Amateur radio is global, infrastructure-independent freedom of speech. Human rights are perhaps the most boring things to market, but they are the pillars of the liberal order.
Unfortunately, it appears that other than RAC, IARU member societies aren't fulfilling their obligation to adequately represent the interests of amateurs throughout their countries and/or separate territories (https://www.iaru.org/about-us/organisation-and-history/member-societies/) - instead defending, or only engaging in controlled opposition to, Officers as they harass our people and eat out their substance.
I agree that Amateur Radio is global and infrastructure-independent, but just like in civil society, there are limits to "free speech" on Amateur Radio. At least in the US, harassment, "hate speech", calling Mayday when there is no emergency, and especially blatantly commercial use of Amateur Radio spectrum and broadcasting are not permitted within the Amateur Radio rules.
Does not appear in Part 97. "communications intended to facilitate a criminal act" (§ 97.113(a)(4)) does, so you are not permitted to violate the states' criminal harassment statutes, nor federal, if any.
> "hate speech"
Does not appear in Part 97. The closest it comes is "No VEC may discriminate in accrediting VEs on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin" (§ 97.525(b)). The obscenity or indecency tests that do apply (§ 97.113(a)(4)), are not so overbroad as to fit all "hate speech" under their definitions.
> calling Mayday when there is no emergency
That is a specific defensible example with other criminal statutes for it, eg. to the Coast Guard. The overbroad "false or deceptive messages, signals or identification" (§ 97.113(a)(4)) would, if zealously-enforced, abridge all mistaken free speech.
> especially blatantly blatantly commercial use of Amateur Radio spectrum
No such rule need exist for anyone in engaged in _amateur_, as opposed to commercial, radio service, which would exist even without codification.
> and broadcasting are not permitted within the Amateur Radio rules.
§ 97.111(b)(4,5,6) are in fact forms of broadcasting permitted, the euphemism "one-way transmissions" notwithstanding.
Thanks for your insight on amateur radio. I thing we need to take aredn and Lora to high school and college IT classes to recruit new hams to the hobby.
Dale - it's not just high school and college - AREDN and other microwave networking systems in Amateur Radio are interesting to IT professionals whose exposure to wireless is usually entirely indoor Wi-Fi systems (and some cellular). Letting them deploy microwave wireless networks "in the wild" is an interesting experience that gets them interested in Amateur Radio.
Part of this issue is that many people just cannot (don’t) see themselves as getting involved in Amateur Radio. They go to a club meeting (back when we did in person meetings) and they see mostly old guys, many espousing crude, conservative views, whose only activity is contesting and DXing on HF. Youth, especially don’t see themselves in Amateur Radio. Nor do females, those with progressive views, LGBTQ, those who are using other types of radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB…), those who want to use Amateur Radio as an enabling technology, and those that have modest budgets. Especially folks that are new to Amateur Radio and need help to figure things out in Amateur Radio - mentoring (which Amateur Radio has mangled, for far too long, as “Elmering”).
Bringing politics into Amateur Radio, no matter how well intentioned, is going to lead to unnecessary conflict. Politics need to stay out in the parking lot. Efforts to get those whose politics consist of "crude, conservative views" to change, even for the sake of a hobby they love, will meet with as little success as attempts to get progressives etc. to change theirs in order to benefit the hobby, and will simply cause strife where none is needed.
Bill - I agree that politics should be left in the parking lot instead of being brought into the meeting, but in my observations, the behavior I described in the article IS too often the reality. One accommodation that can be made is to adopt a Code of Conduct that details what the organization considers unacceptable behaviors and provide mechanisms for removal of those who are unwilling to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Amateur radio is global, infrastructure-independent freedom of speech. Human rights are perhaps the most boring things to market, but they are the pillars of the liberal order.
Unfortunately, it appears that other than RAC, IARU member societies aren't fulfilling their obligation to adequately represent the interests of amateurs throughout their countries and/or separate territories (https://www.iaru.org/about-us/organisation-and-history/member-societies/) - instead defending, or only engaging in controlled opposition to, Officers as they harass our people and eat out their substance.
I agree that Amateur Radio is global and infrastructure-independent, but just like in civil society, there are limits to "free speech" on Amateur Radio. At least in the US, harassment, "hate speech", calling Mayday when there is no emergency, and especially blatantly commercial use of Amateur Radio spectrum and broadcasting are not permitted within the Amateur Radio rules.
> harass/ment
Does not appear in Part 97. "communications intended to facilitate a criminal act" (§ 97.113(a)(4)) does, so you are not permitted to violate the states' criminal harassment statutes, nor federal, if any.
> "hate speech"
Does not appear in Part 97. The closest it comes is "No VEC may discriminate in accrediting VEs on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin" (§ 97.525(b)). The obscenity or indecency tests that do apply (§ 97.113(a)(4)), are not so overbroad as to fit all "hate speech" under their definitions.
> calling Mayday when there is no emergency
That is a specific defensible example with other criminal statutes for it, eg. to the Coast Guard. The overbroad "false or deceptive messages, signals or identification" (§ 97.113(a)(4)) would, if zealously-enforced, abridge all mistaken free speech.
> especially blatantly blatantly commercial use of Amateur Radio spectrum
No such rule need exist for anyone in engaged in _amateur_, as opposed to commercial, radio service, which would exist even without codification.
> and broadcasting are not permitted within the Amateur Radio rules.
§ 97.111(b)(4,5,6) are in fact forms of broadcasting permitted, the euphemism "one-way transmissions" notwithstanding.
Thanks for your insight on amateur radio. I thing we need to take aredn and Lora to high school and college IT classes to recruit new hams to the hobby.
Dale - it's not just high school and college - AREDN and other microwave networking systems in Amateur Radio are interesting to IT professionals whose exposure to wireless is usually entirely indoor Wi-Fi systems (and some cellular). Letting them deploy microwave wireless networks "in the wild" is an interesting experience that gets them interested in Amateur Radio.
I feel a need to address this paragraph:
Part of this issue is that many people just cannot (don’t) see themselves as getting involved in Amateur Radio. They go to a club meeting (back when we did in person meetings) and they see mostly old guys, many espousing crude, conservative views, whose only activity is contesting and DXing on HF. Youth, especially don’t see themselves in Amateur Radio. Nor do females, those with progressive views, LGBTQ, those who are using other types of radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB…), those who want to use Amateur Radio as an enabling technology, and those that have modest budgets. Especially folks that are new to Amateur Radio and need help to figure things out in Amateur Radio - mentoring (which Amateur Radio has mangled, for far too long, as “Elmering”).
Bringing politics into Amateur Radio, no matter how well intentioned, is going to lead to unnecessary conflict. Politics need to stay out in the parking lot. Efforts to get those whose politics consist of "crude, conservative views" to change, even for the sake of a hobby they love, will meet with as little success as attempts to get progressives etc. to change theirs in order to benefit the hobby, and will simply cause strife where none is needed.
Bill - I agree that politics should be left in the parking lot instead of being brought into the meeting, but in my observations, the behavior I described in the article IS too often the reality. One accommodation that can be made is to adopt a Code of Conduct that details what the organization considers unacceptable behaviors and provide mechanisms for removal of those who are unwilling to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Rgr that, also I forgot to say I’m sorry for your loss of your assistant. It is hard to loose a pet.