From: jkearman@arrl.org (Jim Kearman)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Code Free License
Date: 13 Aug 92 20:42:09 EDT
Organization: American Radio Relay League

Erik Sorgatz posted quite a response about this subject.
I won't repeat it here. In that response, he blames ARRL
for "shouting down" FCC's proposed no-code license in the
1970s. Sorgatz goes on to imply the League misused our
"members' opinions" as a rationale for our position. Erik
made several valid points in his posting, but I would like 
to address this particular part of his lengthy posting.

1. Assuming the League's directors had no popular 
support for advocating the status quo in the 1970s, why
would they do so? Those who absolutely hate the League
because of the no-code license claim we advocated it
to get more members/money. Was ARRL less interested in
growth in the 70s? I know what the starting salary in the
Technical department was in 1975 ($7200/yr), so I think
the staff would have been happy to see more bucks coming
in! Again, what purpose was served back then, if not to
represent the feelings of the membership at that time?

2. Prior to my first hitch at ARRL, which began in December
1975, I lived in New York City. A National Convention was
held in NYC in 1974. The site was the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
The ARRL forum was held in the ballroom. You've seen the
ballroom if you ever watched Guy Lombardo on New Year's Eve.
It's a  B I G  room, and it was nearly full. Then-ARRL
President Dannals spoke very favorably about the no-code
license and the positive effects it would have on Amateur
Radio. At the end of his presentation I rose and questioned
this decision, rather forcefully as I recall. The room went
wild. It seems that the far majority of hams in that room
were, like me, opposed to a no-code license. It would seem
that what I and others have said about getting out and
letting the Board know what you think does work. If Dannals
didn't have the backing of the Board in 1974, I seriously
doubt he would have made the statements he gave at the
National.

Since that time, I have changed my attitude about no-code
licenses. I'm not convinced the hobby was ready then, but
that's ancient history. What's interesting is, Harry Dannals
went on to become president of QCWA, whose proposal for a
no-code license was accepted, almost verbatim, by FCC.

3. Amateur Radio is not a one-area hobby, and the League is
not a one-issue organization. Any decision has pros and cons,
and also advocates and detractors. For every "I hate the ARRL
because they prevented the code-free license..." posting I
have seen, I have seen a letter from someone who's threatening
to quit because we allowed code-free licenses to happen. 
I just can't see how people get these paranoid ideas that the
League is out to kill or injure the hobby. The Board and the
staff care. We try to provide leadership when it's needed,
but we also try to give the people what they want. Very
often we're damned if we do and damned if we don't, but we
keep trying. 

It's easy to sit in New Hampshire or elsewhere and point the
finger at us. It's a lot harder to implement than it is to
criticize. You'll have a lot easier time getting action out
of the League than you will out of the political process. 

Oh, how I envy the National Rifle Association! So long as the 
various anti-firearms groups continue, shotgunners, hunters,
riflepeople, pistol people (action, bullseye, silhouette) 
and so on, (bullseye and action pistol shooters have little
use for each other's disciplines, for example) will hang 
together against the common enemy. I almost wish Amateur 
Radio had such a common enemy. Then we could stop all this 
hate mongering and have fun again.

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JIM KEARMAN, KR1S                    Voice: 203-666-1541 ext 279
ARRL Assistant Technical Editor	     FAX:   203-665-7531
Author of `The DXCC Companion'	     ARRL Headquarters
Editor of `Now You're Talking!,'     225 Main Street
ARRL License Manuals,		     Newington, CT 06111
ARRL Instructor Guides		     e-mail: jkearman@arrl.org
Author of `Wally and Mike' stories

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