View Full Version : QRZ.com item mentioned in QST
KW4MW
08-24-2006, 02:29 PM
FYI
ai4ep
08-24-2006, 03:24 PM
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif I aint no member of the arrl no more, so I do not git their magazine.
I saved $35 + per year ( buy a half tank of gasoline ), plus my mailman wont be putting the magazine in the wrong box no more ( only twice, but one time was too much ) .
BTW --- what DID qst say about qrz ?
provide a link please.
{ ep actually said PLEASE ? !! Wow, that reset must have really effected him } http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
That's not much info. What did they say?
Well, best guess I can come up with is the QRZ.com reference was not humorous. QST doesn't print humor articles any more.
(Takes away from ad space, donchaknow.....)
OH, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, W6ISQ?? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
W2ILP
08-24-2006, 05:28 PM
The article being referred to is "No Ham Left Behind" (QST Sept.2006). #It was in response to an a post posted in the QRZ Forum. #The QRZ post presented numerical information about the number of licensed hams in the US. #KB6NU who wrote the QST article took note of the loss of licensed hams and pondered about why...and what might be done about it. # His opinions agree with my own, but mine, IMHO, are somewhat more dynamic.
I had posted my opinion about the loss in the original forum thread before QST's article was published and I also wrote my response and the numbers involved in an article that was distributed in the newsletter of the Grumman Amateur Radio Club "CQ de WA2LQO".
IMHO ham radio needs to be promoted in different ways than the ways te ARRL has tried. #IMHO the ARRL's insistance on fewer license classes, and some hams alergies to insentive licensing have been failures. # HAM RADIO MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. # To continue its long traditions and to keep it growing HAM RADIO needs MORE ...not fewer license classes. #It need an easier way for begineers and more exams to qualify hams who develop increased capabilities and use new modes. #Ham Radio must again retain prestige as an educational technical hobby as well as a fun hobby. #Ham Radio also needs to encourage clubs to offer programs that will attract new hams and retain old ones and encourage all to be active both on-the-air and with club activities. # ENUF SED here...Maybe you can find my detailed posts in archives of QRZ, rec.radio,policy, and the WA2LQO newsletter.
w2ilp (I License People) with the help of a VE team, a VEC and the FCC.
Well, for openers, bring back the Novice license and scrap the NCT.
Show of hands -- Those of you who started hamming on the Novice bands, combing for new states and "rare" DX: How many of you would have gotten excited about hamming if your first experiences were on the boring-@$$ 2 meter <s>ChickenBand</s> FM repeaters??
No offense AT ALL to you current NCTs. You had nothing to do with this. Hopefully you are trying to upgrade your way to HF.
How do you attract and retain hams when all you can offer the newbie is a shack in a shirtpocket and the local repeater channel??
Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
N4AUD
08-24-2006, 09:58 PM
Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 23 2006,15:48)]Well, for openers, bring back the Novice license and scrap the NCT.
Show of hands -- Those of you who started hamming on the Novice bands, combing for new states and "rare" DX: How many of you would have gotten excited about hamming if your first experiences were on the boring-@$$ 2 meter <s>ChickenBand</s> FM repeaters??
No offense AT ALL to you current NCTs. You had nothing to do with this. Hopefully you are trying to upgrade your way to HF.
How do you attract and retain hams when all you can offer the newbie is a shack in a shirtpocket and the local repeater channel??
Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
You've hit the nail on the head. Bring back the Novice! The NCT doesn't give the newcomer the real story on amateur radio. They need a "taste" of HF. Most (but not all) NCT's are going to use 2m FM for local communications and not do much else and there's a LOT more to ham radio than that. If the novice was brought back, newbies would be buying HF rigs or "hamshack in a box" units, and could hear what they are missing.
KF0RT
08-24-2006, 10:14 PM
Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 24 2006,15:48)]Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
http://www.novartis.com/consumerhealth/images/OTC/NoDoz.jpg
Is it time for this snorefest again?
