hoffmann@mit-marie (Ron M. Hoffmann) (02/22/85)
The rationale behind reduced rate license plates for hams and National Guard members and doctors... is that if not explicitly (and hams do explicitly) than at least implicitly these groups exist in part to perform public service. In having these distinctive license plates, they are easily identifiable by law enforcement and civil defense and could be put to use in emergency situations. Some states, in fact, require that a vehicle with call sign plates be equipped with a two-way rig. This can be as little as an HT. This only makes sense. When the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Massachusetts restructured the registrations rates, ham plates were clas- sified with MD's, not with vanity plates. I don't think that hams are looking for a free ride, but rather recognition of their contributions, and the op- portunity to provide a service to their communities and to the public at large. One last comment. I grant that many hams don't view their hobby as I have portrayed it. That's too bad. For those of us who perform even the occaisional public service deed through the use of amateur radio, being identifiable by callsign plates is an important thing. Ron Hoffmann, WA2EYC hoffmann@mit-marie@mit-mc.arpa hoffmann@mitlns (bitnet)
Gor#f@mit-eddie.ARPA (02/23/85)
It is my personal experience that most law enforcement officials don't know what callsign plates mean. Also, we are not prevented from marking our vechicles with the fact that we are hams by means other than callsign plates. Means that would be clearer to the non-ham, in fact. Means that don't involve dipping into the taxpayer's pocket. The requiring a car with callsign plates to be radio equipped sounds like something between useless and a bad idea. If Joe (Jill) Ham's non-ham spouse needs the car for the day does he have to send his only HT with her (him)? If so, is she of any use to someone who needs radio communication? Or perhalps he (she) has to go along for the ride? (Ron, are you on packet yet? I'm running a W0RLI BBS here in Goffstown. You should be able to digipeat to me via W0RLI or K1BC or K1UGM, amongst others. Happy dancing.) 73's -Bill, KE1G