ARRL 'Radio Communications' billboard promotes Ham Radio on I-40

It is bizarre to quote Part 97's mission and then assert Part 97 is a hobby. It is a licensed service--missioned-- where clearly there is hobby-like use. Unlike a bona fide "hobby", these missioned statements obligate use in order to secure and maintain these privileges. A "hobby" has no obligation. It is a "leisurely pursuit". Leisure defines choice of non-activity. Many have taken that 'leisure' to define non-use of privileges--and hence the huge problem we now have in Part 97.

The problem is that when you define 'hobby' to fit who you are, you WILL find that it is in opposition to what may be defined legally-- in an effort to take away Part 97 privileges. Right now I see that as 7-10 years away. If we continue to not use the HF bands, AND insist its a "hobby", that may happen much sooner.

Watch out for IOT.....

Ham radio---it's not a hobby. Get on the air and execute your Part 97 mission: learn something; build something; make something; hone your skills; help someone; make friends across the world.

73
Chip W1YW

 

That's exactly the problem.

You can't define "hobby" to fit who YOU are.

The definition precedes and is independent of that.

Since laws are about words and their MANIPULATION, you will see major issues in the future based on a false perception that many radio amateurs say they are ONLY "hobbyists" and ham radio is a "hobby".

In the telecommunications realm,

"Hobby"="Placeholder"= "Ripe for the picking"

You will see that playing out at the 3300MHz band in the next couple of years: hams not executing Part 97 mission on the band; we lose band; band joins the 5G allocation. The 'leisure' of non-use = loss of band.

Way to go hobbyists!

Our solution to the problem is to label 5G in a QST article as "hope or hype". Unbelievable.

73
Chip W1YW

 

It goes beyond talking point A. B, C, D and E carry equal weight. I feel I done my part. I know Chip has.

 

No...the problem is you can't tell others how to define their participation in a pastime activity. We are all free to define participation as we see fit. I see fit to view the amateur service as my hobby and any chatter to the contrary won't change that.

The ARRL has it correct...
What is Ham Radio?
Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together.
http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

 

For those who want to understand the provenance of "leisure pursuit" (=HOBBY), here is a dense but deliciously sardonic foundation for same--

Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen.


https://books.google.com/books/abou...ver&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

On the contrary, the United States is telling you what to do with ham radio.

As the BILLBOARD sez---

SKILL

SERVICE

DISCOVERY

Not a dang word about "hobby".

Now, what many here call 'hobby' may actually be a "honing of skills". The issue is NON-ACTIVITY, which 'leisure' explicitly is built on--the option of NOT doing something.

Veblen paints a great scene in his book where a European King decided not to have to move his butt , because he expected someone else to move his chair at the fireplace. The 'leisure' of not doing it himself.

He then burnt to a crisp waiting to be moved....

We have hundreds of thousands of Part 97 licensees who are NOT ACTIVE.

By executing that 'option', they are not meeting the mission of Part 97.

So, how does that play out?

Not on the individual but on the service.

-----------------------------------------
Explicitly: the INDIVIDUAL is not penalized for inactivity, instead the COMMUNITY loses privileges
--------------------------------------------------

Bands go away when we do NOT execute Part 97.

And right now we are doing a fair to mediocre job of it at best.

BTW (digression here), happy Easter Pete (W1BR)! Like your cool new callsign

73
Chip W1YW

 

Why didn't I think of that...all we need do is to check a billboard to see if the amateur service is our hobby and forget what the ARRL has posted on their site.

 

You can certainly remind them to update the old copy on the website: Sure!

Great idea!

Happy Easter, BTW

 

Thanks, and Happy Easter to you.

 

My wife and son get Easter eggs;

I get matzoh balls (in my soup)

 

I would like to see many more of these signs along interstates. But I would have made the domain name in print larger.

 

For those who argue that Amateur Radio is not a hobby, they are disputing what is said by the ARRL, RSGB, and RAC (to name a few).

ARRL:

"What is Ham Radio?

"Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It's fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need."

RSGB

"What is amateur radio?

"Amateur radio is a popular technical hobby and volunteer public service that uses designated radio frequencies for non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communications."

Radio Amateurs of/du Canada:

"What is Amateur Radio?

"It is a form of communication; a hobby; a community service."

And even The Radio Club of America's website includes this in one of its pages:

“While RCA is NOT an amateur radio organization, many of its members got their first taste of wireless via the hobby of amateur radio.”

 

You seem to advocate the notion of 'going with the crowd'.

Once again, I am pointing out the facts.

I am truly sorry that my presentation of the facts is not to your liking.

My point is that we very well will kill off Part 97 by taking a portion of its use and 'naming' it what it is not.

That, my friend, I will fight over, because it will deny many privileges they worked so very hard to attain.

Let me give you an example--on how word 're-definition' has strange results. There are many.

To a physicist, a 'quantum' leap is a very small and discretized change. Quantum was defined, by need, by physicists; they do not abuse or expand its meaning.

Now, of course, the phrase 'quantum' leap has some ambiguous meaning, usually referring to a very big change, by those who do not and did not use the definition of the word correctly. They basically took the 'discretized' part and shmeared the meaning to mean something the very opposite of what the phrase really means.

Are there implications to that? Probably. Are they possibly legal? Probably not.

Do we NOW change what 'quantum' really means? Shall we erase the Latin as well?

If Part 97 is a "hobby" then we ignore the meaning of "hobby". Obviously that doesn't make a hill of beans to some folks here. Are there implications of such a mis-use of the word legal? Most probably: Spectrum is allotted and maintained for services, and the mission of Part 97 is not "hobby".

If we so clearly assert that it is a hobby, then we play into the hands of those who will usurp "hobby" spectrum for other uses.

The billboard is a terrific indication of what Part 97 is all about.

The word "hobby" does not appear.

Ask yourself why.

Happy Easter.

73
Chip W1YW

 

A convincing argument but if not one of those organizations considered amateur radio to be a hobby it would be irrelevant. If you consider it to be your hobby no babble will change how you view your pursuit.

 

I think that’s a worthless billboard that says nothing relevant to our hobby. How about:

HAM RADIO — communications worldwide — get connected!

Skill — Service — Discovery. Visit ARRL.ORG...