73, Rob
ai4ep
08-24-2006, 10:49 PM
" safe as coffee " .....a lap full of hot " no-doz " might not be THAT pleasant, either. :rock:
Quote[/b] (K1ALK @ Aug. 24 2006,13:58)]Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 23 2006,15:48)]Well, for openers, bring back the Novice license and scrap the NCT.
Show of hands -- Those of you who started hamming on the Novice bands, combing for new states and "rare" DX: How many of you would have gotten excited about hamming if your first experiences were on the boring-@$$ 2 meter <s>ChickenBand</s> FM repeaters??
No offense AT ALL to you current NCTs. You had nothing to do with this. Hopefully you are trying to upgrade your way to HF.
How do you attract and retain hams when all you can offer the newbie is a shack in a shirtpocket and the local repeater channel??
Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
You've hit the nail on the head. Bring back the Novice! The NCT doesn't give the newcomer the real story on amateur radio. They need a "taste" of HF. Most (but not all) NCT's are going to use 2m FM for local communications and not do much else and there's a LOT more to ham radio than that. If the novice was brought back, newbies would be buying HF rigs or "hamshack in a box" units, and could hear what they are missing.
OK, I'm in also. I started as a Novice circa 1970. We need another for a quartet.
w5alt
08-24-2006, 11:18 PM
WN5CLS, September 1970
KW4MW
08-24-2006, 11:33 PM
KN8WMW 10/62 ROCKBOUND BY GOD!
KA7RRA
08-24-2006, 11:53 PM
I started has a novice then I was a tec now Iam a general class HAM bring back the novice and I bet you well have a lot more kids get into the hobbie
KF0RT
08-24-2006, 11:55 PM
WNØAMJ -- issued January 2, 1970. Rockbound and my keyer had tubes. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
73, Rob
KE5FRF
08-25-2006, 12:18 AM
Ok for an extralite comment?
I am with you guys on the novice thing...as a kid, growing up in the 70s, 80s, I "heard" about the novice license in amateur radio...even knew a few kids way back when who had their ticket. My dad wasn't big on things like that, and to be quite honest, as a kid, I might have had an "interest" in radio (I certainly did)...but I guess I didn't have the encouragement and maybe I was a little bit too immature to pursue it anyway. I always pictured myself becoming an artist as a kid, and put all of my extra time into sketching, doodling, painting, and reading/writing. I hadn't yet found the aptitude in myself for technical pursuits. And no, I'm not a liberal artsie tinkerbell type. I was into drawing comic book type illustrations mostly. I'm "not bad", but I gave up on that dream a long time ago.
Anyway, enough personal history...I only WISH that even back THEN that there was more out there by way of stirring public interest, especially in preteens and teenagers, in amateur radio. I remember seeing some ads and articles in some magazines that I read now and again (popular electronics, science, etc. etc.)...but I guess for a kid with limited resources and a slight self esteem problem, I never put two and two together and said, "Hey, I'd like to do that".
Fast-forward...grown up, adult, self directed and motivated, adequate financial resources, and 11+ years pursuing electronics related studies as it relates to my career, including military training.
Radios are no longer a mystery to me in the pure mechanics of it all, and weren't even when I went and took my Technician license. Yet, the childhood "romantic" image of communicating around the world with simple radio equipment still held my fascination, and still does. Thus, here I am, a licensed amateur.
Could I have benefited from the Novice license?
CERTAINLY, even as an adult it would have been a good idea.
BUT...you see, my own romantic and personal thoughts about being an amateur ARE WHAT LED ME to take my license as far as I could go. I ALREADY had it in me.
Wouldn't have made a hill of beans if it required a Novice license, a present Tech license, or for me to coat myself with honey and walk through a swarm of bees, I still would have pursued it.
