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Old March 15th 16, 04:32 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated,rec.radio.amateur.policy
W2LJ via rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin W2LJ via rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin is offline
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Default [W2LJ] Respect and learning


W2LJ's Blog - QRP - Do More With Less.

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Respect and learning

Posted: 14 Mar 2016 07:24 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/feedb...medium=ema il

Whew!

There's an ongoing discussion on the ARRL NPOTA page on Facebook. It
appears that a newbie Ham activated a Historic Site and posted a picture
about it on Facebook. The problem is, that from the picture posted, it's
apparent that the operation took place in front of the site, on a street
instead of on the actual property of the Historic Site. As a result, his
activation was disqualified.

In NPOTA rules, that's a no-no, unless you get dispensation from the ARRL
after explaining mitigating circumstances. In the case of an Historic Site,
an NPOTA activation has to take place on the actual site, its parking lot
or driveway - not on the public street in front of it, as that space in NOT
administered to by the National Park Service.

Instead of dealing with the mistake and the ensuing disappointment, the
newbie Ham resorted to what only can be politely described as a ...... umm,
err ............ lengthy bout of whining. He was whining about why he
thought the rule was faulty, in his case, and then he started whining about
the rules in general and about Sean Kutzko, the NPOTA Administrator, in
particular. He also whined about the lack of a prompt response and how he
perceived that others in the group were "disrespecting him."

I try to stay away from such threads as they quickly become emotional
quicksand. The guy is disappointed and seems to be hurt by what he
believes to be a lack of support from the Ham Community in general. But I
had to reply. Basically this is what I said ......

"(Name withheld), yes, you're right, we all started from nowhere. And we've
all made our share of mistakes. You can choose to learn from it, carry on
and have the satisfaction of having gained some experience, or you can
choose to stew about it. Not trying to be snarky or disrespectful, but each
and every one of us has been down that road. Just remember that nothing
worthwhile comes easy ..... and as a wise old boss of mine once
said, "Respect is earned and not granted."

I've noticed that some of the younger generation can't seem to refrain from
using the "vulgar vernacular" of the streets in their posts. There's no
need for street language or "cussing" in a discussion with people who are
other than your immediate circle of friends. IMHO, using that type of
language is not conducive to earning the respect you are so desperately
seeking.

And then the matter of making the mistake. So what? We've all made them.
Some way more serious and costly than this. All he lost was time,
basically. Some (many) of us have made mistakes that have cost money, like
blowing up power supplies, or frying finals, for example. But even there,
you have the choice on how you want to handle it. You can learn from your
mistake and move on, or you can throw yourself a pity party (to be blunt).

It's smarter to move on and learn. If he's like most of us, he won't make
the same mistake again.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!