Dan,

I must ask ... did you rotate the whole county to turn the beam? :)


73,
Jim AA2QA


"Dan/W4NTI" wrote in message
ink.net...

"KØHB" wrote in message
ups.com...

Jim Hampton wrote:


I'd have responded earlier, but yesterday was my birthday and ....
well, I
probably consumed enough beer to build a 160 meter half wave beer can
vertical :)


Ah yes, a vertical 'beverage' antenna! Our FD group had one for 20M,
but we had to quit using it when our FD QTH changed to the football
field of a local High School.

Anyhow, Happy Birthday!

73, de Hans, K0HB


Happy B-day guy.

Our club group built a 3 element 160 meter yagi out of steel beer cans for
a
Field Day one year.

Dan/W4NTI

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"Jim Hampton" wrote:
I'd have responded earlier, but yesterday was my birthday and ....
well,
I probably consumed enough beer to build a 160 meter half wave beer can
vertical :)

Fortunately, the better half didn't get upset ;)

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

Happy belated B-day, Jim. Many more returns! 160 meter half wave, is
that anything like enough beer to float a battleship? g

Hello, Mopar

No, but my head would have believe do the next day :))


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

On Sun, 22 May 2005 17:08:37 -0700, John Smith wrote:
: You ask me "what is wrong with cw?" I ask you, "Why is amateur radio
: dying?"--I think the answer to both is a single one--there was a time when

Difficult premise, coupled with a fuzzy definition. What does "dying"
mean to you? If you're going to assert that amateur radio is dying,
then you need to come up with a working definition of "dying" so that
others can decide if you're right.

My problem is that, when I review the statistics, there isn't any such
process which can be clearly identified. True, over the very recent
past the total number of licenses has declined, but that decline is on
the order of 2% since April, 2004. If the baseline is made longer,
and totals going back to 1995 are examined, a 2% change in the total
amateur population is seen to lie well within the noise (two year
variance). It is therefore difficult to decide if it is significant
without resorting to a detailed statistical analysis.

My sense is that it isn't significant (yet). It looks as though the
trend line (least-squares, linear fit) is horizontal, and only
additional time will tell if it really has a negative slope.

To reiterate, those who run around claiming that "amateur radio is
dying" can't seem to either articulate what "dying" means or to prove
their case.

And as the old Shania Twain song says, "That don't impress me much."

.... dream on...

John

"Stagger Lee" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 May 2005 17:08:37 -0700, John Smith
wrote:
: You ask me "what is wrong with cw?" I ask you, "Why is amateur radio
: dying?"--I think the answer to both is a single one--there was a time
when

Difficult premise, coupled with a fuzzy definition. What does "dying"
mean to you? If you're going to assert that amateur radio is dying,
then you need to come up with a working definition of "dying" so that
others can decide if you're right.

My problem is that, when I review the statistics, there isn't any such
process which can be clearly identified. True, over the very recent
past the total number of licenses has declined, but that decline is on
the order of 2% since April, 2004. If the baseline is made longer,
and totals going back to 1995 are examined, a 2% change in the total
amateur population is seen to lie well within the noise (two year
variance). It is therefore difficult to decide if it is significant
without resorting to a detailed statistical analysis.

My sense is that it isn't significant (yet). It looks as though the
trend line (least-squares, linear fit) is horizontal, and only
additional time will tell if it really has a negative slope.

To reiterate, those who run around claiming that "amateur radio is
dying" can't seem to either articulate what "dying" means or to prove
their case.

And as the old Shania Twain song says, "That don't impress me much."

Dan:

You will never find me using cw... you will never finding me talking to
anyone of your ilk... fear not...

John

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote in message
ink.net...
I have a "use for CW". I use it to communicate with others using the same
mode. I use it to participate in Amateur Radio.

If you or your ilk don't care to do so. Stay the hell off my frequency.

Have a good day idiot.

Dan/W4NTI

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
You ask me "what is wrong with cw?" I ask you, "Why is amateur radio
dying?"--I think the answer to both is a single one--there was a time
when dropping code would have saved ham radio--I fear that time has come
and gone... cw has no real use to anyone, anymore... it is like having
to learn to type to use the internet... no such requirement... however,
because typing DOES have a use--you will find many learning to type after
they realize the need...

