"charlesb" wrote in message
...

"Ryan, KC8PMX" wrote in message
...
Mike,

I do believe it does serve some purpose...... I have a friend that goes
to
Arizona every winter due to him and his wife's health issues and he does
not
have much there to use for equipment. He and I chat via Echolink on a
regular basis on the link point connected where he is at. I also have
developed some friendships with the people that frequent that access
point
(simplex access point, not a repeater one) as well. He is a 30+ year
Extra
class licensee so he CAN operate just about anywhere but only has
2m/70cm
access when he goes there.

In this case it is a very productive use of the system. In this
particular
circumstance we would never be able to communicate if it wasn't for the
system. Other than a little experimentation with it at first, I have
not
used it for much more than to communicate with him though.

You could say the same things if your friend had been using a cell-phone
or
regular telephone, Ryan.

Yeah, that is true, but anyone can do that.


You most especially could say the same things if they had been using ICQ
or
any other form of Internet chat.

You misread the point, the person at the other end in MY specific
circumstance is not on a computer, but a simplex connection. Pretty hard
for me to talk/type to him if he's not connected to the net from a computer,
but from a radio.


The fact that people use Echolink to successfully communicate does not
magically make the Internet connection "ham radio". An important
distinction to keep in mind is that our hobby is not called "Amateur
Communication", where any form of communication will serve but rather
"Amateur Radio", where the focus is solely upon radio communications.


Where the hell did I make that claim that it was ham radio. All I merely
claimed that the only use I saw for it was in the described situation I
presented. Other than that, I don't use it much at all.


The ARRL inadvertently created some confusion about this with thier
"communicator" promotions, a few years back.

And that has a direct tie to Echolink in which regard???


The fact that your friends have decided to slow down and reduce the audio
quality of thier Internet chat by hanging a radio on one end or the other
does not make that Internet communication "Ham Radio"... It just means
that
they are willing to put up with reduced performance in thier chat
activities, in order to have a "ham radio simulator" at one end or the
other.


Again, when the hell did I make the claim that it is "real ham radio?"


In the end, Echolink serves as an excuse not to use radio to communicate
"as
a ham", as in the case with your friends. It also very often serves as an
excuse not to learn more about the hobby and upgrade, as in the case of
the
hundreds, perhaps thousands of hams who instantly dropped plans to
upgrade,
or even to buy a radio upon discovering Echolink. Echolink devotees are
just
brimming over with excuses, but none of those excuses change the fact that
Echolink is an Internet chat, not ham radio.


Again, I never said I was a devotee of the damned thing, you seriously must
have gone off the deep end if you believe and associate all that you have
stated and connecting it with me. Again, I use it about once a month in the
winter months to keep track of my friend, and thats about it.



--
Ryan, KC8PMX
FF1-FF2-MFR-(pending NREMT-B!)
--. --- -.. ... .- -. --. . .-.. ... .- .-. . ..-. .. .-. . ..-.
... --. .... - . .-. ...

Yeah, true. For the most part it is merely an accessory to ham radio, but
not ham radio itself. That pretty much sums up my opinion of it.


--
Ryan, KC8PMX
FF1-FF2-MFR-(pending NREMT-B!)
--. --- -.. ... .- -. --. . .-.. ... .- .-. . ..-. .. .-. . ..-.
... --. .... - . .-. ...


There is always a use for technologies, good and bad. That someone
could keep in touch with a friend via Echolink is a good thing.

Let's hope that the repeater owners can clean tings up.

- Mike KB3EIA -

Caveat Lector wrote:
Au Contraire
Echolink is an Internet chat FOR Amateur Radio Operators
And anything that allows communication between Hams gotta be OK.
Just another communication vehicle
Get over it!

I never use it but can easily understand why it can be of value to others.
And that from a 25 Year extra class ham.
Hey CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31, Packet, NTS, IRLP, EchoLink, Phone Patch, et al --
communicate communicate is da word.


Of course it is of some use. So is a cell phone, a chat room, voice or
text, or an intercom system.

But that doesn't make any of them "Ham Radio."

And I'm only licensed since 1999.

- Mike KB3EIA -

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 20:40:57 GMT, Mike Coslo
wrote:

I'm sitting here listening to our local Echolink repeater.
Someone,apparently in Florida, is Kerchunking our local repeater.

That's a fact of life, whether a repeater is linked or not.

Now THAT is the true power of the internet!

What? Kerchunking?


