"Brenda Ann" wrote in message
...


There are a lot of them that are technically unqualified. I see such
questions in the ham NG's as "Can I run my mobile radio as a portable with
a
battery?" or "How do I set the SWR on my antenna?" The latter is something
even most CB'ers know how to do... sure makes a ham look bad..




If they look bad, it's mostly other hams who are doing the looking. I don't
listen in very often, and I think I'm typical of non-ham SWLs. The general
public hardly knows ham radio exists.

Anyway, I think there's a difference between being technically ignorant and
a jerk. Consider driving. A person could be an excellent driver without
knowing how to change their spark plugs. Knowing how to shift a manual
transmission or rebuild an engine isn't much evidence that the person isn't
a maniac or half blind.

If somebody needs some on the air guidance on the basics, I think that is
half a problem, at worst. That somebody is at least interested in radio,
which is increasingly rare.

I'm not a ham, and I don't have strong feelings one way or the other on the
code debate. Both sides want to protect their part of the radio hobby. But
I think disinterest is the real threat.

Frank Dresser