And, IMHO, those are the types of folks who become and remain good hams. Those are the folks who enjoy the hobby and take it to the fullest. This has nothing to do with code/no code...it is about what the INDIVIDUAL is willing to do to fully appreciate amateur radio.
All of the novice stories about pimple faced teenage boys riding a city bus to the "big city" with enough money saved up for the license fee and a soda pop wearing keds sneakers and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a flat-top haircut (am I describing any of you OFs? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif )...testing with a mean grumpy old bald FCC engineer and a Morse code tape machine or some other antique artifact and a slide rule...etc etc etc....well, those stories paint a picture of kids who eagerly WANTED to be one of those neat guys who could talk around the world with a tube radio and a piece of wire, who would have probably also faced a bee swarm covered with honey to get that chance.
My question...how many kids nowadays REALLY have that kind of motivation? Back THEN, it was cutting edge stuff, radio was STILL a novel concept (yep, even in the 50s)...and getting a radio set wasn't exactly cheap. Radio WAS the equivelant of the internet back in "the day"...and how much FUN could be had if you could actually BUILD YOUR OWN radio?
A lot of sharp technically oriented folks were born of the generations pre-1970....(not to see we don't still have sharp cookies...but the natural born "tinkerer" is a rare breed)...nowadays, kids are more into SOFTWARE, and heck, there are some pretty sharp kids who can run circles around most adults when it comes to computer programming.
Truly, the "hacker" or the computer guru is the "ham" of todays childhood generations...and the hacker term carries negative connotations, so not a great thing to compare hams to, but the technical pursuit that becoming a proficient hacker requires is very similar I think. (not that I've ever tried, lol)
My point...even if we did revamp the license structure and went back to the Novice idea....would it REALLY reel in a bunch of younger kids?
MAYBE, MAYBE. Perhaps so, if the license were pretty easy to get, a mildy technical test, and as the old days, make it good for a year...give them a TASTE of what it's all about, and give them a reason to want to renew the license, but also UPGRADE to a higher one. Give them GOALS.
Yes, it MIGHT work...but I'm not 100% sure.
After all, like I said, anyone REALLY interested in being a ham will pursue it to the maximum, no matter how it is presented to them.
ai4ep
08-25-2006, 12:47 AM
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif I can agree with FRF on his post...and agree that ( IMHO ) there is not a real incentive to expand to the full potential the TECHNICIAN license...sure every one gets a 2 meter handheld and talks on the local repeaters ( and some on 440 Mhz ), but you are basically striking out on your own to go to 6 meters, and really reaching out to go to 222 or 1296, etc. I mean, sure there are bunches of folks with 2 meter ssb, but how many are there 24 / 7 ( or even half the time ) for any one to talk to, except for the nightly 9 pm net, then every one leaves till next week / tomorrow night, or whenever the net is again ?
The antennas are so easy to make, and dont require a lot of metal / pvc, etc to make ( which is good ) and they are lightweight for 6 meter ssb / 2 meter ssb / cw for those bands, etc...so no problem there.
You basically are told " here, you passed the MINIMUM standards to be a TECHNICIAN class amateur...you are now ON YOUR OWN ", and a lot of folks dont know what to try and what to leave alone....through no real fault of their own.
They were / are practically promised "the world" and only got "an acre" of land to build their castle on.
In all the fancy writing , they were / are flambouyantly lied to, in so many words.
But then, what else CAN you expect from the ARRL & the FCC ? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
{ I would have used the ANGRY icon, but it would nt exactly be appropiate here , so the SAD icon is more appropiate }
W0JBC
08-25-2006, 01:43 AM
If the new prospective HAMS really enjoy the IDEA of talking to long distance stations, they are REAL FODDER..... If they
just want to work local HAMS via repeaters ( FM squelched conversations) then they have what they want.... Many new
HAMS just outta CB love not hearing the background trash....
think it is the " bee's knees "...Many get burned out because of their license class limitations.....As far as the FCC allowing the NCT license to happen WAS a mistake.....