And yesterday at lunchtime, I heard some talk that you should never
hear on ham radio. Somone with a funky drunky accent going on about his
favorite parts of another guy's anatomy. Shudderrrr.

It should have never been heard on your "local Echolink repeater" had
the control operator pulled the plug on the Echolink. This is a fact
of life when you tie a repeater system into an internet connection.
Increasing the chances of it happening more often than not.

There just isn't enough control of all the repeaters linked into
Echolink for it to be a viable system.

Sure there is. In your case, a responsible control operator, who
values his/her radio's, and the license attached to the linked
repeater.

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 00:28:29 GMT, Robert Casey
wrote:

Hans K0HB wrote:


If some jerkoff violates the rules on CW do you blame Morse code???



I didn't think that could happen (violating rules on CW). :-)

He's just trying to find a strawman to burn.

Stacey, AA7YA

S. Hanrahan wrote:
On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 20:40:57 GMT, Mike Coslo
wrote:


I'm sitting here listening to our local Echolink repeater.
Someone,apparently in Florida, is Kerchunking our local repeater.


That's a fact of life, whether a repeater is linked or not.


Now THAT is the true power of the internet!


What? Kerchunking?

Yeah, just imagine it. We can kerchunk repeaters all over the world.
Kinda gives me goosebumps to see how far we've come!



And yesterday at lunchtime, I heard some talk that you should never
hear on ham radio. Somone with a funky drunky accent going on about his
favorite parts of another guy's anatomy. Shudderrrr.


It should have never been heard on your "local Echolink repeater" had
the control operator pulled the plug on the Echolink. This is a fact
of life when you tie a repeater system into an internet connection.
Increasing the chances of it happening more often than not.


There just isn't enough control of all the repeaters linked into
Echolink for it to be a viable system.


Sure there is. In your case, a responsible control operator, who
values his/her radio's, and the license attached to the linked
repeater.

Yes, certainly in principle. Turning off the repeater is always the
option. But in reality, a person cannot keep constant monitoring for
miscreants. And if the repeater is open to the world, the person
responsible will have to keep a 24/7 vigil.

When almost everyone is well behaved to begin with, it isn't much of a
problem to begin with.

- Mike KB3EIA

charlesb wrote in message ...
In the end, Echolink serves as an excuse not to use radio to communicate
"as
a ham", as in the case with your friends. It also very often serves as an
excuse not to learn more about the hobby and upgrade, as in the case of the
hundreds, perhaps thousands of hams who instantly dropped plans to upgrade,
or even to buy a radio upon discovering Echolink. Echolink devotees are
just
brimming over with excuses, but none of those excuses change the fact that
Echolink is an Internet chat, not ham radio.


Does posting to "rec.radio.amateur.policy" also serve as an excuse not to
use ham radio to communicate?

Why does talking over the internet provoke howls of protest from hams who
seem to have no problem posting text messages over the internet?

Could it be that you are feeling threatened?

"Craig Davidson" wrote in message
ink.net...

charlesb wrote in message ...
In the end, Echolink serves as an excuse not to use radio to communicate
"as
a ham", as in the case with your friends. It also very often serves as an
excuse not to learn more about the hobby and upgrade, as in the case of
the
hundreds, perhaps thousands of hams who instantly dropped plans to
upgrade,
or even to buy a radio upon discovering Echolink. Echolink devotees are
just
brimming over with excuses, but none of those excuses change the fact
that
Echolink is an Internet chat, not ham radio.


Does posting to "rec.radio.amateur.policy" also serve as an excuse not to
use ham radio to communicate?

Why does talking over the internet provoke howls of protest from hams who
seem to have no problem posting text messages over the internet?

Could it be that you are feeling threatened?

Bingo! You've got it! Yes, when we post here on the Internet, it has no
effect on our on the air activities - But when some moron uses the Internet
as a substitute for radio *as a part of our on the air activities* then the
hobby is undercut and damaged. Facing this threat, amateurs feel -
threatened !

That was an astute observation you made there, Craig. It is good to see that
you understand the situation, and can point out the problem to others so
clearly.

Charles Brabham, N5PVL

or even to buy a radio upon discovering Echolink.
Echolink devotees are

Bingo! You've got it! Yes, when we post here on the
Internet, it has no effect on our on the air activities -
But when some moron uses the Internet as a substitute for
radio *as a part of our on the air activities* then the
hobby is undercut and damaged. Facing this threat, amateurs
feel - threatened !

Something that I can agree with you for once.

Bill