I have just received the first contribution from a radio amateur who thinks it would be appropriate to publish it on our portal. So what is it about? Read more…
How to live in human society and not find yourself in the jungle, how not to allow the right of the stronger to prevail - this is the age-old problem of humanity. In the course of millennia, humanity has come to experience a simple principle: my freedom ends where the freedom of another begins. To enforce this principle, it then developed a range of preventive and repressive legal instruments. Thanks to this, the world is not ideal, but it is possible to live in it. States and their International Telecommunications Union (ITU) legally regulate the activities of radio amateurs from the point of view of the needs of other telecommunication services: a decisive item in international and national regulations is the prevention of possible interference and damage to the economic interests of public and other services of radio amateurs. However, given the multifaceted nature of the radio amateur hobby, there are quite naturally a number of frictional areas within the radio amateur community between individual interest groups and individuals. However, these friction surfaces are not and cannot be treated by state legislation.
One of the fascinating features of HAM Radio is the fact that any legislation that would regulate its internal relations is missing (even measures IARU they have the form of mere recommendations, legally unenforceable), yet this activity exists without really serious problems. Let's face it: it is a hobby open to everyone, in which members of all nations, cultural and religious traditions, social groups, all kinds of levels of upbringing and education participate globally. The possibility of collapse in the confusion caused by ignorance, indiscipline and wickedness is great, yet nothing like that has happened and is not happening: why?
The answer is simple: for most of the almost century-long existence of HAM radio, the overwhelming majority of its supporters (and during that time there were tens of millions of people) consciously respected and respects the internationally accepted moral code of radio amateurs, which formulates the principles of the so-called HAM Spirit. The Codex was written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928. Although some of the terms and phrases may seem a bit dated today, they serve their purpose well and are effective over 60 years later. Here is the translation:
He is a radio amateur
- considerate – never knowingly works in a way that would limit the pleasure of others,
- loyal – demonstrates loyalty, provides incentives and support to other radio amateurs, local radio clubs and the national radio amateur organization that represents radio amateurs at home and abroad,
- progressive – knowledge that keeps pace with the development of science, a well-built and functioning station, and an operation that cannot be faulted,
- friendly – slow and patient operation, if it is requested, friendly warning and advice to the beginner, kind help, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others are hallmarks of the radio amateur spirit,
- answerable – radio is a hobby that is never hindered by commitments to family, profession, school or community,
- patriotic – stations and operator capabilities are always ready to serve the country and the community.
Notes on the translation: There are many Czech translations, many of which are enriched by the translator's own "creativity" and "wisdom". We tried to make the translation as accurate as possible. The problem is the word "loyal", which is often translated as "devoted". In our country, devotion is perceived as a subordinate, passive, unthinking and often forced relationship. Loyalty is understood in the world as a partner relationship, active, rational and purposeful. That's why we used a borrowed word. Similarly, in the case of the word "progressive", which is translated as "progressive". But that's how any terrorist group and the most totalitarian countries used to be labeled in the previous regime. The word "patriotic" is equally "semi-translated", because "patriotism" in the domestic sense is most often dull chauvinism and xenophobia.
The first impression of the book will probably depend on the feeling of clumsily worded archaic morals, such as school textbooks of all times and regimes overflow with. Let's not be mistaken: those apparent awkwardnesses are a deliberately created space for the acceptance of the code by all cultural circles of people - it's not just about addressing a member of the Euro-American group. Measured by the time of its creation, it is a surprisingly far-sighted document.
In our country, as a result of bad experiences with governments, which for centuries we most often did not establish ourselves (let's face it, mostly our fault), we adopted the habit of perceiving laws as a burden imposed on us by someone else. Even something as extremely necessary as road traffic rules are mostly understood as a cursed nuisance. If you were to talk to the Swiss about such a topic, they would say: "But they always are." ours own laws; why would we you are are they, for God's sake, violating it themselves?' Well, another country...
HAM Spirit it has many practical effects that we are often not aware of at all. We use carriers, Packet Radio networks, satellites and other readily available devices with great self-awareness, without worrying about where they actually came from, who built them and who bears the costs of their operation. In the overwhelming majority of cases, we can thank the voluntary and unpaid work of a group of enthusiasts who spent a lot of their free time and their own resources on it, and made it available to the amateur public for free. This is also a practical result HAM Spirit.
HAM Spirit is the case of that useful, practical norm (such as traffic regulations) without which it is impossible to exist. Let's remember her and ride her. Only then will we be real radio amateurs.