Amatuer Radio and Politics

10/05/22 06:08

I have been an Amateur Radio operator for a very long time, pushing over 50 years. Most people who know me, know I am an opinionated cranky old conservative who places a lot of strength in right and wrong and law and order……..I am extremely passionate about the hobby, promoting the hobby and increasing my and other peoples enjoyment in the hobby. And over the years CQ Magazine has been one of my favorite publications and I have issues dating back mid 70’s through today. I was a HUGE FAN of CQ VHF and above, and have always thought CQ was a much better magazine than QST, etc. I stuck by and defended CQ even during the struggles they had financially and the long delays in getting magazines out to us, subscription issues, etc.

But the below stand by CQ and the contest they will be holding bothers me. Amateur Radio has as a rule always remained non-political and we have enjoyed conversations with other Amateurs around the globe in friendly and not so friendly nations, and one advantage to that is we always had reminders that the person on the other end of the microphone is typically just like us. The same hopes, dreams and passions….We all have families, friends and we pretty much all want the same thing. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is horrendous and the toll on human life is terrible, the suffering and pain this is causing and the fact Putin is now showing signs of being vindictive and just going scorched earth…..with what from my perspective is a “If I can’t have it, they can’t either” and just trying to destroy everything in the country to leave it in absolute ruins. BUT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO with our Amateur Radio friends? If the news reports are accurate and in today’s world I know how hard it is to sort out the truth from fiction in our news media, but from all appearances many thousands of Russian citizens are protesting the war, 10’s of thousands have been arrested and imprisoned for voicing opposition to the war.

As an example one of the biggest promoters of Amateur Radio I have run into and someone who genuinely has fun with Amateur Radio and is a constant source of energy and enthusiasm for the hobby, someone I have had many conversations with via e-mail, Zoom and she has even been a guest on HAM Talk with me……I truly am fond of her as a friend and extremely enthusiastic Amateur Radio operator…….SHE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO VOICE in the activities of our government, she can not more control Putin than you and I, so what advantage is there to be gained by blocking her and cutting her out of international activities or any other Amateur in Russa, Belarus, etc……

I personally disagree very strongly with everything Joe Biden has said and done……I am very unhappy with his actions……But I have no ability to exert any control over him and he and his party are going to do what they want and all I can do is voice my opposition, but let’s be honest my opposition is going to have very little impact and unlike Russian Citizens, I am not worried about getting arrested and imprisoned for bitching about Joe Biden.

I think CQ is out of line with the basically banishment of Russian participants, I think it undermines the value of the hobby and it shuts another door to communication between people.

Because of CQ’s actions and stand on this, I am honestly after 47 plus years giving hard consideration to canceling my subscription and may not take part in the CQ VHF and above contest for the first time in decades.

https://cqwpx.com/blog/cq-to-limit-contest-participation-by-stations-in-russia-belarus-and-donbas-region-due-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/?fbclid=IwAR00qYfkoPFSQAoBff8etWf6VIip5hRX5j_IXcYH5K5_8RckXiFfMfno62Q

CQ to Limit Contest Participation by Stations in Russia, Belarus and Donbas Region Due to Russian Invasion of Ukraine
AA3B
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 17, 2022
Contact: Rich Moseson, W2VU, Editor
w2vu@cq-amateur-radio.com

STATEMENT OF CQ COMMUNICATIONS, INC., REGARDING CQ CONTESTS AND THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

(Northport, NY 17 March, 2022) – CQ Communications, Inc., publishers of CQ Amateur Radio magazine and sponsor of the CQ World Wide DX and WPX Contests, announced today that in light of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Belarus, it will not accept competitive entries in any of its sponsored contests by amateur radio stations in Russia, Belarus or the separatist Donbas region of Ukraine (unofficial D1 prefix). Logs submitted by these stations will be accepted only as checklogs. In addition, contacts with these stations by other participants will have zero point value and will not count as multipliers.

This is in line with a similar action taken by the Radio Society of Great Britain, following the lead of other international sports federations around the world.

“We regret the need to take this action,” said CQ Publisher Richard Ross, K2MGA, “and recognize that the vast majority of our fellow amateurs who are affected by it are innocent bystanders who had no role in their government’s decision to invade another sovereign country. However, in light of the great suffering being inflicted without cause on the people of Ukraine by Russia’s leaders, we cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing.”

The CQ policy will take effect with the 2022 CQ WPX SSB Contest on March 26 and 27. Future events will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the situation at that time.

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