"Carl R. Stevenson" wrote in message
...

"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message
gy.com...

No matter what stance the ARRL takes or no stance at all, they will
alienate
a portion of the US amateur population [CRS insert ... I think you meant
to
put a "larger" here] than their membership. The number of
non-ARRL members supporting code testing is larger than ARRL's
membership
as
well as the group opposing code testing.

How did you arrive at that pseudo-fact?

The size of the ARRL membership and its demographics is documented. The
size and demographics of the overall ham population are also documented.
Anyone can do the math.


The various surverys that have been taken indicate that the ham
community
is
about 50/50 on this issue. That seems to hold true inside the ARRL
membership as well as outside it. Thus the ARRL will "alienate" half
the
US
ham population no matter what stance they take.

The "various surveys" have all been self-selecting and have no scientific
validity.

Plus, they are all several years old and the demographic and thoughts have
changed a lot since "restructuring."


There have been internet surveys within the past year. Although they have
all been "self-selecting", it still shows a pretty even split. It's the data
that is available to us at this time.

If you look at the numbers of licensees with less than General class
licenses,
do you really believe that anything approaching 50% of them are in favor
of continued Morse testing?

I seriously doubt it ...


Based on the Techs I know, it's possible. But that is not the point. The
available data, although limited and not of the best quality, still
indicates that overall there is a 50/50 split.

And do you really believe that all Techs and down want to ditch the code
test and all Generals and up want to keep it? That's not a valid assumption
at all.

Those licensees alone outnumber the ARRL's entire current membership.
Also, many current ARRL members (and a lot of NCI's members are
ARRL members, too), including holders of General, Advanced, and Extra
class licenses oppose continued Morse testing.

Do you really believe that the ARRL's membership includes no Technicians?
Just as in the overall ham population, the number of members with less than
General class licenses is approximately 50%.


Have you read the NCI Petition? If not, I would suggest you read it
with an open mind and give due consideration to its content.

Carl - wk3c


I made no comment on the NCI petition. My comments were simply to
demonstrate that the ARRL is in a position where it may not even be
reasonable for them to take a stance either for or against code testing.
With the nearly even split within the ARRL, any position that they take
could alienate approximately half the hams in their own membership let alone
the overall ham community. How does this become a comment on the NCI
petition?

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE