April 2012 QST article: "FCC Staffer Talks on Emcomm at ARRL/TAPR Conference"

[AB2T]

I have to agree.

Jordan, I am not finding any basis for your jump from the "relevance" of our radio hobby "at the federal level," to your connection with some kind of loss of allocations to the Amateur Service if that relevance were called into question.

Again, maybe I didn't read the article thoroughly enough.

Rick Palm writes in his article,

"Bartholomew stated his opinion that 'Emcomm is what saves Amateur Radio from losing spectrum', and 'maybe even gaining some,' but the public needs to continue to gain benefit."

(82)

So yes, I did read the article wrongly. The public, and not the preservation of bandwidth, is most important in Bartholomew's eyes. Emcomm does, however, "save Amateur Radio" from losing spectrum. I had interpreted this to mean that emcomm somehow justified amateur use of parts of the spectrum.

Clearly, the FCC staffer has envisioned the active, concerned licensee as part of an emergency resource. This indeed is what we can be prepared to do. The non-emergency aspect of being a licensed radio hobbyist, pursuing all manner of communications, is what keeps us in the hobby and potentially ready to raise our hands with the infrastructure we have crafted among ourselves.

Being connected to the hobby is NOT, for most of us, the allure of being an emcomm whacker.

I look at it this way: I've been a ham for almost twenty years now. I wonder if it is time for me to give something back to the hobby. I never was a VE (I was younger than 18 when I earned the Extra, and never pursued that idea after I turned 18.) Maybe volunteer work such as VE testing would be more my style. Still, I do wonder if I should give something back. I'm not asking anyone else to do so. That's their decision.

As I've said, most hams interested in emcomm aren't whackers. Unfortunately, this is a stereotype that has been perpetuated, consciously or not, by some hams. That's all it is. Still, I labor under the misconception that emcomm is whacker sometimes. I suspect I'm not the only ham who thinks this way. It's not up to emcomm participants to change what they're doing but for hams not in emcomm to stop and think about their prejudices.

And with a nod to the CW operator, the staffer you have cited has actually invited you into the system, affirming that you have a place, potentially, just as I do in my part of the hobby. I've actually prepared for the day when my station can issue emergency notices on shortwave, under emergency circumstances, that can be received by people threatened by hurricanes, who are perhaps equipped with "world band" radios capable of receiving signals on AM that provide guidance and planning to respond to a disaster scenario.

It is this kind of versatility among us that helps warrant our full time use of the spectrum allocated to us as hobbyists.

Okay, I don't think anymore that the article is negative. That said, I should diversify my ham radio skills somewhat. It's not enough to sit around and expect someone to knock on my door and all of a sudden need a CW op.

As you say, emcomm isn't about proving that ham radio is "worth something", but rather using the bandwidth for its maximum potential. That's a better way to look at it, but I don't think that emcomm should be considered more important than the hobby aspect. I don't get that from what you or Rick Palm write, but I sometimes fear that emcomm will be considered more important than everyday hamming just because it has the potential to be of benefit in emergency situations.

[WY5V]

It's right up front:

CFR 47 Part 97

§ 97.1 Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

Emphasis mine. One of the reasons the service exists in the first place.

[N0AZZ]

The ONLY people they consider using in any of there ecomm exercises now are the ones that have NIMMS certification. This is the reason that I personally dropped out of all aspects of ARES and Skywarn. Now I'm really sad to say that I'm ashamed of what it has became all knowledgeable people dropped out and now all are newer ham's most techs a few generals and 2 extras and not one of the group even operates on HF or 6m and never have even the extras. They were both Zero to Extra in one sitting for one reason only for Ecomm.

I guess I'm just to old to go along with s**t and moved on, I'd rather work DX and weak signal VHF or READ.

[N5PVL]

It's right up front:

CFR 47 Part 97

§ 97.1 Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

Emphasis mine. One of the reasons the service exists in the first place.

CFR 47 Part 97

§ 97.1 Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.


Emphasis mine. Emcom is just one out of of several reasons that the service exists in the first place.

[N5PVL]

Sounds a lot like a WinLink plant at the FCC, to me.

