FISHING LICENSES AND RADIOGRAMS

Many years ago I read, I've long since forgotten where, an article about the subject of animal conservation. Without a doubt, this is a subject that certainly generates a lot of passion. There would seem at first glance to be two disparate sides to this issue. On one side are the hunters and fishermen, and on the other animal rights activists. However, I would suggest that these two sides are not nearly as polarized as the avid proponents of each might believe.

The proposition was laid forth in the article that if someone really wanted save the animals… if someone wanted to do the most possible good toward true and effective animal conservation… the one activity that would be the most beneficial would be to purchase a hunting / fishing license. The facts seem to indicate that revenue from fish and game licensing accomplishes more toward animal conservation than anything else. Buy a license and then throw it away if you really want to save the animals.

Sounds ridiculous, yes? Indeed, this sounds contradictory. And yet, sometimes the very thing that we think absurd at least, and abhorrent at worst, is in fact the very thing that does the most to protect that which we love the most. As incomprehensible and repugnant as it may seem, if you are one of those individuals that think the ideal vacation would be volunteering for a week of service on the Whale Wars ship Gojira, your money might be better spent buying fishing licenses for you and all your friends. As you will see in just a moment, so it is with traffic handling in the field of Amateur Radio.

Much to my surprise I have learned that there is no accurate record being kept by the League of the thousands of operator hours devoted to the origination, relay and delivery of Radiogram traffic. I believe that if that number were ever to be calculated, it would result in a fundamental shift in the perceptions that many have toward the work of the NTS.

As of September 27, 2011 there were 742,879 licensed Amateurs in the United States. Out of that number, only a few hundred reported qualifying points for inclusion on the Public Service Honor Roll. If we are going to "Save the Whales" (read: Save the Spectrum), we must do better than that. If you want to do the most possible good in protecting Amateur Radio from extinction, SEND A RADIOGRAM.

If we do not fight to keep our fishing grounds open, we may one day discover that the ocean we have so taken for granted has been reduced to a pond. We are not the keeper of the Sea and the Sea is for sale. If and when the FCC determines that we are no longer earning the frequency we use, know that they will give it to someone else that they determine would like to use it and is willing to pay for it.

The single easiest way for you as a licensed Amateur to prove that we deserve the frequency we all enjoy is to send a Radiogram. That single act, the moment that it is listed on a Traffic Net, is counted. Though it appears that presently the League does not keep a record of those "points", if it ever wanted to prove to the FCC that Amateur Radio Operators invest thousands of volunteer hours each and every day, it has a ready means to do so. A Public Service value could and should be assigned to the time it takes to list, and relay that Radiogram to its destination. An invisible price tag can and should be attached.

The unpleasant economic truth is that the value of Amateur Radio's Public Service usage of the radio frequency spectrum is being compared to the fees that others are willing to pay for the use of the same. The even more unpleasant truth is that the comparison is being made by some Washington bureaucrat that has absolutely no interest whatsoever in Amateur Radio. This is why it is imperative that the ARRL not exclude NTS hours from its arsenal used in defense of the frequency allocations.

What does that me to you and me? It means that the friendly QSO you enjoy tomorrow may very well depend upon the Radiogram you send today. The QSL card you receive next month from that distant South Pacific island may only be made possible because you took the time to send an ARL FORTY SIX Radiogram to a friend.

To be fair, there are other activities in which you can participate that are recognized by the FCC as valuable Public Service activities. However, I would suggest that nothing could be easier or more regularly done at your convenience than the simple act of sending a Radiogram. You don't have to wait for a disaster to befall your community. That is the beauty of a daily Traffic Net; you don't have to wait for a tornado or earthquake to participate. There is probably a Traffic Net happening while you are reading this article. Turn on your radio and send a Radiogram.

As much as I hesitate to do so, it is important that we take moment to be honest about what seems to be a dark-side of traffic handling. As a Traffic Handler I have been on the receiving end of the "on air" snide and condescending remarks made toward my participation in the NTS. I've even heard stations refuse to take Radiograms if they are from "certain" stations, or if they judge the content of a Radiogram to be "unworthy". That, my friend, is the same thing as an Animal Rights Activist refusing to purchase a Hunting / Fishing license. You may not want to do it, but you are only hurting your own cause by refusing to do so. These Hams clearly demonstrate their lack of understanding of how the Amateur Radio game is played.

If ever there were a rule established stipulating an activity in order to gain membership in the Sierra Club, nothing would make more sense that to require the purchase of a hunting / fishing / trapping license. Throw it away and never take advantage of the privileges granted to the license holder if you wish, but you must make the purchase.

If ever there were a rule established stipulating an activity in order to maintain Amateur Radio licensee privileges, there is not one activity, from a Public Service perspective, that would make more sense than handling Radiogram traffic. Never fully enjoy the fun and camaraderie of a Traffic Net, if you must. Ignore the friendships that are possible among Traffic Handlers, if you wish. But… you must originate, list, relay, or deliver a Radiogram in order to enjoy all of the rest of the privileges granted to a licensed Amateur Radio Operator.