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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!noao!terak!doug
From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Re: Automobile Ham call sign plates
Message-ID: <440@terak.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Mar-85 12:37:41 EST
Article-I.D.: terak.440
Posted: Mon Mar 11 12:37:41 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Mar-85 01:54:16 EST
References: <8484@brl-tgr.ARPA>, <397@terak.UUCP> <795@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Lines: 33

> "No more right than CBers" ?
> 
> "Hams no longer perform public service" ?
> 
> Where does this guy come from? Speaking for the local
> Amateur ops that have been the ONLY communications links
> in local disasters ( and we get our share!)-

Gosh, did the police, fire, ambulance, power company, and phone company
radio systems all go out at once?  Did the REACT people all hide?  Or
(more likely) were the hams so "full of themselves" that they didn't
notice that almost everyone was communicating fine without their help?

>   YOU'RE FULL OF IT!

My apologies if I offended you.  Unfortunately, it is indeed the few
hams who *are* still involved in public service that would be offended.
But even then, only if they refuse to acknowledge the reality -- that
the times have changed, that hams have abandoned public service
activity, and that other services have stepped in.  These services
can do a better job (because of sheer number of units) than hams could
ever hope to do.

I speak from the position of one who spent many years in ham radio
public service, including a few years as regular NCS on WESCARS, and
many years regular participation in NTS, including PAN NCS and a
brief stint on TCC (including an all-nighter during a major East-coast
disaster).

I mourn the passing of an era, one that gave me considerable enjoyment
and fulfillment.  But I cannot deny its passing.     de n7fb
-- 
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug