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Hams are killing ham radio.
In article ,
"Ric Trexell" wrote: I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. There is no real need for them now. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. Some ham's have a bad attitude toward the hobby but you can't lump them all into one group. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. Well, those are some of the reasons why I'm not a ham. -- Telamon Ventura, California |
I can tell y'all right now,,, businesses and telephone companies don't
want anything to do with Shortwave Radio nowdays since the advent of new types of digital communication. cuhulin |
The ham radio hobby really needs to rethink the way that it controls
access to the hobby. Continuing to require seriously outdated tests like morse code is a turnoff to many potential amateur radio buffs. Why not try something revolutionary such as live testing for safe and courteous operation using voice and digital modes. When I listen to the guys on HF my sense is that their average age continues to increase. I also detect that overall participation is way off from a decade ago - lots of open space in what were once crowded chunks of spectrum. I hear very few young and virtually no female voices of any age. Ham radio needs to think of changes to become a worthwhile alternative to the many other modes of communicating that do not require a license. If it continues doing business as it has then it's future will indeed be short - possibly much less than 2050 as mentioned in the earlier thread. The remaining members can look forward to the FCC continuing to divert more amateur radio spectrum to commercial interests that want to use it. By way of background I come from a family of radio amateurs. My son (an electrical engineer) considered the hobby, but thought the licensing requirement silly and the morse code requirement laughable in todays world. He can talk around the world several ways via the internet. He has a cell phone that does much the same thing a handheld tribander does - allows him to talk with other people. It looks a lot like a handheld, but it costs less and doesn't require a license. Time for the hobby and it's gatekeeper to wake up before it is too late. Ric Trexell wrote: I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. |
On 02/03/2005 9:30 PM, Ric Trexell wrote:
I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. Your comments are certainly going to spawn a lot of commentary! I hope the vitriol stays reasonably low, as I can see where you are coming from. In my short experience, rag-chewers talk about a.) the weather b.) their equipment and c.) their cats. I wanted to get into amateur radio when I was a kid -- it was exactly the kind of technology I was fascinated by -- but for various reasons never really got beyond building my own VHF "scanner" and learning how to solder. All these years later, the purchase of a SW set has rekindled my interest in amateur. I've recently decided to get my Basic Qualification just for fun. However, I've noticed many of the same things you have, and I /have/ wondered if the glory days are over, and I'm just too late. I think there is no surprise that the mean age of amateurs has only gone up. With the rise of internet radio, and the scaling down of some of the stations, much the same good be said for SWL, as well. I decided to go for it anyway, and to even practice Morse (I'm learning at 15 WPM just to set a challenge.) I figure I can give myself a few years on the +30MHz areas until I get my code endorsement (or the ITU recommends dropping code, and Industry Canada follows suit), participating as I can. I think contests might be a fun way to meet people outside of your local "net", but agree that unless you promise to hook up at a later time, the pressure is really just to work 'em and log 'em and move on. I'm going to a ham swap meet in the summer to scope out my local amateur community. As someone else said in this thread, amateur cab be about more than talking about gear and the weather on SSB. What the hell. I'll discover that for myself. |
On 02/03/2005 9:30 PM, Ric Trexell wrote:
[...] Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. One last comment. The funny thing is that the many licensing bodies that give access to the amateur bands have specific rules about what kinds of conversation can take place. Industry Canada has a requirement that amateur phone conversation (and I'm paraphrasing now) be of a "basic and trivial non-contentious nature." I understand that the FCC has similar wording when discussing the form and content of U.S. amateur phone communication. So, in reality, amateurs are supposed to fill their conversation with radio checks and weather reports. Trivial bits of tech gossip and rig checks are expected and encouraged, according to the test questions I've answered. I'm sure that this doesn't limit the actual range of subjects phone operators (or CW, for that matter) chat about. I'm just pointing out that the actual rules for using the public airwaves are pretty clear what you can and cannot say. That being said, I'm a fan of keeping a good portion of the spectrum open and non-commercial. The airwaves (and the FCC used to be pretty strong about this) belong to the people, for use by the people. Industry has enough of the spectrum. Given they have the R&D resources, they can also work on squeezing more information into a tighter bandwidth if they really need more room. From what I hear on VHF and UHF, industry uses radio the same way amateurs do: 90% goofing around and rag-chewing and 10% real work. The other day a city bus driver had to tell a number of "phone ops" drivers to stop rag-chewing on the job! |
It is NOT the code tests and exams that is the big turnoff -- it is a lack
of good old fashioned "Yankee Can Do" You either see "outdated useless requirements" as a challenge to overcome and achieve your goals or you whine and drop out. All of the below is such a gross generalization that it is not worthy of a response. Maybe spend your time training new folks, get involved in emergency communications and promote Amateur Radio. P.S. Good luck with your silly phones when the big one hits. During our fires in So Calif -- they were useless. -- Lamont Cranston wrote in message oups.com... The ham radio hobby really needs to rethink the way that it controls access to the hobby. Continuing to require seriously outdated tests like morse code is a turnoff to many potential amateur radio buffs. Why not try something revolutionary such as live testing for safe and courteous operation using voice and digital modes. When I listen to the guys on HF my sense is that their average age continues to increase. I also detect that overall participation is way off from a decade ago - lots of open space in what were once crowded chunks of spectrum. I hear very few young and virtually no female voices of any age. Ham radio needs to think of changes to become a worthwhile alternative to the many other modes of communicating that do not require a license. If it continues doing business as it has then it's future will indeed be short - possibly much less than 2050 as mentioned in the earlier thread. The remaining members can look forward to the FCC continuing to divert more amateur radio spectrum to commercial interests that want to use it. By way of background I come from a family of radio amateurs. My son (an electrical engineer) considered the hobby, but thought the licensing requirement silly and the morse code requirement laughable in todays world. He can talk around the world several ways via the internet. He has a cell phone that does much the same thing a handheld tribander does - allows him to talk with other people. It looks a lot like a handheld, but it costs less and doesn't require a license. Time for the hobby and it's gatekeeper to wake up before it is too late. Ric Trexell wrote: I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. |
Hmmm...since you seem to think that learning an antiquated and absurdly
slow way of communicating isn't the stumbling block, please tell us why young people are not signing up in droves like they did in the 50's and 60's. And please tell me what "Yankee Can Do" means and how it is supposed to attract badly needed young blood to a rapidly aging hobby. Sad to say, but your attitude parrots that of the ARRL and it is exactly what is going to kill this hobby. Yes, I know it hurts the pride a bit to realize the test so many hams once had to pass does not produce meaningful results. Much of the ham test is about as relevant as requiring buggy skills of prospective automobile driving licensees. And requiring that new hams pass the old test because the oldtimers had to will just continue to turn the new blood away. Ii would be nice to say that hams provide a service in times of emergency, but the specific instances where they actually benefited the emergency worker or had a positive impact on locals are fewer and fewer. I've tried listening to H&W nets in hurricane season and they seem to degenerate into chaos more than provide a useful service. People trampling over one another, sending code on top of voice, etc. It is as though many of them were trying for the contact rather than trying to help. If the designation of licensed radio amateur was a desirable goal then wouldn't we see more young people trying to attain it? But just the opposite it happening. The graying of the hobby and the inexorable reduction in the number of active hams is obvious to anyone who listens in. And if the greater ham community and the ARRL collectively decides to continue playing gatekeeper by requiring meaningless tests to become a licensed radio amateur there will come a time that that nobody will be knocking at the gate. |