... the "anateur exams" are certainly no hinderence, they always have
been as simple as pie--a college grad trained in the art of "test taking"
could study for a day and pass the most challenging... they have been
made even simplier still... yet amateur radio declined and continues to
do so--

... now "critical mass" has been reached, so many other forms of
communication exist that amateur radio is on its' death march... radios
are so far and few between... and so little demand... they are too
expensive with most to bother with... you could give ham licences away
in the streets and not improve that...

... no, the OMs' alzheimers and lack of ability to see the future has
killed ham radio--you'd think the old guys must have hated it--to have
stood by and watched it die--if what you say is correct--and they DID
have all their mental facilities about them and still allowed it...

Warmest regards,
John

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...
Nice try, John

In the original post I stated "just for grins".

As far as Alzheimer's disease, I know the change I am due before the kid
punches the cash tendered into the register. I had to chuckle one day
when
the gal punched in as though I had made exact change and had to figure
out
what my change was. She had to call a manager!

I am familiar with how great the Internet is and surf a bit plus am
active
in several Yahoo groups. Do you remember 911? I lost my AT&T service
for a
week as they had some central switching station in there. I had to use
my
Juno account as a backup. The radios, however, work - even without
mains.
Come to think of it, some of the repeaters work without mains. There
are
two of them around here that aren't even connected to the mains!

I have no axe to grind. Oh, it bothers me when a couple of high power
stations are talking across town on 20 meters, however there is no
sanity
test for an amateur license. Come to think of it, the same applies to
high
power CBs. It causes interference thousands of miles away.

What I cannot understand is why so many folks get their panties in a
knot
over CW. If you enjoy it, use it; if not, don't. No big deal there.

As far as the folks who love to condemn those who enjoy Morse, I suspect
that many of them are also lacking in theory and really want a no test
ticket. Perhaps we could also do away with a test for a driver's
license as
well ....

Granted, folks will point out there is a big difference. There is, but
the
underlying problem is trying to make the airwaves available for
*everyone*.
This includes cell-phones (think duplex walk-talkie connected to a
repeater
which is connected to the telephone company), radio, television,
aircraft
guidance systems, satellite tv, satellite radio, gps, and so much more.
Originally, there were no driver's licenses, but as more automobiles
came
about, there was a need for regulation. Should we get rid of traffic
lights? How about the flashing red lights on school busses? Think
there
might be a need for regulation? The same applies to radio. Originally,
there were no regulations for radio. If you have 100 stations in the
world,
total, there is really no need for regulation. As technology
progressed,
there were more demands made for radio spectrum (I say radio, but mean
everything using the electro-magnetic spectrum from perhaps 3 kHz to 300
gHz). Regulations came into being and have been revisited and changed
many
times since.

At least we can discuss this problem with regulating the airwaves; I
have
another problem that I am going to have to "discuss" a different way.

Our new chief of police is claiming he is going to start cracking down
on
the loud stereos. One guy wrote an editorial stating "you just don't
like
my music". Well, I finally got one guy fined and he is staying quiet.
It
is disconcerting, to say the least, when someone has their boom box
turned
up 10 dB above distort at midnight and I have to get up in the morning.
Some of us actually have jobs. I have some "tunes" that I will share
should
this start again. I'm not going to bother burning a cd as I've got the
mp3
cuts on the computer. Just plug an audio line from the headphone jack
on
the computer speakers to the 700 stereo system I have for satellite tv.
I
hope they enjoy my tunes:

1) Washington Post March
2) Anchors aweigh
3) The Thunderer
4) The Stars and Stripes Forever (my favorite)

I've got others on CDs. From all of the services. Funny, but I have a
feeling that they will be clamoring for "regulation" all of a sudden :))


With all due regards from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA



"John Smith" wrote in message
...
It is a shame that hams are riding a sinking ship to the bottom... just
so
others can't ride... weird really... those old guys really have a axe
to
grind with someone... but, maybe it is as they claim--their minds are
gone
to alzheimers and they simply await for the need for morse to return...
however, long before then--amateur radio will be dead...

Regards,
John

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...
Hi gang!


Just for some grins, check this out:
http://www.lildobe.net/video/

It will take a bit of time for the folks on dial-up, but it is worth
remembering that those two guys were not setting any speed records.
It
sounded about like the commercial CW circuits on the marine bands I
listened
to about 37 years ago ....

The more things change, the more they stay the same.


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote


Our club group built a 3 element 160 meter yagi out of steel beer cans for a
Field Day one year.


Hey Dan,

Do you know how to tell the difference between a fairy-tale and a sea-story?

Scroll down
































A fairy-tale starts out --- "Once upon a time....."

A sea-story starts out --- "Now this is no ****....."


dit dit

73, de Hans, K0HB

Naaa, it is true--I was the one who drank all the beer so they'd have those
cans to use... grin

Warmest regards,
John

"KØHB" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote


Our club group built a 3 element 160 meter yagi out of steel beer cans
for a Field Day one year.


Hey Dan,

Do you know how to tell the difference between a fairy-tale and a
sea-story?

Scroll down
































A fairy-tale starts out --- "Once upon a time....."

A sea-story starts out --- "Now this is no ****....."


dit dit

73, de Hans, K0HB

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
You ask me "what is wrong with cw?" I ask you, "Why is amateur radio
dying?"--I think the answer to both is a single one--there was a time when
dropping code would have saved ham radio--I fear that time has come and
gone... cw has no real use to anyone, anymore... it is like having to
learn to type to use the internet... no such requirement... however,
because typing DOES have a use--you will find many learning to type after
they realize the need...

... the "anateur exams" are certainly no hinderence, they always have been
as simple as pie--a college grad trained in the art of "test taking" could
study for a day and pass the most challenging... they have been made even
simplier still... yet amateur radio declined and continues to do so--

... now "critical mass" has been reached, so many other forms of
communication exist that amateur radio is on its' death march... radios
are
so far and few between... and so little demand... they are too expensive
with most to bother with... you could give ham licences away in the
streets
and not improve that...

... no, the OMs' alzheimers and lack of ability to see the future has
killed
ham radio--you'd think the old guys must have hated it--to have stood by
and
watched it die--if what you say is correct--and they DID have all their
mental facilities about them and still allowed it...

Warmest regards,
John


Hello, John

I suspect that Morse testing will be dropped. When, I'm not sure, but some
countries have done so already. I honestly believe (but could be wrong)
that most of the older amateurs (say the 20 wpm extra gang of which I am
one) do not believe that Morse should be required.

Hopefully, that will end some of the contention amongst some of us. The
reality is that amateur radio does need some infusion of young blood.
Having just celebrated my 58th birthday, I can appreciate that LOL.

There are a lot of different forms of communication. I suspect that some
people will be attracted to amateur radio simply because of the vast amount
of experimentation that can be done at reasonable powers (you don't need
kilowatts, but a few milliwatts may not suffice).

I've been moderating one Yahoo group (and now co-own it) which is devoted to
helping folks get their tickets. The biggest thing is not to have the hams
flame the cbers or scanner enthusiasts. We are all interested in radio (or
television - or other modes, for that matter) and the flame wars are the
biggest deterrent (not Morse code), at least in my mind. Flame wars do
*not* happen. Moderation until folks calm down and removal or even banning
if they continue. There are too many good folks in cb and amateur radio
(not to mention scanner and sw folks) to let the flamers wreck everything.

As far as mental ability, I tried like heck to kill mine when I celebrated
my birthday. The only result was a big headache LOL.

You and I might have a minor disagreement, but it appears you are willing to
discuss it. So am I. As to typing, I had an interview some number of years
ago and when it was mentioned that the individual that was to be replaced
was producing their newsletter, I mentioned that I could type over 65 words
per minute on a bad day into a headwind. When they said "we don't type
anymore, we use computers", I stated that I believed it was time to call a
halt to the interview. Certainly keyboards have changed a bit (I remember
close to 50 years ago, my father had an old typewriter with a "cents" figure
on it), but the keys (alpha and numerics) are laid out the same. Yes, the
computer keyboard has an extra set of keys with numbers (use the numbers
lock) on it. Still, I have no problem with 65 words per minute. I admit
I'm down a bit from the time I had to fight a 100 word per minute teletype
to get burst of 92 words per minute out, but I still have no real problem
either typing or programming.

Some of us are trying to pass the torch to younger folks. The plain fact is
that amateur radio need younger folks (not to mention more women).

