"Dave Hall" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 14:12:52 -0700, Frank Gilliland
wrote:
On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 10:56:51 -0400, (Twistedhed)
wrote in :
Yes, I agree, but one of the "bads" we must take in order to have the
"goods" is the current incarnation of the FCC.
Slightly OT, here's an interesting tidbit I read last night: It was
JFK who signed the bill permitting the FCC to levy fines for minor
violations without due process. The fines were $100 per violation with
a maximum of $500 (Popular Electronics, September 1962). I also read
that the distance rules were established for two reasons: First, the
Canadian hams were still using 11m; and second, to discourage the use
of CB radio as a method of international communication, which was a
big deal during the cold war. Well, the cold war is over, and the
internet is crossing the communication barriers between borders much
more than CB ever could. It's time the FCC took a second look at that
rule.
You forget that there was/is an ITU requirement that "international"
two way radio services require the operator to have a knowledge of
Morse Code. That was a primary reason why long distance contacts were
prohibited on CB.
Hi Dave,
The ITU treaty agreement applied to the amateur radio, not the CB. I found
this out when Alan Dixon petitioned the FCC to drop the 155.3 mi. rule,
RM-9807. Which leads me to...
Over the past few mos., every candidate/incumbent for public office has sent
a campaign flyer of some sort and we've all had out mailboxes filled with
this stuff. One of the best things we can do for the CB is to set up a form
letter asking said candidate/incumbent to "inquire" about dropping the 155.3
mi. limit for the CB radio service and why the FCC acknowledged that the
majority of CBers were in favor of this yet chose to cater to a few private
interest groups.
Simply fill in the name and address and send this to every
candidate/incumbent who sends you a flyer. All that's really needed is for
them to make a casual inquiry. Having now been somewhat involved with
lobbying and witnessing how these "inquiries" are generated, I can say with
some certainty that ten (Yep, just 10.) letters usually warrants a casual
phone call or letter.
Try researching how the amateur radio vanity call program came into
existence...just a letter to the right desk (Non-FCC) after having an
official RM-petition turned down. It's an amusing story in any case and
demonstrates what can be accomplished if more than a few people get of their
duffs and just make an effort.
--
Vy 73 de Bert
WA2SI
FISTS #9384
QRP ARCI #11782