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If you don't like the conversation, you can always join
in and change it...Can't ya? Contests only run occasionally...If thats all you hear, you don't listen too often. The WARC bands have no contests in general...What would tel and biz want with HF? Useless for their purposes...Who are you to say what they use the bands for, if you aren't even a ham? You really don't even have a clue...Seriously...It's like a circus weight guesser trying to tell the acrobats how and where they should do their tricks, even though you have never done acrobatics... Ham radio is not going anywhere, anytime soon. It does compete with puters, internet, etc though...No biggie... I can, and do, talk about anything I want to. Using that as an excuse, is no excuse. Even the oft blasted code is little excuse these days, being even the extra class only requires a measly 5 wpm. I hardly even consider 5 wpm a usable speed as far as CW goes it's so slow .... They will probably drop that before too long..Ham radio is what *you* make it. If *you* ain't a ham, you can't really complain much. Also, investing in a radio/s can be cheap, or expensive. Both will work just fine. I'd hardly call myself loaded with cash, and I've got three whole stations just sitting on this table I'm at... More radios on the floors...My first xmtr cost me nothing...Was built with junk parts..You can get a decent HF rig for 200-300 bucks, or even less if you know where to look. I bought an older yeasu 50w 2 meter rig for 40 bucks a while back...It's all up to how much, or how little you wanna spend.. MK |
The issue isn't whether I'm trying to enter the hobby or not or whether
I like taking meaningless tests. The issue is whether or not the hobby is interesting enough to attract new blood. From what I have seen at hamventions and heard on the bands there are few if any young people attracted to the hobby. It is certainly easier to ignore an obvious shift in ham radio demographics than to do something about it. But the decision to do nothing will mean the hobby will continue to grey and lose active members. I'm not surprised to hear the FCC talk about taking spectrum dedicated to amateur radio or that they are approving schemes that will surely cause interference on the ham bands...are you? Maybe the FCC recognizes that the ham community is not the force it once was. |
wrote in message oups.com... The ham radio hobby really needs to rethink the way that it controls access to the hobby. Continuing to require seriously outdated tests like morse code is a turnoff to many potential amateur radio buffs. Why not try something revolutionary such as live testing for safe and courteous operation using voice and digital modes. When I listen to the guys on HF my sense is that their average age continues to increase. I also detect that overall participation is way off from a decade ago - lots of open space in what were once crowded chunks of spectrum. I hear very few young and virtually no female voices of any age. Ham radio needs to think of changes to become a worthwhile alternative to the many other modes of communicating that do not require a license. If it continues doing business as it has then it's future will indeed be short - possibly much less than 2050 as mentioned in the earlier thread. The remaining members can look forward to the FCC continuing to divert more amateur radio spectrum to commercial interests that want to use it. Hard to say. There is a significant difference between a radio amateur and a radio user. A radio amateur implies a degree of sophistication that you don't get from a regular old radio user. Remember CB?? The people who would have found CB trendy would find cellphones trendy. Simply turning on a 2M handheld and talking into it doesn't make one a radio amateur; you need to understand what it is you're doing. I, for example, don't qualify as a radio amateur because I know how to use a cell or the internet. I'd need to study radio theory and understand what it is that I'm doing. Does that mean I'm for code?? No, I really don't care about that very much, because there are enough friends that I have who are content to be Techs without code. Do the Feds have the right to take away the spectrum? Sure; but the spectrum that's getting the most noise (outside of BPL, of course) is the real high end stuff in the GHz range, far beyond 2M and the other bands most of us think of as the Ham bands. Could hams become irrelevant in the