If you might be interested in joining, please e-mail me off group. The
address is


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

"Landshark" wrote in message
.. .

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Hampton"
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.cb
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 4:30 PM
Subject: Just for grins - CW


Nice try, John

In the original post I stated "just for grins".

As far as Alzheimer's disease, I know the change I am due before the kid
punches the cash tendered into the register. I had to chuckle one day
when
the gal punched in as though I had made exact change and had to figure
out
what my change was. She had to call a manager!

OMG, she couldn't count backwards? This is what the
future has to look forward too.


I am familiar with how great the Internet is and surf a bit plus am
active
in several Yahoo groups. Do you remember 911? I lost my AT&T service
for
a
week as they had some central switching station in there. I had to use
my
Juno account as a backup. The radios, however, work - even without
mains.
Come to think of it, some of the repeaters work without mains. There
are
two of them around here that aren't even connected to the mains!

I have no axe to grind. Oh, it bothers me when a couple of high power
stations are talking across town on 20 meters, however there is no
sanity
test for an amateur license. Come to think of it, the same applies to
high
power CBs. It causes interference thousands of miles away.

No test for people in life, you & I both know that :)


What I cannot understand is why so many folks get their panties in a
knot
over CW. If you enjoy it, use it; if not, don't. No big deal there.

As far as the folks who love to condemn those who enjoy Morse, I suspect
that many of them are also lacking in theory and really want a no test
ticket. Perhaps we could also do away with a test for a driver's
license
as
well ....

Granted, folks will point out there is a big difference. There is, but
the
underlying problem is trying to make the airwaves available for
*everyone*.
This includes cell-phones (think duplex walk-talkie connected to a
repeater
which is connected to the telephone company), radio, television,
aircraft
guidance systems, satellite tv, satellite radio, gps, and so much more.
Originally, there were no driver's licenses, but as more automobiles
came
about, there was a need for regulation. Should we get rid of traffic
lights? How about the flashing red lights on school busses? Think
there
might be a need for regulation? The same applies to radio. Originally,
there were no regulations for radio. If you have 100 stations in the
world,
total, there is really no need for regulation. As technology
progressed,
there were more demands made for radio spectrum (I say radio, but mean
everything using the electro-magnetic spectrum from perhaps 3 kHz to 300
gHz). Regulations came into being and have been revisited and changed
many
times since.

At least we can discuss this problem with regulating the airwaves; I
have
another problem that I am going to have to "discuss" a different way.

Our new chief of police is claiming he is going to start cracking down
on
the loud stereos. One guy wrote an editorial stating "you just don't
like
my music". Well, I finally got one guy fined and he is staying quiet.
It
is disconcerting, to say the least, when someone has their boom box
turned
up 10 dB above distort at midnight and I have to get up in the morning.
Some of us actually have jobs. I have some "tunes" that I will share
should
this start again. I'm not going to bother burning a cd as I've got the
mp3
cuts on the computer. Just plug an audio line from the headphone jack
on
the computer speakers to the 700 stereo system I have for satellite tv.
I
hope they enjoy my tunes:

LOL!!!, the 60's 70 are over big guy ;)


1) Washington Post March
2) Anchors aweigh
3) The Thunderer
4) The Stars and Stripes Forever (my favorite)

I've got others on CDs. From all of the services. Funny, but I have a
feeling that they will be clamoring for "regulation" all of a sudden :))


With all due regards from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

Oh Yeah................ Go to hear from You Jim.

Landshark


Hello, Sharkie

My bad. I meant 700 watt system - not something from the 70s LOL. All Bose
speakers. A couple hundred watts on the bass alone (and it does shake,
although I keep the volume down).

Good to hear from you too. I'm not really mad, just disappointed that folks
don't understand the need for regulation. I have a dog and she stays in the
house for the most part. When I have her out, if she barks more than a few
times, I bring her in. The neighbors don't need to hear a dog barking for
20 minutes or more. Same thing with the stereo system.

Heck, I've made a mistake in the past. Had a party with the Hammond turned
up pretty well (as well as the Leslies) and the cops showed up. I
apologized and shut it off. Never done that since (and that was 25 years
ago). No biggie; anyone can make a mistake.


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

John Smith wrote:
Dan:

You will never find me using cw...

Well, you don't need it on CB.