The FCC in all it's wisdom opened up the Vanity to everyone
and dropped the Novice entry...... Five words per minute for all license classes http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif? It is a wonderful thing ..... Five word per minute EXTRA is a sham ... sham...
Extra Class used to mean learning, dedication, and
resolve...... I am just an Advanced and did indeed take
my test before the NASTY FCC examiners ( especially the old lady ) so there was no cheating.... My point still remains, if the new people love the idea of radio, they will learn, build, and enjoy ..... Memorization of question/answers is NOT a learning experience...
Nuff about that ....
JB
KE5FRF
08-25-2006, 02:11 AM
Quote[/b] (W0JBC @ Aug. 24 2006,20:43)]If the new prospective HAMS really enjoy the IDEA of talking to long distance stations, they are REAL FODDER..... If they
just want to work local HAMS via repeaters ( FM squelched conversations) then they have what they want.... Many new
HAMS just outta CB love not hearing the background trash....
think it is the " bee's knees "...Many get burned out because of their license class limitations.....As far as the FCC allowing the NCT license to happen WAS a mistake.....
The FCC in all it's wisdom opened up the Vanity to everyone
and dropped the Novice entry...... Five words per minute for all license classes http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif? It is a wonderful thing ..... Five word per minute EXTRA is a sham ... sham...
Extra Class used to mean learning, dedication, and
resolve...... I am just an Advanced and did indeed take
my test before the NASTY FCC examiners ( especially the old lady ) so there was no cheating.... My point still remains, if the new people love the idea of radio, they will learn, build, and enjoy ..... Memorization of question/answers is NOT a learning experience...
Nuff about that ....
JB
So, JB..
am I a sham?
kf6rdn
08-25-2006, 02:20 AM
I'll go against the grain here. I don't think licensing is it. Either you are interested or not. You'll get a shack in a pocket or mobile, you'll hear about the other stuff and pursue it. Or you'll hack around on local stuff and never upgrade. Or you'll get sick of talking to your wife and upgrade to get away from her.
Quote[/b] (KF0RT @ Aug. 24 2006,19:55)]WNØAMJ -- issued January 2, 1970. Rockbound and my keyer had tubes. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
73, Rob
YOU had a KEYER ? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif WOW !!!
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
wa4brl
08-25-2006, 03:50 AM
Quote[/b] (al2i @ Aug. 24 2006,17:56)]Quote[/b] (K1ALK @ Aug. 24 2006,13:58)]Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 23 2006,15:48)]Well, for openers, bring back the Novice license and scrap the NCT.
Show of hands -- Those of you who started hamming on the Novice bands, combing for new states and "rare" DX: How many of you would have gotten excited about hamming if your first experiences were on the boring-@$$ 2 meter <s>ChickenBand</s> FM repeaters??
No offense AT ALL to you current NCTs. You had nothing to do with this. Hopefully you are trying to upgrade your way to HF.
How do you attract and retain hams when all you can offer the newbie is a shack in a shirtpocket and the local repeater channel??
Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
You've hit the nail on the head. #Bring back the Novice! #The NCT doesn't give the newcomer the real story on amateur radio. #They need a "taste" of HF. #Most (but not all) NCT's are going to use 2m FM for local communications and not do much else and there's a LOT more to ham radio than that. #If the novice was brought back, newbies would be buying HF rigs or "hamshack in a box" units, and could hear what they are missing.
OK, I'm in also. #I started as a Novice circa 1970. #We need another for a quartet.
Witcha all the way!
(Licensed WN4VQY in June 1971)
kc7jty
08-25-2006, 04:02 AM
Once I used to join in
Every boy and girl was my friend.
Now theres revolution, but they dont know
What theyre fighting.
Let us close out eyes;
Outside their lives go on much faster.
Oh, we wont give in,
Well keep living in the past.
Jethro Tull lyrics
W0JBC
08-25-2006, 05:02 AM
KE5FRF Bill........What is it with people http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif??
