Via Southgate: Foundations of Amateur Radio

The third clause of the original Amateur’s Code reads:

The Amateur is Progressive. He keeps his station abreast of science. It is built well and efficiently. His operating practice is clean and regular.

The 2022 ARRL handbook is similar:

The Radio Amateur is PROGRESSIVE…with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach.

The ARRL website adds in some pronouns and removes the science from the clause:

The Radio Amateur is PROGRESSIVE…He/[She] keeps his/[her] station up to date. It is well-built and efficient. His/[Her] operating practice is above reproach.

I’m not sure what prompted this alteration and frankly, I’m not a fan. Pronouns aside, science is at the heart of what it is that we do and that has been the case since the very first amateur went on air. It’s also bewildering to me that knowledge and science has been transformed into keeping your station up to date, which means something else entirely.

The original is about learning and education, in my opinion the ARRL website version is about shopping and frankly it’s distasteful in a world where we as amateurs are renowned for experimentation and constructing a solution from parts.

Read more – Southgate Amateur Radio News RSS Feed http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2022/september/foundations-of-amateur-radio-03-09-2022.htm
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