The ARRL has long been bought and paid for. - But the FCC kept getting in the way. (RM-11306 )

So they trotted their FCC-employed WinLid mole out for the big conference, so they could get that "echo chamber" effect going, so comforting to those who know deep down that what they are doing is wrong.

Reference "the Bandar-Log People" in Kipling's Jungle Book.

Utterly pathetic, but not surprising to see this kind of behavior from an employee of the FCC.

The DHS grant money corruption's tentacles are reaching farther and deeper into the heart of amateur radio, every day. A few greedy or corrupt individuals profit - to the cost of all.

Where does it stop? - Isn't the 'emergency' that allegedly justifies this stupidity over yet?

[PE1RDW]

maybe some comparison might be in order by giving the emcomm history in the netherlands.
in 1953 we had a masive flood whiping out one complete province and parts of 2 more, it was hamradio at that time that managed to get the news out because things like public phone network was still very rare.
After that the redcross organised a network just outside the ham bands opperated by hams but that network never saw any activation.
in time the network grew to it's own organisation simular to a civil defence taking on other tasks in rescue and safety as wel, at this time they cut the link with hamradio and opperated with their own opperators.
Overtime this organisation proved to be to expencive to maintain as a lot of it's jobs where redundant so it was split op, rescue and safety task went to the army national reserve and medical and comunication went back to the red cross.
This situation still exsist today with the red cross maintaining flexable repeater networks, rapid deployment controll rooms etc.
around 2003 or so DARES came aong and started lobying to take on communication tasks ignoring what the red cross already has, they did manage to get recogniced as a valid recourse but to date they have litle to prove their worth, they ran a few large and small exersises with the national reserves like floodex 09 civil chalange 11 and wakeup 12 but the opperators are not certified with a few exceptions and completly depend on the private equipment of the opperators themself as wel as the satelite uplink of the army to hook up the email system that shall not be named.
a few years ago they did contact the redcross but only to get the redcross to use their resources, offcourse the redcross turned them down as they have nothing to offer at the moment that the redcross can not do themselfs.

the point being hamradio is not that exclusive in providing emcomm resources and overplaying the emcomm card might backfire as it will be seen as being selfimportant.

[WN9HJW]

My guess is that this is not just an ad-hoc article, but this is the guy at the FCC who will write the report favorable to hams and against HOA tower restrictions, that was mandated in the recently passed ham radio emcomm "study" legislation. Basically, the ARRL has an inside track for the "study"

Either that, or maybe it is the April Fools article.

[W8MW]

Sounds a lot like a WinLink plant at the FCC, to me.

Sounds that way here, too.

FCC employee speaks off the record. Not news. Just another opinion. I tend to take seriously the statements FCC places in the record. Like this:

"we note that although many amateur radio operators choose to use their communications ability to assist the public by proving communications during an emergency, and we continue to encourage such activity, there is no requirement that they do so". WTB Notice FCC 05-143A1 July 19, 2005 Paragraph 20

73 Mike

[G6URM]

humm from the sound of it the amateurs day as "useful" is drawing to an end - as government have it all sown up - every one can do it "better than us " - technology has "moved on " and they dont need the little guy with the gear that is simple - works - and can be set up even if the SHTF

i note that even RAYNET in the uk seemed to be getting sidelined - as in the new RSGB band plan all mention of raynet has been dropped and only ONE frequency is even mentioned on 2 meters ( there used to be several that where "may be used by raynet " or some such - now its just " Note 10: May be used for Emergency Communications and Community Events and thats in the SSB segment )

so it looks like there is a widespread move AWAY from us having ANY involvement with emergencies

ah well when the SHTF and all their toys go futt ................................................ will any of us still BE there to help out ??? - or will WE like the rest of society just say "screw you jack " ???

ho hum

[K0RGR]

ARES is always trying to improve it's HF presence. Most of our activity is VHF, but HF can fill some important roles, too. If you have places close by that are difficult to reach on VHF, an HF station using NVIS may very well do the job. Or, an HF station outside the immediate disaster area can serve to relay. We recently had an exercise here where the goal was to establish communications in and between the counties in MN, IA, and WI along the Mississippi River. Stations from all along the path, from just south of the Twin Cities down to Dubuque could work each other on 40 meters at midday. Most of that path could also be bridged by people relaying on 2 meters between high level repeaters along the route. Things worked surprisingly well.