future?? Sure they could if everyone uses cells, but in the end things like music and movie industry reps wanting payment for their copyrighted material will probably influence the direction that satellite, internet radio and regular radio will go more than the hams. A local radio station ended up having to sell it's regular broadcast station because they got way into debt providing money to the recording industry for their internet broadcasts, which the recording industry wanted top dollar for, not the discount that they give the broadcast radio stations. If the recording industry does that to satellite and internet streamers, it'll kill off most of them pretty darn quick, and the "need" to take the hams' frequencies will evaporate. By way of background I come from a family of radio amateurs. My son (an electrical engineer) considered the hobby, but thought the licensing requirement silly and the morse code requirement laughable in todays world. He can talk around the world several ways via the internet. He has a cell phone that does much the same thing a handheld tribander does - allows him to talk with other people. It looks a lot like a handheld, but it costs less and doesn't require a license. The cell may cost less initially, but to use it you keep pumping money to the provider company. Get a secondhand 2M, and the cell company's fees will eclipse it in a year or two. Of course, if you want to do other things with your cell phone, like do pictures, that'll cost you extra. Time for the hobby and it's gatekeeper to wake up before it is too late. Ric Trexell wrote: I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. Tha t has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. |
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The totals may be up, but those include active and inactive hams. Just
listen to the bands...ain't nearly as busy as it once was. And listen to the voices...no youngsters. |
I love all kinds of Radios.I am not a Ham though,I am not killing any
kinds of Radios or Antennas either.Tune your tv sets to Fox news.Live update of Global Flyer is fixin to be on there. cuhulin |
Yankee Can Do
Read the Greatest Generation By Tom Brokaw Talk to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan Talk to the New York Police and Fire Dept about 9/11 Read about Steve Fossett' Round The World That is Yankee Can Do These folks didn't let the challenges fake em out College is full of meaningless tests and courses, yet folks take it all in stride. With your attitude you probably don't have a driver's license Morse thruput can be 40WPM PSK31 is about 30 to 50WPM RTTY is about 80WPM Many folks here probably can't type at these speeds So much for slow thruput It is about communicating not speed. Whatta ya doing in this slow communication mode ??? How fast can you type ??? All the below is BS. -- Lamont Cranston wrote in message oups.com... Hmmm...since you seem to think that learning an antiquated and absurdly slow way of communicating isn't the stumbling block, please tell us why young people are not signing up in droves like they did in the 50's and 60's. And please tell me what "Yankee Can Do" means and how it is supposed to attract badly needed young blood to a rapidly aging hobby. Sad to say, but your attitude parrots that of the ARRL and it is exactly what is going to kill this hobby. Yes, I know it hurts the pride a bit to realize the test so many hams once had to pass does not produce meaningful results. Much of the ham test is about as relevant as requiring buggy skills of prospective automobile driving licensees. And requiring that new hams pass the old test because the oldtimers had to will just continue to turn the new blood away. Ii would be nice to say that hams provide a service in times of emergency, but the specific instances where they actually benefited the emergency worker or had a positive impact on locals are fewer and fewer. I've tried listening to H&W nets in hurricane season and they seem to degenerate into chaos more than provide a useful service. People trampling over one another, sending code on top of voice, etc. It is as though many of them were trying for the contact rather than trying to help. If the designation of licensed radio amateur was a desirable goal then wouldn't we see more young people trying to attain it? But just the opposite it happening. The graying of the hobby and the inexorable reduction in the number of active hams is obvious to anyone who listens in. And if the greater ham community and the ARRL collectively decides to continue playing gatekeeper by requiring meaningless tests to become a licensed radio amateur there will come a time that that nobody will be knocking at the gate. |
Activity is not down on the bands. Propagation is down.