I have read your BIO and see you are a member of fists....
It is good... Why would you think I was picking on you to ask you were a "sham " http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?..... I just hope you are not a " COOKIE CUTTER " cw op..... There are many around here with memory keyers and code readers ( extras ) who, really, do practice code... .Then go to field day and sit outside the facility to brag.... I am not a contester...I am a cw ragchewer..
I built a Curtis Keyer in ' 70 and found it to be a deterent...
Went back to a SK since.... Just can't get above 25 WPM....
nor do I want to.... I think anyone passing the EXTRA should at LEAST copy 20..... I know I will be falmed for this ,however, EXTRA is EXTRA ......
If people want to haunt the bands at 5 WPM, there is the NOVICE, general part of the spectrum to practice....
I am NOT going to PAT my back because ... I don't have to....
As I did say though... A sham is a sham...
Best Regards...
JB WØJBC
Never had a Novice, Tech, or General. Went from 0 - Advanced in one session.
The Novice class should have been the introduction to Ham Radio not the NCT.
af2cw
08-25-2006, 12:14 PM
Never had a Novice license. #Yep, started as a bloody NCT. #Knew a neighbor back in the '60's that had a nice set up but he was too busy trying to impress an 8 year old with how fast he can copy code that it kept me from wanting to learn. #
However, I agree that motivation is what is key in amateur radio. #I climbed the ladder like most of you guys, Tech+, General (13wpm), Advanced, Extra (20wpm). #One needs to be self motivated. #Why is it that people are trying to find ways to get more warm bodies into amateur radio? #Yes, amateur radio needs to be promoted, I agree. #But the way I'm seeing the testing, and attitudes, even from some of the more "seasoned" folks, things need to be more simplified, easier, or to quote the NCVEC, less complex. #Why? #
Wouldn't it make for a better service if people were challenged more for each license level? #Bring back the Novice license, give folks cause to build their own gear, learn to trouble shoot it. #Hell learn how to make a bloody dipole for once!!! Instead we have the folks that get their license and the first question?? Come on, everybody say it!!!! #What kinda radio would be a good first radio??? #No clue as to what is out there, they didn't read, or understand the material they were suppose to study. #If they did, they'd know what's out there and that there's more than just a 2m repeater to kerchunk.
Then you get an organization that says the NCT is a great thing. #Then they turn around and say that NCT's are in a ghetto. #Well duh, what was the first clue? #Sorry for the ranting, I guess I'm getting tired of hearing about poor poor me, I'm stuck on 2m and no one will give me HF and the answers to all my questions routine. #I guess I need to stay clear of the Internet and stick with the radios.
WN8ZBV, 4/21/76. HW16/HG10B with a Reyco 40/80 trap dipole at twenty feet. Fun!
KI4ITV
08-25-2006, 12:59 PM
Heath is hitting the nail on the head here. Most of the people (me included) who are entering the hobby now, with HF ambitions, were SWL's or had some sort of personal contact with amateur radio in their teen years. These people are going to become hams no matter what and no easing of the testing is going to change these numbers significantly. One major worry is that the SWL hobby is dying because radio itself is changing, and this pool of really interested people is drying up.
The other group of new arrivals is the EMCOM folks. Making the test easier HAS increased this groups participation, but the most often heard comment from new EMCOM hams is...I'm not interested in global communications, what is the best handheld for me? I am not EMCOM bashing...Its just a trend I have noticed and concerns me regarding the direction this hobby may take.
If we truly want to get new young hams then we will have to sell how DIFFERENT this hobby is from anything else they can be involved in or possibly ways it can support other hobbies they have. We don't need to make testing easier. Who wants to become something anybody with half a brain can become? And youth strives to be different. We have to increase the cool factor a little by showcasing some of the more unusual things we as hams do. Radio control has major cool factor among youth. The new D-star voice and digital technology can get some of the computer geeks involved for mobile file sharing and other 'cool' things that typically can't be done by non hams. There are things that we can do other than eliminating the test that separated this hobby from everything else.
