I absolutely agree with you on all points! The one difference I would postulate is that there are about 600,000 licensed hams in the US. Since CB radio is mostly unregulated (but STILL under the same rules it always was), there is no fair comparison between the two services. However, to say, well, the hams are getting 'X" number of violations from FCC while CBers are getting none is not an accurate picture of the situation--and I don't know how to come up with one under the current enforcement situation. It is not also not fair to indicate by the number of hams who DO get lettered somehow exonerates or justifies the number of
actual CB violations that don't get reported. Just because CBers are not getting lettered, it doesn't mean that they are not breaking the law because of
Congress' lack of foresight and FCC's lack of funds.
The only way I could put forth my position on this is to say, yes, there ARE 3-4 ham NAL's or warnings each week on ARRL Letter or other enforcement logs. So that is about 9-12 a month---out of 600,000. If FCC were actually
enforcing CB violations as they should, the numbers of CBers being lettered would PALE in comparison to that of the hams. 3-4 per week versus 600,000 who DO obey the rules really isn't all THAT bad. And many of those letters are because hams do somewhat police the bands of violators to keep the bands clean. :wink:
I also agree that the Amateur bands are being "dumbed down". This is the result of an "entitlement" mentality fostered by the dangerous liberal factions in this country with their social nonsense and experimentation. Everybody now screams "RIGHTS" RIGHTS, RIGHTS", and I am "special" so rules don't apply to me. Like you, I refused to advance beyond Advanced
because of the dumbing down of the rules and exams, and also because of the code issue. And, of course, if you are against these things, you are "elitists", "stuck-up", or "just an old, 50+ year old buzzard that is irrelevant in today's society. That is a label so well-worn by the new generations so soft and used to having everything handed to them on a silver platter. They never had to really WORK for a darned thing, so why should they have to study for an Amateur license?
On complaining about illegal operators with illegal operators, I believe it IS appropriate to come here and let people know that what they are doing is WRONG. True, Amateur Radio is not perfect and has its misfits (like the would-be ham Gerritsen), to ignore ONE wrong [i}because of[/i]
another is also wrong. If the group that is regarded as not technically savvy and not required to know that their activity is wrong, then how are they to know at all? *Some* drivers, having had it explained to them, will
say, "WHOA! I didn't know this was illegal; I'll stay off those 'channels'"! And if it stops 1, 2, 3, or 20 drivers from filching the ham bands, it is worth it, I think! And, like the rogue hams, *some* will say, "I bought this here radio with them channels, and I'm gonna use 'em!" These are the ones who must be forced to stop that activity. Two wrongs don't make a right. If it is wrong on ham bands, it is just as wrong on CB.
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