I am appalled at what routinely passes as ham radio anymore, especially on
two meters.
Yes, having been down to see my parents after Hurricane Andrew wiped them
out in Homestead, I of course listened to all the traffic on two meters as
I drove there, and was proud of what I heard.....the band is not the
problem just like guns are not the problem...it is those who use the damn
devices.
I can remember when 2 meter FM and repeaters were new. There were actually
callsigns used and everything.......it still sounded like people were
OPERATING, it sounded like HAMS.
I turned on a two meter rig not long ago and heard one guy who must have
thought he was still a CBer, "c'mon back.....c'mon back...c'mon back...."
over and over he said this.....and then, finally someone eschewed him for
his non signing of his call...he simply said:
"I don't have to, it hasn't been ten minutes yet"
This guy was a license holder....he was NOT a HAM.
The sad part is there are a LOT of these guys out there NOW and as their
numbers increase the "face" of ham radio turns more and more into their
faces. With the lowering of license standards even further there will be
more like them...and OPERATORS will become a thing of the past.
In times of emergency, WHICH IS WHY AMATEUR RADIO EXISTS ("because it
qualifies as a service, etc") we will need OPERATORS - WE WILL NOT NEED
GUYS WHO CAN ONLY COMMUNICATE ON CLEAR CHANNELS WHERE THERE IS FULL
QUIETING!
I honestly hope you are right that simplification ends up improving the
service, but I cannot imagine how that can happen after watching it degrade
during the past 25 years...that degradation went into "warp speed" the last
time the entry regulations were downgraded. Since you have followed Ham
Radio since 1955 you KNOW what I am talking about because you have heard
what is on the air then, and NOW.
73,
Jim, K4OJ
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