It IS a cool hobby and we need to sell it as different with a certain amount of 'cool factor' if we really want the best and the brightest of the kid pool.
For every 10 kids you make an impression on now, 1 or 2 will find there way here eventually. I did.
Y'all be cool...It is for the greater good! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
73,
Trey P.
Quote[/b] (K1ALK @ Aug. 24 2006,10:58)]Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 23 2006,15:48)]Well, for openers, bring back the Novice license and scrap the NCT.
Show of hands -- Those of you who started hamming on the Novice bands, combing for new states and "rare" DX: How many of you would have gotten excited about hamming if your first experiences were on the boring-@$$ 2 meter <s>ChickenBand</s> FM repeaters??
No offense AT ALL to you current NCTs. You had nothing to do with this. Hopefully you are trying to upgrade your way to HF.
How do you attract and retain hams when all you can offer the newbie is a shack in a shirtpocket and the local repeater channel??
Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
You've hit the nail on the head. #Bring back the Novice! #The NCT doesn't give the newcomer the real story on amateur radio. #They need a "taste" of HF. #Most (but not all) NCT's are going to use 2m FM for local communications and not do much else and there's a LOT more to ham radio than that. #If the novice was brought back, newbies would be buying HF rigs or "hamshack in a box" units, and could hear what they are missing.
Bull! #I was a Tech+ (that means with code), for 30 years and I never lost interest. #Why? #Because of my teachers in grammar school and high school.
HF operation was meaningless to me. I never upgraded simply because making contacts on HF (IMHO) was "Too Easy". #Readings the "Standings" in QST, convinced me I needed to stay on VHF and explore distant contacts on 6 meters and up.
VHF and UHF was the new frontier and presented a huge challenge to work even 200 miles. #I built VHF and UHF amps, antennas etc.
I don't think the allure and a taste of HF is enough to interest new hams. #There has to be an ingrained interest in science and the way things work early on in a youths life (no internet or cell phones).
K2WH
KF0RT
08-25-2006, 03:22 PM
Quote[/b] (AG3Y @ Aug. 24 2006,21:14)]Quote[/b] (KF0RT @ Aug. 24 2006,19:55)]WNØAMJ -- issued January 2, 1970. Rockbound and my keyer had tubes. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
73, Rob
YOU had a KEYER ? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif WOW !!!
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Dedicated to the art, donchaknow... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
73, Rob
ARRL, more license classes, less license classes, novice, code, no code. #These, may have some, but not a significant impact on the interest in the hobby.
The future certainly does not lie with those of us who are approaching 50 years in the hobby. Some of the CB crowd are part of a "good buddy" culture and you could hand some of them a license and they would still stay on "their channel" with their amps, over modulation and idiot noise machines. #
The challenge is to interest young folks in the hobby. #This is not an easy task with computers, cell phones, video games, ipods, and other things that seem to have captured kids interest today.
If you are 7 or 70, and are interested in ham radio, you will find a way to obtain a license. #All the rest of the excuses are just that....
KC1NY
08-25-2006, 05:07 PM
WN2ZWT, 1967
Lafayette Receiver, DX60A, Vertical
Quote[/b] (W0JBC @ Aug. 24 2006,21:02)]I just hope you are not a " COOKIE CUTTER " cw op..... There are many around here with memory keyers and code readers ( extras ) who, really, do practice code... .Then go to field day and sit outside the facility to brag.... I am not a contester...I am a cw ragchewer..
I worked KE5FRF on CW when conditions too poor for even one word of SSB, and auroral noise and distortion was too intense for even one symbol of PSK-31. We made our QSO by the oldest, most reliable, and for me the most enjoyable form of Amateur Radio Communications: Morse Code by CW keying.