In 2000 at the peak of the solar cycle, the bands were packed. I spoke to young, old , male and female. I have my log to prove it. If you want something, study for it. If I can pass the 5WPM code (not my favorite mode), anyone can. It seems that today, people take the easy way out by sniveling that the system is not fair, rather than sucking it up and working for their goals. wrote in message oups.com... The totals may be up, but those include active and inactive hams. Just listen to the bands...ain't nearly as busy as it once was. And listen to the voices...no youngsters. |
Morse code is only being used by a few hams to talk to a few other
hams. Just cruise the bands and you will find that out. It has been abandoned by the military and commercial services. The ham community is testing for a skill with no use in the real world. And a skill with no value in the much hyped emergency communications world that hams are supposed to be ready to assist in. That is not to say that the hams that do master morse code are not skillful people, indeed they are. But like those who persist in learing Esperanto, they are learning a language with few speakers. Why not test prospective hams for their proficiency at carrying on skilled and courteous communications in something more widely used, like the human voice or digital modes. You say college is "full of meaningless tests and courses." With such apparent knowlege of the subject why don't you share with us the degrees you have attained that were based on meaningless courses and tests. Given that most college courses are preparatory for a career of one kind or another I am truly surprised that this country has moved much beyond the early industrial age if your statement is true. I'm still waiting for a coherent explanation of what Yankee Can Do" is and how it applies to attracting of new hams to the hobby and designing meaningful tests. You and dxace are quite adept at one liners when you can't otherwise carry on an intelligent discussion. Se=F1or Sombra wrote: Yankee Can Do Read the Greatest Generation By Tom Brokaw Talk to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan Talk to the New York Police and Fire Dept about 9/11 Read about Steve Fossett' Round The World That is Yankee Can Do These folks didn't let the challenges fake em out College is full of meaningless tests and courses, yet folks take it all in stride. With your attitude you probably don't have a driver's license Morse thruput can be 40WPM PSK31 is about 30 to 50WPM RTTY is about 80WPM Many folks here probably can't type at these speeds So much for slow thruput It is about communicating not speed. Whatta ya doing in this slow communication mode ??? How fast can you type ??? All the below is BS. -- Lamont Cranston wrote in message oups.com... Hmmm...since you seem to think that learning an antiquated and absurdly slow way of communicating isn't the stumbling block, please tell us why young people are not signing up in droves like they did in the 50's and 60's. And please tell me what "Yankee Can Do" means and how it is supposed to attract badly needed young blood to a rapidly aging hobby. Sad to say, but your attitude parrots that of the ARRL and it is exactly what is going to kill this hobby. Yes, I know it hurts the pride a bit to realize the test so many hams once had to pass does not produce meaningful results. Much of the ham test is about as relevant as requiring buggy skills of prospective automobile driving licensees. And requiring that new hams pass the old test because the oldtimers had to will just continue to turn the new blood away. Ii would be nice to say that hams provide a service in times of emergency, but the specific instances where they actually benefited the emergency worker or had a positive impact on locals are fewer and fewer. I've tried listening to H&W nets in hurricane season and they seem to degenerate into chaos more than provide a useful service. People trampling over one another, sending code on top of voice, etc. It is as though many of them were trying for the contact rather than trying to help. If the designation of licensed radio amateur was a desirable goal then wouldn't we see more young people trying to attain it? But just the opposite it happening. The graying of the hobby and the inexorable reduction in the number of active hams is obvious to anyone who listens in. And if the greater ham community and the ARRL collectively decides to continue playing gatekeeper by requiring meaningless tests to become a licensed radio amateur there will come a time that that nobody will be knocking at the gate. |
Bravo Well Stated
-- Lamont Cranston "Jim" wrote in message news:joKVd.43465$s16.24950@trndny02... Activity is not down on the bands. Propagation is down. In 2000 at the peak of the solar cycle, the bands were packed. I spoke to young, old , male and female. I have my log to prove it. If you want something, study for it. If I can pass the 5WPM code (not my favorite mode), anyone can. It seems that today, people take the easy way out by sniveling that the system is not fair, rather than sucking it up and working for their goals. wrote in message oups.com... The totals may be up, but those include active and inactive hams. Just listen to the bands...ain't nearly as busy as it once was. And listen to the voices...no youngsters. |
