B A L D  E A G L E  J O U R N A L

June 2003                                                                     copyright (c) ARA 1993-2003    

Reissued - 10th Anniversary

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A M E R I C A N  R A D I O  A L L I A N C E

Special Report No. 693-A    June 1993
           
PERSPECTIVE

In 1982, urged by the Reagan Administration to get the "government off the backs of the People”, the Congress approved changes in The U.S. Communicatlons Act (Part 97), affecting HAM Radio. The Amendments began to take effect in 1984 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) signed an Agreement creating the Amateur Auxiliary (AA).

The AA, essentially formed out of ARRL’s Official Observer (OO) group was supposed to work with the various Field Operations DIrectors In taking over monitoring of the HAM Bands. The change ended FCC's direct involvement in monitoring HAM frequencies. Some years earlier, the administering of License exams had been transferred to amateurs through the Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VEC) program. This change began the decline of this hobby/service because of abuse that led to admitting many poorly qualified operators. At that time, the ARS began to degenerate into a Citizen Band environment.

At the time (1982), "deregulation" was an appealing idea for cutting costs and eliminating government “red tape”. However, in the hands of inept bureaucrats, political appointees and badly informed legislators, the process did serious harm to the Hobby/Service through misplaced trust and misguided policies. The ARRL was relied upon to do what was right for their members and other Hams, a trust that now appears to have been woefully misplaced.

Of the many ways that efficiency in government could have been achieved, abandoning the Radio Amateurs and leaving them to defend their own Bands was far from wise. Amateurs do not have the authority to discipline bad and illegal operators. Amateur Radio is not a commercial or Industrial enterprise like trucking, airlines or banks. The frequency spectrum is too easily violated. Even so, during this period of unprecedented bad thinking, the ARS was recklessly “turned loose” to manage itself. No one as yet has challenged the worst of these changes: the withdrawal of monitorlng by  FCC's thirteen listening posts capable of locating clandestine or pirate stations. The move elated some senior FCC officials who had grown to hate Ham operators.

Meanwhile, as the effects of these changes have become worse, the Amateur Bands have become troubled with malicious interference, altercations, obscenity, pornography and unlicensed operators. Control of on-the-air operations is non-existent today. A “dog-eat-dog” atmosphere prevails and such conditions are driving away responsible, serious, decent people, especially younger people.

After eight years of change in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), an activity affecting more than a half million licensed Amateurs, and once a significant National Resource, the ALLIANCE began to study what "deregulation" has done TO and FOR the amateur operators. It appears that the Operation (i.e, deregulation) was a success (for the Government), but the Patient (i.e, Ham Radio) is now in CRITICAL condition.

It is ARA’s view that the FCC is intent upon weakening Amateur Radio to a point where it (Ham Radio) can no longer justify its claims to many of the frequencies it has held for nearly 100 years. The politicians want to sell frequencies and bands much like selling commercial frequencies for radio and TV. Most amateurs and the ARRL seem to be unaware of this process, choosing to neglect an avocation that has done much to develop young people’s interest in engineering, communications and science in general. The prime importance of this hobby has been its influence on young people, those who are more easily motivated by practical activities like building radio equipment and making it work!

  This ARAG survey has tried to answer the following questions:

1.  HAS THE VOLUNTEER (Amateur Auxiliary) APPROACH BEEN SUCCESSFUL?

2.  WHAT IMPACT HAVE THESE CHANGES MADE ON ACTUAL ON-THE-AIR OPERATIONS ?

3.  T0 WHAT DEGREE HAS DEREGULATION BEEN A DE FACTO ABANDONMENT OF
      HAM RADIO BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?

4.  IS THE HOBBY LOSING ACTIVE MEMBERS BECAUSE OF UNFAVORABLE AND
     CONTENTIOUS OPERATING CONDITIONS?

The survey involved direct on-band involvement and 2,000 hours of recorded band activity with the operating environment over several years. The FINAL REPORT is no longer in print. (Copies (floppy disk) available for $10.00 which includes S&H).