Slow Code wrote:
Chuck Harris wrote in

While you are being all holier than thou, what did you design and build
for your main rig? I'm hoping to be impressed, but expecting to be
disappointed.

Did the code help you with the design?

I took my Advanced class test down at 1919 M street 36 years ago. I had
to sit at the desk and copy one solid minute out of five error free at
13WPM. I passed it on the first try. I almost failed the sending test,
as I had never spent much time doing that. I had never made a code
contact before my test, and I have only made a couple since.

The thing about code contacts is they never seem to want to say anything
beyond:

WA3XXX DE W6XX RST 5NN WX FB 73 W6XX SK

How does that help the cause of amateur radio?

I have designed and built numerous rf receivers and transmitters, many
are employed by the US Army for various uses. I have fixed many
different radios from tube stuff through DSP driven affairs.

How exactly did the code help me to do this?

For me code was a means to an end. I wanted my license, so I learned
the code.

There were plenty of rude, profane, and generally unpleasant hams on the
air back when all had to pass the test in the offices of the FCC. I
haven't noticed that things are any worse now. About the only real
difference is in the quality of the gear folks are running. It is much
better than the crappy stuff that was on the air back in the early 70's.

-Chuck


Are conversations on repeaters as technical as they were twenty-five years
ago?

Oh, easily. 25 years ago, technical conversations were dominated by such earth
shatteringly important stuff as having a ham down at the repeater site helping
other hams tune their transmitters to be on frequency. Other wonderkind were
hitting the repeater with a full quieting signal, and turning their power up
to try and get a better signal to that DX mobile that breaking up.

If it wasn't that, it was an endless sea of autopatches calling the xyl to tell
her that traffic was bad, could she start dinner... or ordering pizza.


Me? I hear no-codes and nickle extras arguing how long a half wave dipole
should be.

I heard the same things 25 years ago from Generals that got their licenses at
the offices of the FCC.

Even 34 years ago, there were study guides that had questions from the pool
used by the FCC. If you could memorize the answers to those questions, you
were virtually assured of passing. I used the ARRL handbook as my guide.

You didn't answer my questions about the home brew rig you are using.

-Chuck