You've proven my point perfectly. You really can't carry on an
intelligent discussion - only one liners that you might hear on a playgound. Aside from chasing people from this forum who might actually have something to contribute and otherwise just being an annoying troll, just what do you bring to this forum anymore. I suppose one recent claim to fame would be the engineer/designer from Degen who was hounded from this forum. dxAce wrote: wrote: Morse code is only being used by a few hams to talk to a few other hams. Just cruise the bands and you will find that out. It has been abandoned by the military and commercial services. The ham community is testing for a skill with no use in the real world. And a skill with no value in the much hyped emergency communications world that hams are supposed to be ready to assist in. That is not to say that the hams that do master morse code are not skillful people, indeed they are. But like those who persist in learing Esperanto, they are learning a language with few speakers. Why not test prospective hams for their proficiency at carrying on skilled and courteous communications in something more widely used, like the human voice or digital modes. You say college is "full of meaningless tests and courses." With such apparent knowlege of the subject why don't you share with us the degrees you have attained that were based on meaningless courses and tests. Given that most college courses are preparatory for a career of one kind or another I am truly surprised that this country has moved much beyond the early industrial age if your statement is true. I'm still waiting for a coherent explanation of what Yankee Can Do" is and how it applies to attracting of new hams to the hobby and designing meaningful tests. You and dxace are quite adept at one liners when you can't otherwise carry on an intelligent discussion. I asked you if you were currently licensed, 'tard boy. If not, then I suggest you get your fat, stinking, ain't been wiped in weeks ass out there and get licensed lest the hobby die, 'tard boy. That was two lines, 'tard boy. Besides not being able to learn the code, and otherwise rant, what are your other failings in life, 'tard. Bring it on, piece of ****, bring it on! dxAce Michigan USA |
The issue is not whether one could "suck it up" and take the
meaningless test if they want a license. No doubt, if someone wanted to become an licensed amateur they could learn the minimum speed for code and then never use it again. The issue is how such requirements are are perceived by and whether they motivate prospective hams to study for one or more licenses. Like it or not licensed amateur radio communication and it's sister hobby SWLing face a lot of competition from other modes of communication and gathering information about the world that were not there 20 years ago. And none of those modes require testing and licensing. That competition is real and the amateur radio hobby needs to recognize that it no longer has the appeal of being the premier method of long distance communication. If the hobby doesn't, it will gradually fade away. |
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I notice he had no response.
73 W2USB "Seņor Sombra" wrote in message news:%SKVd.43828$xt.39287@fed1read07... Bravo Well Stated -- Lamont Cranston "Jim" wrote in message news:joKVd.43465$s16.24950@trndny02... Activity is not down on the bands. Propagation is down. In 2000 at the peak of the solar cycle, the bands were packed. I spoke to young, old , male and female. I have my log to prove it. If you want something, study for it. If I can pass the 5WPM code (not my favorite mode), anyone can. It seems that today, people take the easy way out by sniveling that the system is not fair, rather than sucking it up and working for their goals. wrote in message oups.com... The totals may be up, but those include active and inactive hams. Just listen to the bands...ain't nearly as busy as it once was. And listen to the voices...no youngsters. |
On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 20:30:17 -0600, "Ric Trexell"
