarding spectrum management, are the complaints of hams over the years really an accurate picture of what’s going on? Would sheer and utter chaos erupt if we allowed a license-free portion of the HF bands? Are the HF bands not utter chaos at this exact moment, even with licensed use?
I promise that I will have a more coherent (and less angst-inducing) way of opening up this discussion soon. I just felt that time is of the essence, and I have not spoken as directly and firmly (but still respectfully) as I could have. I am all for bringing people together to solve problems, and I think the carrot works vastly better than the stick. But sometimes a line is crossed, and I believe that accepting certain behavior in ham radio world, solely for the purpose of keeping the peace, would infringe on my own core values, which I will not do. My chief concern is not simply with the malign actors within radio, as I said, those are easy to handle. My primary concern is the community that allows that behavior to fester for so long, that it endangers lives. Now that I’ve identified these problems (along with many of you all), I definitely plan to continue to work on solutions that are feasible and help us to use radio to improve the world around us.
We need to stop thinking along the lines of what the rules allow us to do, but what is theoretically possible. Whenever anyone has any question regarding anything in radio…the first point mentioned is some sort of rule, without fail. This mentality has to stop. We can operate within the parameters of a civilized society just fine, but we also need to reexamine our priorities. Much of the time, there is no conflict with what the rules are, and what capabilities we need. However, Ham Radio culture is becoming a huge barrier to the progress of human communication, and thus myself needing to dedicate as many harsh words to this issue (as soft language has not resulted in the motivation needed to fix these problems). The spirit of radio is to help one another, not to be an elitist club. Ask not whether a technology is allowed by the rules, but rather if that technology will help someone at the end of the day.
00:00 – The Disaster
18:50 – The Good and the Bad
26:10 – The Ugly
33:54 – Solutions
45:51 – Closing Thoughts
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This content is purely educational and does not advocate for violating any laws. Do not violate any laws or regulations. This is not legal advice. Consult with your attorney.
Content Creator – S2 Underground
