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From [email address removed] Wed Feb 11 14:56:48 2004
Newsgroups: aus.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Article in a 1946 issue of "The AustraliAsian Radio World" magazine
From: "ARA" <[email address removed]>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 14:26:48 +1030
Does anything in the following old article sound familiar? ;-)
---
POLITICS OF HAM RADIO
GOODNESS only knows why it should be, but the whole history
of "ham" radio in Australia seems to have been clouded by
brawling among those who should co-operate for the benefit
of the game.
The policy of "AustralAsian Radio World" has always been to do
everything possible to further the interests of "ham" radio,
but never to interfere in the political situation of the vari-
ous Clubs.
Equal opportunity has always been extended to every club to
publicise its activities and build up its membership.
Following this policy I did not hesitate to devote consider-
able space in the June issue to the launching of the Experi-
mental Radio Society of New South Wales.
By doing so, however, I find that I have become embroiled in
"ham" politics and have incurred the displeasure of certain
V.I.P.'s (Very Important Persons) of the W.I.A.
Acting on the assumption that I may as well be hung for a
sheep as for a lamb, I'm going to make the most of the oc-
casion and let off a few personal opinions, even if they
still further displease these V.I.P.'s.
REGULATIONS
Before going further I feel that some personal explanation
which I would have hesitated to make if it were not for the
favorable way in which my readers accepted the May issue,
with its "Personal" angle. That issue has given me greater
courage to approach readers in a more personal way.
I hate regulations as such.
I know that certain rules on conduct must be laid down to
guide people into the right paths, but all my life I have
encountered endless examples of the horrors of repression.
I have seen the tragedies of children brought up by stern
parents, who have suddenly found themselves grown up, but
with little sense of responsibility. I believe that child-
ren should be trained to accept responsibility when they
are young and timid, so that as they grow to strength, so
they develop their sense of responsibility.
As a typical example, let us consider car driving. In the
United States many schools include car driving with the
routine lessons. Starting at about 14 years of age a child
naturally feels anything but reckless, consequently he
starts to drive steadily. As he grows he develops judgment
and proper feeling of responsibility. There is nothing of
the style of "Whoopee, now I'm 18 I can get a license, so
step on the gas."
Likewise, a lad who is prevented by regulations from own-
ing a pearifle will squirm under this form of restraint
until the calendar indicates that he is "old enough" and
then out he goes with a packet of ammunition and shoots
at everything he can see.
My theory is that the lad should be taken at an early age,
while he is still prepared to accept advice from his elders,
taught the uses and dangers of a rifle and encouraged to
care for one, and accept the responsibility of owning it.
I'll bet anyone that such a course of training will do more
to prevent shooting accidents than all the regulations that
long-winded professional politicians and would-be dictators
can cook up to keep themselves in their snug jobs.
Which brings me to the point. I think that the regulation
recently introduced to make it impossible for a lad to hold
a transmitting license is one which fairly stinks.
If a lad has the technical knowledge to pass the examination
and the applied concentration to learn the morse code, he has
every right to operate a ham station.
I feel sure that the W.I.A. has lost many friends by not mak-
ing an effective protest against this latest rotten piece of
out-dated psychology.
What annoys me still more about this particular subject is
that one of the V.I.P.'s, who is the very man who should be
doing everything possible for the encouragement of the grow-
ing youth, makes no secret of the fact that he supports the
attitude of the P.M.G. and agrees that "children should be
seen, but not heard."
Another unhappy feature of the repressive regulations is
their habit of breeding people of a dictative nature.
Such a person may be of the highest integrity, capable and
energetic, but unfortunately blind to the fact that he suf-
fers from the inferiority complex which expression breeds.
Maybe in his young days he was not allowed to give expres-
sion to his personality; now that he is grown up he delights
to "wield a big stick," with confidence almost amounting
to impudence and not the slightest doubt that his own point
of view is the only point of view. Not that that is bad.
Provided that they are surrounded by co-workers of a toler-
ant and understanding nature, such people can do lots of
good work and cannot easily be deviated from their good
intentions.
It is for this attitude of tolerance that I call on all
radio enthusiasts to be broadminded enough to overlook the
minor problems, but to bring their full strength to bear
on the V.I.P.'s to make them realise that if they "wield
a big stick" it should be with a view to getting better
treatment and encouragement for "ham" radio, not the sup-
pression of publicity for worthy Radio Clubs.
I have every reason to believe as true the position in
regard to the Wireless Institute, as summed by VK6MU in
an article in the May issue of "Wavetraps," a little
journal published by the Subiaco Radio Society in West
Australia. He says, "(the W.I.A.) should ask itself why
half the amateurs of Australia have at one time or an-
other been members, but now neither subscribe to its
actions nor its finance."
I feel sure that the only worthwhile policy for the
W.I.A. is to drop all pretence of appeasement, stand
up on its hind legs and fight for better conditions
for ham radio, greater freedom, and give every encour-
agement to all and sundry to fill the ham ranks, even
if it does mean QRM!
: A. G. Hull - in The AustralAsian Radio World, July 1946
---
Transcribed February, 2004 - "Error & omissions excepted"
---
Oh, I also noticed an article from a 1950 issue of CQ magazine.
It also dealt with a Regulation; it's title was:
"Keep Out of Jail"
- in a nutshell, the article showed how to use a surplus ARC-5
receiver as a station monitor, ie to preclude transmitting out-of-
band.
Ie, the first article simply LABELS the problem, while the 2nd
one seemed focussed on SOLVING it. ("Past is prologue" ;-)
What can we learn from these articles...? :-)