> Wait until the network news runs a picture
> of a tri-bander and says "Ham Radio and Breast Cancer" news at 11"....
> ..
> We need to be prepared to deal with this ....
>
> Jim WB2TPS
Let's think this through, lads...I think there's more possibilities in
being prepared to point out that if the over-reactive amongst us wish to
live in an 99-44/100% RF-free environment then they will HAVE to do
without:
1) Cellular and Cordless phones - that should do it right there, but if
not...
2) Broadcast TV (i.e., the free kind) - no "Baywatch"? fuggidaboudit...
3) AM and FM radio
4) Public Safety two-way radio
and so on...not even addressing the power-line issue...
Anyone paying attention to pollution-control efforts will have noted that
the general public is perfectly willing to require anything as long as
they don't have to ante up or sacrifice anything personally. "Mr.
Smokestack, you have to go, but I still need three oversized cars and will
drive two blocks rather than, uh, you know...walk, ugh. Triple my
electric bill to pay for buried lines? No way, dude!"
So, frankly, while there is a lot of huff and puff about RF right now, it
will most likely lead nowhere because there isn't any real health issue
and the impact of removing it from the environment is too great. We must
guard against intolerance of antennas and towers, to be sure...but that's
primarily an esthetics argument; health is just a smokescreen for "I don't
want to look at it."
The sky is not falling, the gummint will not come and take our
transmitters away, and our neighbor's children will not grow
cantaloupe-sized goiters. We will still have jerky ignoramuses that claim
the Devil appears whenever we're on 20-meters and that our 80-meter dipole
spoils their pristine view of the 200 other identical houses across the
street. And you know what? Life will continue.
I've probably exceeded the reasonable bandwidth limits for what should
really be a tower-oriented forum, although the subjects are clearly
related. Let's wait until all the materials are released by the ARRL and
FCC to see what is REALLY going on.
73, Ward N0AX
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