Ham Talk Live! Episode 199 - State of the Hobby Survey

There are a lot of words that are not in Part 97. To name a few:

Contest.
DXpedition.
FT8.
Ragchew.
Homebrew.
QSL.
Yagi.
DSP.


So, I guess that since they are not mentioned in Part 97, we should not be allowed to do any of those things.

 

This is ham radio

I'm licensed to operate under The Radio Amateur Service

 

WE are the ones being served and I provide the following as EVIDENCE--

 

No, you're not. I will let you figure out why.

 

Where is this written? Who is saying this other than people commenting here?

 

Well, yes, actually.

The HAM is provided by the restaraunt. It's "served" TO you. It's up to your own "personal aim" to decide whether you want lean portions, fat, bone for soup, sliced, cubed, ham salad, ham steaks, ham chunks on a salad, thin sliced on a rye bread, etc etc. You could even, if you want to, "serve" some of your ham to others.

 

Maybe that's why they are called the Personal Radio Services (Part 95).


73 de John, KD2BD

 

Ron is saying its OK to say...

Amateur Radio is a CONTEST
Amateur Radio is a CONTEST

No Ron...

WE are 'what's for dinner'.

Our allocations may be stripped to the bone.

 

There was no single step-change moment for the ARS to move from being a hobby to being a service. The process was gradual, evolutionary. It is described in detail in DeSoto's recount "200 Meters and Down" (link embedded)

Note that ebook has a "Search Inside" box. First search on the word "hobby" Note that it is mentioned a few times, BUT all EARLY in the history. That word is used only ONCE, in passing, after Chapter Two, a section ironically titled "The New Hobby". (Don't hyperventilate! )

In that chapter the author is concluding his description of the activities of EARLY experimenters. Note the word "hobby" disappears nearly entirely starting in the next chapter titled "Amateur Communications", followed by "The Coming Of The Law"; both those titles indicates roots of the change, social and legal.

The early "hobby" aspect diverged and grew into an amateur "service" upon organization, to defend amateur spectrum rights, and institution of regulation and licensing, for many purposes.

"Search Inside" again for the word "service". Quite a few more occurrences than "hobby", some are irrelevant for this discussion. Nonetheless, look at the Introduction, ebook page 6, Rules and Regs, etc - NO HOBBY mentioned.

The book goes on to chronicle how early ARRL leadership recognized the importance to distinguish the radio amateur apart from a "hobbyist"and insist upon use of proper descriptive words both externally and within regulations, in order to fend off threats from government and commercial interests for spectrum.

Crises for the ARS have occurred periodically through history, initially, after at least three wars, and upon technology advancements that its allocated spectrum commercially attractive, as we see today. This is not new stuff.

But for some reason, distracted or disaffected hams, comfortable with status quo, trying to be clever for marketing, naive, apathetic, forlorn, whatever, includes at times some at the ARRL, keep trying to insert the word "hobby" back in, apparently not seeing, or, worse, caring about, its potential legal toxicity.

73, John, WØPV

PS - In Family court mediation would it be prudent to refer to your marriage as a "hobby"?

 

I wouldn't bet on that!!!!!!!!!
My license says Radio Amateur!!!!

 

Or at least "Radio Amateur License"

 

I don't think I would use "200 Meters and Down" as trying to prove that amateur radio is not a hobby. I see the opposite.

 

The problem, above, is more acute today than back then.

Clearly some don't see it.

73 John!
Chip W1YW

 

Belize is only a hobby...

 

Don't discuss this John...its too 'personal'.