wrote: I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. You know, I've been licensed for a little over twenty years, not always active. I hold an advanced class license, not extra. I just haven't had the time or opportunity to go for the exam, and I really can do all I want with the advanced class. Now, this is a general reply to all the mess that's been posted here in the last few days. The hobby will not die out, simply for the fact that there will always be those individuals who rise to a challenge and will study to pass an exam (whether people think it's meaningless or not) to attain the goal that they want. In this case, the ham ticket. It has been my experience that people who have no hope of passing a technical examination are the ones who bitch and moan the most about why they shouldn't have to take such a "meaningless exam." True, in the US we have done away with the high-speed code requirements (except for the General RadioTelegraph License), but that is because it is a somewhat outmoded means of communication. Even for seafarers, GMDSS is taking over and code is used less and less. The fact that one needs to understand the RF medium one is working in and fully understand the technical requirements and aspects of it will never change. Dangerous voltages and currents exist here as well as the potential to cause harmful interference, so this will "never" be a plug-and-play hobby. If you think that you can do it like that, you are a danger to yourself and others and probably bordering on a public menace. Even SWLs who tinker with building their own equipment need to know electronics or they have no hope of success. Although there is no license requirements or testing for SWLs (at least no license here in the US), most take it as a matter of personal pride to learn all they can. As for "meaningless college courses," well, I can think of a few: Psych didn't aid me in my goals one bit, nor did the mechanical engineering courses such as thermals and fluids. But I took them and gave it every effort BECAUSE IT WAS A REQUIREMENT and I wanted my BSEE. So here I now sit, with a BSEE (B.Sc. EE) that has gotten me good employment, as well as a Microsoft MCSE which has also helped and I am also certified by the Society of Broadcast Engineers as a CBRE AM/FM. All of this paid off, and like so many before me, I rose to the challenge instead of whining and bitching and moaning. As for contests and people talking about thei radios, well, if you don't like that, then go out and find someone who wants to talk about the things you wish to discuss. It's as simple as that! You certainly are not going to change the meat and potatoes of the ham community, so you will spare yourself an aneurism and have much more success by initiating conversations with like-minded individuals who are willing to talk about other issues. There are so many licensed amateurs in the world that surely you will find someone who wants to talk with you. Just my two cents, and thanks for listening. Al ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
Tom Brokejaw (he is like a broke dick dog) is another one of them COMMIE
left wing AssHoles!!!! cuhulin |
One finger hunt n peck typing system dude here.About two or three words
per minute,all depends on how long the words are and how often I scratch me arse and pick my nose,,, hold out your coffee cup and catch this booger,KLINK!!! Go bragg (Fort Bragg is Bragging every day) on your typing skills.Show us how fast you can type,BUT,that doesn't prove anything. cuhulin |
That old IBM computer that dates to back around 1990 is still sitting
over there at the Goodwill thrift store since a week ago.I know a guy who has worked with computers for 47 years and he knows every computer operating system there is.He told me that old IBM computer works on the old DOS (Disk Operating System) operating system and only old timers know how to program and work that computer.I believe him too.This afternoon,I offered the lady at the checkout counter $5.00 for that computer.I really don't need or want that old computer,but I want it any damn way! cuhulin |
With arthritis in my fingers,how fast (Johnny ****erfast!!! come home to
supper! Gee whiz mom,I am ****ing her fast as I can!) do y'all expect me to type? Just wait till arthritis catches up to you,and you can be sure it will too. cuhulin |
You are not too late and the Glory days are not over.Just jump in and
"RADIO" cuhulin |
Heck,I probally wouldn't last thirty seconds on Ham Radio.I hate being
censored.Them Hams would eat me up! :{) cuhulin |
Yankee Can Do! Us Yankees are Hunting down and Killing the terrorist
ragheads who want to kill us every day! We! Are! Doing! cuhulin |
"dxAce" wrote in message ... wrote: You've proven my point perfectly. You really can't carry on an intelligent discussion - only one liners that you might hear on a playgound. I asked you a simple question, 'tard boy. Aside from chasing people from this forum who might actually have something to contribute and otherwise just being an annoying troll, just what do you bring to this forum anymore. LMAO at the 'tard. Nobody gets 'chased from this forum', 'tard boy, they leave of their own volition. I suppose one recent claim to fame would be the engineer/designer from Degen who was hounded from this forum. Read the above, 'tard. Read it as many times as it takes to sink in, 'tard. dxAce Michigan USA I have to agree Ace. You really have a bad attitude and a bad mouth/keyboard. Juvenile sounding. Some growing up is needed. I'm sure Ill get flamed but that's ok. We all know what you're like. B |
