Good thought Paul, seem like just the thing for our national amateur radio lobby/support organization, they could present a unified bit of education/awareness information to the cruise industry for their consideration. That would seem more effective than various individual (and possibly less civil) and random contacts. Friendly customer feedback from any of us who do take a cruise is also something that would probably be noted as well.
Just as important too, is adhering to the rules. Nothing can undo any steps forward from the above actions than for one or a few hams to ignore the rules and decide that they know better or won't get caught. Actually, I wonder if something like that might be part of the reason for the change of heart that Princess had. They were clear in their permission that you could only operate from your balcony and not from any public places on the ship, I get the feeling that there might be some who weren't happy with the view/coverage they got from their side of the ship and tried to take it on their own to better that by moving to the promenade deck. Oh but it was just for a minute, they didn't get in anybody's way, there was no harm done - except you essentially broke the law on the ship. I hate to say it, but more than once I have seen a ham ignore the request or rules of a ship or a property owner. Thankfully only a couple of times, but that's two times too many.
That's not the way to educate someone about ham radio, even if you weren't in anybody's way and there was no harm done. Put it in the other perspective where you're the captain, like if I tell you you can't text or email on your cell phone at night while riding in my car unless you rig for red on your screen (this is a fact, so you know before you ride with me) and you light up the cabin with full screen brightness anyway so you can text and then check amsat-bb while we're driving because it doesn't bother you so how could it bother me, that email you read out loud to me about a cool new bird that just launched isn't going to educate or sway me that it's OK to use a cell phone in my car at night when you just wiped out my night vision. Once I throw that light out the window (with you attached or not) you can wonder and cuss why I won't give you a ride again all you want and no amount of campaigning is likely to convince me that there really is a way to use your cell phone without burning me again if I'll just forget that happened and let you try again. You obviously can't follow a rule, why should I believe that you ever will?
So actually, while ARRL assistance would be great and if it is ignorance of ham radio that has caused the rules and they are changed to allow ham radio, we all have to be ready and willing to stand behind that and any rules of the cruise line and Captain or ARRL is wasting everyone's time and their own. What say you? Let's all be sure we're good hams, and earn back their trust! :-)
Jerry Buxton, NØJY
On 5/28/2017 20:42, Paul Stoetzer wrote:
I do think a letter from the ARRL to all the cruise companies might be a good idea. Very few cruise lines allow amateur radio anymore and that's a shame. Operating from the Carnival Liberty during the AMSAT cruise last year was great fun!
73,
Paul, N8HM