Mitt Romney says "Hams are not needed"

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emcomm

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...Host and moderator Natalie Jacobson asked an increasingly-agitated Governor Romney questions about communications interoperability, and communication without commercial power. Romney was next asked by Jacobson, '...so does it come down to ham radio?...'

The Governor replied in a disgusted tone, 'No, we don't need to deal with ham radio operators...'

Read more here:

Mitt Romney and Ham Radio
 

MTS2000des

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I don't care for Romney as he is as much of a corporate sponsored turd as Obama is, but his comments were taken out of conext.

His comments from 2005 were more akin to the generalizations most politicians aka crooks in suits make when the SHTF because they want to downplay the weakness in many systems our government has pumped billions into in the first place, helping out their cronies companies increase their stock price. I don't see them as specifically derogatory or downplaying anymore than say, Motorola minimizing the failure of the state of Louisiana's Smartzone V4 system post Katrina. These corporate types hate to admit to any kind of failure.

So no, he nor anyone else in Washington, short of a few outcasts at FEMA, will extoll the benefits of the amatuer radio service or it's operators, which have always come to serve the community in times of need.

It's the reason why we should work as much as possible to make hams out of as many local government and public service folks who have a genuine interest in wireless communications, as ham radio's power is in it's people. Hams are everywhere, and the more of us there are, the more we are a resource that not even people high up in the ivory corporate sponsored towers like Romney sit in can deny.
 

zz0468

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I hope we don't make a decision about who our next President will be based upon his perceived support, or lack of support, for ham radio.
 
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K9WG

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Slightly OT but I always found it interesting that the media had no interest in Ham Radio until something big happens and Ham is the main source of communications. Then they come knocking on our shack doors...
 

n8zcc

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Slightly OT but I always found it interesting that the media had no interest in Ham Radio until something big happens and Ham is the main source of communications. Then they come knocking on our shack doors...

There are a lot of TV and radio stations that listen in on Skywarn frequencies during a weather event. I remember seeing what we just reported back to the local NWS office scroll across the TV screen.

I'm not happy with Obama nor am I happy with Romney, this stinks.
 

gewecke

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There are a lot of TV and radio stations that listen in on Skywarn frequencies during a weather event. I remember seeing what we just reported back to the local NWS office scroll across the TV screen.

I'm not happy with Obama nor am I happy with Romney, this stinks.

WE are forced to pick the cleanest, most innocent, smartest looking turd out of the bowl for president!
...and yes they will ALL be turds.


73,
n9zas
 

Thayne

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This posting had nothing to do with Obama.

Hard to believe, isn't it? :p

I am blaming obama for my old computer MB going boobs up last Saturday; How does that sound?

Now looking for a good price on a new i7 CPU---Maybe romney will give me a stipend
 

Howdy_All

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The call has gone out - asking for Amateur Radio Operators - to assist with the disaster relief after the tornadoes in Indiana and Kentucky...

QRZ.COM

The title of this article should not be Nitwit Romney doesn't need ham radio operators.
It should read - are ham radio operators still needed for emergencies.

The bottom line is -- YES - if they are real HAMS and not appliance operators.
Compare it to weekend warriors who's only purpose is to once a month dress up in fancy clothes and walk around with radios and act like they are important people.

When in fact - most hams do not actually talk on the radio, other then the once a week check in, on one or two nets where they give their call sign and the reply - " No Traffic"!

The bottom line is - these people do not know how to work a round table.
Do not know how to give traffic.
Do not know how to take traffic.
Do not know proper radio procedure in emergencies and cannot follow simple protocol.

Do we need these " Hams" - NO!
The ones we do need is the ones who knows how to operate their radios and others - including how to program their own radio. How to work a round table, how to take traffic, how to give traffic, are willing to participate in classes where they can learn the basic skills necessary to communicate properly and work a emergency, along with a disposable income - because amateur radio operators are not compensated for their time or travel. A really lucky ham needs to realize that it is a emergency situation and that even food and laundry services might not be available - along with no hotel accommodations within 20 - 50 miles of the disaster...
You would need a GOTA station and a ready bag and lot's of food and money to support yourself while at the disaster site... A mobile generator - a charging station to recharge the batteries of the radios of the people who's only radio is a handheld. Maybe even a tent - since no structures might be standing which you could use at the location where you are needed.
 

kb2vxa

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This isn't the first turd that came out his mouth and it won't be the last. Considering the source I'm not insulted by anything that spews forth from a politician but I'm thinking if Senator Barry Goldwater (R Arizona) K7UGA were still around he'd b***ch slap the living snot out of him.

During Vietnam he phone patched servicemen to their families stateside, on the front of the console that looks like the beginning of an Air Force MARS callsign.
 
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KA9QPN

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Romney--Old news is old

I am not a Romney fan, but fair is fair.

That said, he's both backed off and apologized for this remark forever ago. For some reason, this story gets an occasional whiff of flatulence and comes back to life.

Tom KA9QPN
 

JStemann

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No Romney fan here either, but....

The "headline" is taken out of context. What he was saying is that the state communication resources are good enough to support whatever disaster might come up. How can a governor or any person of authority say...."We just spent millions of your money to build this fantastic radio system, but we're going to rely on an unknown group of volunteers in the event of a real emergency" ?

He could have said something to the effect that hams could "supplement" but would not be required, but he does seem to have a bit of foot-in-mouth syndrome. I'm sure that if he'd been talking to a group from the ARRL, he would have said something about hams being a vital part of emergency communications. In this case he was probably being questioned on why he spent millions on state radio equipment.

(I don't know if he did spend any $ on state radios, this is just an example)

Jeff.
 

K9WG

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Jeff

Let's not forget that Ham Radio operators are just a bunch of weird guys who spend all their time with headphones on talking to Innerkazerkastan on cw and intefereing with Sunday Night football....
 

reedeb

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November 16th of 2005 Date he was interviewed. I think he's learned a bit more of what Hams can do.

Like any state, federal leader.,Hams take a back burner to their multimillion [or billion] dollar comm sets. It's not untill their superduper comm sets fail they once again find out how much Hams get out and carry on the job. What hge said 5 yrs back on one certain subjet is no reason to snub tbe guy. [BTW I am not a Romney supporter]
 

N1BHH

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Don't believe everything you hear or see from the left wing media. Anything they can find to pick apart a Republican will get far more airplay than any indiscretion on the part of a Democrat. I have met Mitt and he does not have anything negative to say about Amateur Radio operators.

Most everybody "reads into" a statement he made as being done in a negative fashion. In fact one of his neighbors on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire is a ham and their families enjoy each others company when the Romney family stay on the Big Lake.

He understands the value that hams bring to the table. When the chips fall, he as governor was always asking how amateur radio was being utilized in a particular situation.
 

newsphotog

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That said, he's both backed off and apologized for this remark forever ago. For some reason, this story gets an occasional whiff of flatulence and comes back to life.

Tom KA9QPN

Exactly. And the ARES organization that posted this story on their website way back when refuses to clarify that Romney has clarified his position since the article was written. That does nothing to stop the occasional flow of people thinking that it's just happened recently.

This campaign season, the original article about Romney and amateur radio started getting passed around just days before the Iowa caucuses. Gee, imagine that.

And to add, the title for this forum thread is terribly misleading.
 

W9NES

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Have we ever had a President of The United States that has been a licensed ham radio operator? Hams not needed? Wrong Answer.If Romney wants to say this about Hams back in 2005 then maybe we do not need Romney for President of The United States of America.Just my two cents worth.
 
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