The AARL is the “special interest” group that defends the “rights” of amateur radio operators to have dedicated spectrum for a variety of non-commercial uses. The AARL’s rationale for defending the areas of spectrum available for amateur radio is based on its ability to provide “Emergency Communications” during a time of emergency.
My father was a ham, and won a contest a long long time ago (1930s?) – the “Field Day” when the “Hams” try to see how many different people then can contact around the world in a time period, working from a location without electric power. That was before satellites, the internet, cell phones, television and long distance phone lines were scarce and expensive. Amateur radio was useful then. Hams still go through the pretense of practicing for emergencies by relaying simluated “emergency messages” from person to person.
So the FCC wants its spectrum back. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (friend of Barack Obama since Harvard) wants to find 500 Mhz of spectrum to sell to wireless broadband providers and to reorganize how emergency organizations use their spectrum (it’s hugely wasteful to give a fire department special channels that they only use a few hours a year, if it all – and only one person at a time can talk). Using IP based services like the Internet or 3G/4G internet digital access will be much more useful than dedicated analog channels. The spectrum that is freed up can be sold to pay for new equipment, similar to the way digital TV paid for those $50 vouchers to buy adapters.
So I read an article in a paper in Lubbock Texas, somehow turning this into a screed against the tea party. One of the proposals being considered in Congress is to take back the 420-450 Mhz band called “the 70 cm band“. Expect the AARL to launch a campaign as loud as the AARP or the NRA when laws are proposed about their members.
FM is line of sight only – people using this band can talk to each other for maybe 30 miles, if they have a repeater on top of a high mountain. The 70 cm band is not going to be useful for contacting people in Australia when there is an earthquake – but if it was used for cell phones or wireless internet, it would be useful for that purpose.
… putting worm on hook….
Hmmm … feeling ambivalent but restive about this one … developing.
It’s more than a special interest group. Ham radio is a segment of society that enjoys building their own gear, collecting QSL cards, and using 2m FM “handy” talkies for the sheer pleasure of it all.
We are, unfortunately, a very small segment and a narrow demographic. If we were powerful, Heathkit would still be in business. It would be nice to keep the FCC’s mitts off the amateur bands.
Well crap. I was study-ing for my license. I wanted to be ready for when the Big-‘O’ hit the kill switch on the internet. I hate that they try to keep the little guy down and take something away that your regular ‘Joe Six-pack’ likes, Ham radio.
But I am glad they use my tax dollars, taken out of my paycheck and spend it on crap (without asking me) to buy cell phones for welfare recipients. Wouldn’t want the dregs to do with out . Color me Bitter. Can we change our user-ID on here once we have one?
I know what I want mine to be now.