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By Kevin Jessup, kevin.jessup@mail.mei.com

I found Ed Mitchell's (KF7VY) article "Is Ham Radio Still Relevant?" a much needed addition to the recent debates regarding the relevance and technical directions of amateur radio.

The future of this hobby is important to me. There are so many things we could be experimenting with. And even if the majority does NOT want to experiment but only run "high-tech appliances" -- or at the very least integrate them, manage then and provide "content" -- so what? At least we would have more people on the bands of value to 21st century communication (900 MHz and up) and we would NOT be losing so much spectrum up there. Then, the opportunity to learn, design and yes, play, on these bands would be there for ALL hams.

Unfortunately, I fear this is all too little too late. I hope I am wrong and that amateur radio can change it's ways and recognize the technical, personal and economic realities of communications and indeed, LIFE, in the 21st century.

--                             "Rest enough for the individual man - [but] too 
Kevin Jessup                   much or too soon and we call it Death.  But for 
software engineer                  MAN, no rest and no ending.  He must go on, 
Marquette Medical Systems           conquest beyond conquest...and when he has 
http://www.mei.com               conquered all the depths of space and all the 
PGP Email preferred            mysteries of time, still he will be beginning." 
kevin.jessup@meipws.mis.mei.com               -- H.G. Wells, Things To Come

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