k4kyv
08-30-2007, 05:50 AM
One may well pause these days to observe the rapid growth of amateur radio. About 600,000 amateurs in the U.S. these days. Mr. Sumner in QST tells us this is cool stuff, but we don't agree. We have been on the air enough lately--on nine different bands--to know that good operators are counted in the dozens and the lids in the hundreds, at any moment.
This means that we are increasingly becoming a group of novices, still "wet behind the ears." Being an old-timer, and having an honest concern for the future, we are somewhat apprehensive of this condition. Not that we don't like newcomers--for we started in this game twenty-five years ago--but we don't like to have good standards of conduct forgotten, as they certainly are today.
Of course--as anybody can observe--it is advantageous to the paid officers of the League to have as many amateurs as the game will hold. For, the more amateurs, the more QST subscriptions, the more Handbooks sold, and the more money for high salaries. It's a good racket, financially. Our commercial "friends" like it, too, for they will find it that much easier to prove that we aren't doing anything worthwhile, when they get ready to take over our frequency bands.
There are two ways to stop this unwanted increase in "lids"--get the A.R.R.L. to cut out the profit motive, and get the F.C.C. to administer a different kind of examination to amateurs: an examination that would test ability, and not memory.
Now where do you suppose I found this commentary? In CQ Magazine? In a posting on QRZ.com or e-Ham? Scroll down the page to see.
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You will note that I made a few editorial changes in the text. Here is the original, highlighting the words in the text that I changed:
"One may well pause these days to observe the rapid growth of amateur radio. About 33,000 amateurs in the U.S. these days. Mr. Budlong in QST tells us this is swell stuff, but we don't agree. We have been on the air enough lately--on three different bands--to know that good operators are counted in the dozens and the lids in the hundreds, at any moment.
This means that we are increasingly becoming a group of novices, still "wet behind the ears." Being an old-timer, and having an honest concern for the future, we are somewhat apprehensive of this condition. Not that we don't like youngsters--for we started in this game at the age of 11--but we don't like to have good standards of conduct forgotten, as they certainly are today.
Of course--as anybody can observe--it is advantageous to the paid officers of the League to have as many amateurs as the game will hold. For, the more amateurs, the more QST subscriptions, the more Handbooks sold, and the more money for high salaries. It's a good racket, financially. Our commercial "friends" like it, too, for they will find it that much easier to prove that we aren't doing anything worthwhile, when they get ready to take over our frequency bands.
There are two ways to stop this unwanted increase in "lids"--get the A.R.R.L. to cut out the profit motive, and get the F.R.C. to administer a different kind of examination to amateurs: an examination that would test ability, and not memory."
*F.R.C = Federal Radio Commission, the predecessor to the FCC.
As you can see, I changed a total of seven words or phrases to update the text to make it appear contemporary.
The original appeared in R-9 magazine, March, 1933 (page 6).
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
This means that we are increasingly becoming a group of novices, still "wet behind the ears." Being an old-timer, and having an honest concern for the future, we are somewhat apprehensive of this condition. Not that we don't like newcomers--for we started in this game twenty-five years ago--but we don't like to have good standards of conduct forgotten, as they certainly are today.
Of course--as anybody can observe--it is advantageous to the paid officers of the League to have as many amateurs as the game will hold. For, the more amateurs, the more QST subscriptions, the more Handbooks sold, and the more money for high salaries. It's a good racket, financially. Our commercial "friends" like it, too, for they will find it that much easier to prove that we aren't doing anything worthwhile, when they get ready to take over our frequency bands.
There are two ways to stop this unwanted increase in "lids"--get the A.R.R.L. to cut out the profit motive, and get the F.C.C. to administer a different kind of examination to amateurs: an examination that would test ability, and not memory.
Now where do you suppose I found this commentary? In CQ Magazine? In a posting on QRZ.com or e-Ham? Scroll down the page to see.
*
*
*
*
*
You will note that I made a few editorial changes in the text. Here is the original, highlighting the words in the text that I changed:
"One may well pause these days to observe the rapid growth of amateur radio. About 33,000 amateurs in the U.S. these days. Mr. Budlong in QST tells us this is swell stuff, but we don't agree. We have been on the air enough lately--on three different bands--to know that good operators are counted in the dozens and the lids in the hundreds, at any moment.
This means that we are increasingly becoming a group of novices, still "wet behind the ears." Being an old-timer, and having an honest concern for the future, we are somewhat apprehensive of this condition. Not that we don't like youngsters--for we started in this game at the age of 11--but we don't like to have good standards of conduct forgotten, as they certainly are today.
Of course--as anybody can observe--it is advantageous to the paid officers of the League to have as many amateurs as the game will hold. For, the more amateurs, the more QST subscriptions, the more Handbooks sold, and the more money for high salaries. It's a good racket, financially. Our commercial "friends" like it, too, for they will find it that much easier to prove that we aren't doing anything worthwhile, when they get ready to take over our frequency bands.
There are two ways to stop this unwanted increase in "lids"--get the A.R.R.L. to cut out the profit motive, and get the F.R.C. to administer a different kind of examination to amateurs: an examination that would test ability, and not memory."
*F.R.C = Federal Radio Commission, the predecessor to the FCC.
As you can see, I changed a total of seven words or phrases to update the text to make it appear contemporary.
The original appeared in R-9 magazine, March, 1933 (page 6).
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.