[amsat-bb] Ham Radios on Princess Cruises

[Jerry Buxton]

Good thought Paul, seem like just the thing for our national amateur
radio lobby/support organization, they could present a unified bit of
education/awareness information to the cruise industry for their
consideration.  That would seem more effective than various individual
(and possibly less civil) and random contacts.  Friendly customer
feedback from any of us who do take a cruise is also something that
would probably be noted as well.

Just as important too, is adhering to the rules.  Nothing can undo any
steps forward from the above actions than for one or a few hams to
ignore the rules and decide that they know better or won't get caught. 
Actually, I wonder if something like that might be part of the reason
for the change of heart that Princess had.  They were clear in their
permission that you could only operate from your balcony and not from
any public places on the ship, I get the feeling that there might be
some who weren't happy with the view/coverage they got from their side
of the ship and tried to take it on their own to better that by moving
to the promenade deck.  Oh but it was just for a minute, they didn't get
in anybody's way, there was no harm done - except you essentially broke
the law on the ship.  I hate to say it, but more than once I have seen a
ham ignore the request or rules of a ship or a property owner. 
Thankfully only a couple of times, but that's two times too many.

That's not the way to educate someone about ham radio, even if you
weren't in anybody's way and there was no harm done.  Put it in the
other perspective where you're the captain, like if I tell you you can't
text or email on your cell phone at night while riding in my car unless
you rig for red on your screen (this is a fact, so you know before you
ride with me) and you light up the cabin with full screen brightness
anyway so you can text and then check amsat-bb while we're driving
because it doesn't bother you so how could it bother me, that email you
read out loud to me about a cool new bird that just launched isn't going
to educate or sway me that it's OK to use a cell phone in my car at
night when you just wiped out my night vision.  Once I throw that light
out the window (with you attached or not) you can wonder and cuss why I
won't give you a ride again all you want and no amount of campaigning is
likely to convince me that there really is a way to use your cell phone
without burning me again if I'll just forget that happened and let you
try again.  You obviously can't follow a rule, why should I believe that
you ever will?

So actually, while ARRL assistance would be great and if it is ignorance
of ham radio that has caused the rules and they are changed to allow ham
radio, we all have to be ready and willing to stand behind that and any
rules of the cruise line and Captain or ARRL is wasting everyone's time
and their own.  What say you?  Let's all be sure we're good hams, and
earn back their trust!     :-)

Jerry Buxton, NØJY

On 5/28/2017 20:42, Paul Stoetzer wrote:
> I do think a letter from the ARRL to all the cruise companies might be a
> good idea. Very few cruise lines allow amateur radio anymore and that's a
> shame. Operating from the Carnival Liberty during the AMSAT cruise last
> year was great fun!
>
> 73,
>
> Paul, N8HM
>
>