Oh Yes! once in a while I read about some youngsters getting into
Shorwave Radio and Ham Radio.After all,Jodie Foster couldn't have gone to that Planet in that crazy machine in that Contact movie if she haden't been interested in Ham Radio. cuhulin |
Need humor? Read my stuff to Mr.Tiny Tuna :{)
cuhulin |
That is part of what makes dxAce so damn cool.I am not in love with you
either,dxAce. cuhulin |
A home brew shirt pocket size transmitter with eleven inches of wire
thrown over a bush,Morse Code,and you can talk to the World. cuhulin |
One last shot and I'm dropping out of this thread. I have enjoyed both
hobbies for many years, and have gotten to know many fine people. Passing a morse test again would be irrelevant. My worry is about the future of both these hobbies. There must be a reason that many long time amateur radio dealers have folded in the past decade. And it wasn't from being overwhelmed with business. Folks, the signs about lack of interest in the hobbies are there. Whether enough people care to see those signs and change the way the hobby does its business is at least open to question. Here's hoping what I have heard today is a minority view. -=jd=- wrote: On Thu 03 Mar 2005 03:24:47p, "Jim" wrote in message news:joKVd.43465$s16.24950@trndny02: Activity is not down on the bands. Propagation is down. In 2000 at the peak of the solar cycle, the bands were packed. I spoke to young, old , male and female. I have my log to prove it. If you want something, study for it. If I can pass the 5WPM code (not my favorite mode), anyone can. It seems that today, people take the easy way out by sniveling that the system is not fair, rather than sucking it up and working for their goals. {snippage} All good points! I don't know that " couldn't pass the exams if he applied himself, but it sure looks that way. His complaint of the code requirement being "meaningless" is a matter of opinion - and opinions vary. It leaves the impression that he doesn't perceive it as meaningless as much as he perceives it as too difficult. It sounds more like what the education system has been suffering from for the past few decades (maybe longer): Instead of improving his abilities and meeting the same standard that hundreds of thousands of folks have before him, he would rather ratchet the bar down to meet his lack of ability. Here's another opinion (mine): This is not a recipe for achievement! Personally, I could care less if the code was required or not. My point is that I would not demand that an established system be adjusted down to suit *me*, because I couldn't cut the mustard. I'll leave that kind of foolishness to the public school systems and college campuses... -=jd=- -- My Current Disposable Email: (Remove YOUR HAT to reply directly) |
Ric Trexell wrote:
I was reading a few of the posts about how there will not be a need for ham radio in the future due to all the new ways of communicating. That has a lot to do with it but I think the biggest problem with ham radio is the hams themselves. CB'ers killed CB'ing with bad language and hams are doing it with those stupid contests. I remember as a kid getting my first SW radio and listening to hams talk about their lives and the area that they lived in and stuff like that. Now when I turn it on I get guys talking only about their radio or calling CQ CQ contest. Then another will come back and say they are 5 and 9 out here in Kansas and soon the guy is calling CQ CQ contest again. Does any one think that people are going to invest in a radio and all the learning to do what are nothing more than fancy radio checks? If that is what the ham bands are going to be used for, then I say turn them over to business and telephone radio freqs. Ric. Well.......as far as the contesters......they are without question the best operators in the world. It is really sad to listen to the so called emergency nets. The Net Control operators have a hard time coping more than 1 checkin at a time. They really need to listen to some top notch contesters running a pileup at 250-280 qso's per hour. I am amazed how these net control type of operators can complain about contesters since most have no skills for handling a large volume of traffic in a short time. I personally do not like phone contest's and when I was active I did the CW contests. It is a real treat to call CQ & have several replies at the same time. If you stummble you will not get the contacts as most will only call 3 times before moving on. If my health/welfare depended on Radio communications I would want all of the big contest stations & their TOP SHELF operators handling the traffic. One other note.....If you like to DX....you can easily hear over 100 countries in 1 weekend of listening to a contest. 73, Ken KG4BIG / KT4ZX in many contests |
wrote in message ... how often I scratch me arse and pick my nose In that order, no doubt. |
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