On the flip side, you have the Permian Basin and West Texas. We have our share of troubles, sure, but compared to the big cities it is a laid-back place where a hand shake still means something. Drivers still wave a friendly greeting, in towns like Alpine, Texas, which call themselves one of the safest towns in the country. We wouldn't want to see that change. Guess what folks. It is changing. So slowly; so that it is almost imperceptible but just the same it is changing. Hard times in other parts of the country along with bad weather are moving people around. With that you have a few bad examples who start showing up in various towns, with greater and greater frequency until your friendly village atmosphere has all but disappeared. It could happen.

I'll bet your wondering where I'm going with this. Yep, this creeping sort of change is happening in Amateur Radio, too. Not the people so much as the very essence of our ad-vocation. (Notice I didn't call it a hobby). Very slowly, big interests are eyeing "OUR" frequencies and through one devious means or another, they are slowly chipping away at a foundation that has its roots back to Marconi. They have big time lawyers, big bucks, and big lobbying abilities. We have already seen UPS take part of 220 mHz. The fact that we don't use it much around here makes it seem distant and far away, but if we give in to the temptation to minimize it, there will be another bite, then another and another. I don't want to talk about the end result.

The people who have their finger on the pulse of the health of Amateur Radio are the people at the ARRL. The League has been there from the beginning and despite the criticisms we might have had of its operation, there is no reason to think it will not fight for the rights of Amateurs until the bitter end. You don't even have to belong to the ARRL to find out what they are doing or what new threats lurk around the corner. Their web site is designed to be a source of news and information for everyone, including newcomers wanting to know more about it, or someone looking for a club to join, etc. Yes, they do have a few perks if you belong, like automated e-mail news briefs, DX news, personalized e-mail and neat stuff like that. But all in all, if you are concerned about the future of Ham Radio like I am, please stay in the know. You can do this by either joining the ARRL, or visiting (and using) their web site at . Thank you for your kind indulgence in my "soap-box" mannerisms. Have a great holiday season and if I don't see you at the Christmas dinner, Happy Y2K!

If you have a new address, or a change of e-mail address, please send to any of our officers ( listed in the www.w5qgg.org web site) or to me Steve Hopkins k5rs@apex2000.net.