Society for the Preservation of Amateur Radio
Statement of Principles
The Society
for the Preservation of Amateur Radio is a non-partisan group of
concerned amateur radio operators working together to ensure the
vitality of the Amateur Radio Service as defined in 47 CFR Part
97, especially the purposes embodied in 97.1:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur
service to the public as a voluntary
noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to
providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to
contribute to the advancement of the radio
art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through
rules which provide for advancing
skills in both the communications and technical phases of the
art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio
service of trained operators, technicians,
and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to
enhance international goodwill.
It is our belief that the technical nature of the Amateur Radio
Service is clearly acknowledged by the FCC,
particularly in Part 97.1, items b, c and d, which comprise 3 of
the 5 reasons for the establishment of the Service.
We acknowledge the proud history of technical and non-technical
contributions that amateur radio operators have made to radio
communications technology and strive to ensure that the Amateur
Radio Service preserves traditional operating modes and remains
able to continue to meet the technical challenges that will be
required in the future.
We believe that failure to require adequate entry-level skills
will lead to chaos on the amateur bands, which are an
internationally shared resource, and that inadequate enforcement
of the regulations governing amateur radio will render the
service useless and drive away those persons who could most
contribute to the ?advancement of the radio art?.
We believe that it is important for the survival of the Amateur
Radio Service that continuous advancement in ?skills in both the
communications and technical phase of the [radio] art? be
encouraged.
We believe that the Amateur Radio Service should be open to all
interested persons. Due to the inherent technical nature of
amateur radio communication, it is important to ensure that
amateur radio operators possess minimum skills and that the
regulations concerning the Amateur Radio Service must encourage
the further development of ?trained operators, technicians, and
electronics experts.?
We further believe that, due to the inherent nature of amateur
radio, technical skills contribute directly to the "value of
the amateur service to the public" and the "amateur's
unique ability to enhance international goodwill."