Is FRF a "sham"? There was no way a machine could have copied the mess I was sending and in no way was his "fist" good enough to have been machine generated. No way is he a sham. FRF is the real extra-lite deal. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
I worked FRF when the ionosphere was completely disregarding the law degrees of the FCC board or the wishes of the CW-hating HF wannabe non-communicators.
I was his first Alaskan QSO, which thrilled me but was probably a ho-hum moment for him.
w5alt
08-25-2006, 05:48 PM
I've also worked Heath and he hung in on CW when the band started shifting and copied my bug. No sham there, not at all, just a great rag chewer!
73,
Walt, W5ALT
Who called Heath as sham?
Whoever it was needs to apologize, NOW!
He's one of the few NCT's on this forum who've shown the gumption to not sit back and wait for the FCC, but because he started out as an NCT he's a sham?
What a load of bovine excrement.
Quote[/b] (KF0RT @ Aug. 23 2006,17:14)]Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 24 2006,15:48)]Grrrr.... where are my PILLS?
http://www.novartis.com/consumerhealth/images/OTC/NoDoz.jpg
Is it time for this snorefest again?
73, Rob
Naw. When I want to get 8 hours of solid shuteye, I read all the political bullcrap that has become the main staple of Ragchew Central.
This topic should be a breath of fresh air by comparison.
k4kyv
08-25-2006, 06:19 PM
What do you mean by a shack in the shirt pocket?
Are you talking about one of those clunky things that look kinda like a cell phone, but you can only get a few numbers on, and most of the time when you try to call somebody at one of those numbers, nobody answers?
Sometimes I see guys, usually with big guts, carrying 3 or 4 of them around on their belts.
They could be some kind of terrorists.
Quote[/b] (w5alt @ Aug. 23 2006,18:18)]WN5CLS, September 1970
WN3PQM, 1970, Heath DX60B and HR10B, and a small handful of crystals......
Quote[/b] (k4kyv @ Aug. 24 2006,13:19)]What do you mean by a shack in the shirt pocket?
Instead of your shack being a room with some gear on a desk, or desks, or shelves, or a rack, your entire "shack" -- all the radio gear you own and use -- could fit in your shirt pocket. Refers to those who confine themselves to 2 meter <s>Chickenband</s> FM repeaters and call it ham radio.
(Whoops, correction. They call it HAM.)
w5alt
08-25-2006, 06:54 PM
Quote[/b] (w3sy @ Aug. 25 2006,14:20)]Quote[/b] (w5alt @ Aug. 23 2006,18:18)]WN5CLS, September 1970
WN3PQM, 1970, Heath DX60B and HR10B, and a small handful of crystals......
I had a reconstructed Knight T-60 and a Hallicrafters SX-99. Fortunately I scrounged LOTS of crystals, so I had a rock just about every kc/s across the 40m and 15m bands and a few on 80m.
I moved up to a Heathkit DX-60B with a homebrew VFO several years later, but not while I was a novice. And I still have it. One of these days I'll have to see if I can make it work again.
73,
Walt, W5ALT
Look at the discussion on the front page.
We are basically now encouraging people now to turn the hobby into a glorified cell phone.
I agree that the way to add meaningful numbers to the hobby is to bring back some sort of novice license and limited HF privilege. You've never really experienced ham radio until you've experienced HF.
The fact is that a novice license offered far more to the newcomer than NCT ever will.
Amateur radio is marketed to the public as worldwide communications, DX and fun. When they get a NCT license all they end up with are cliques on the dead repeater who won't answer their calls, and occasionally punctuated with a dose of IRLP and EchoLink.
6 meter DX may be fun but it's sporadic. The average newcomer doesn't have the patience to wait on band conditions for 6m, whereas some HF bands are hopping almost every night.
With the code now gone, I hope that some sort of novice with HF license is re-introduced. But based on the past I see quite the opposite happening - further dumbing down of the requirements where minimal effort will gain you full privileges.
n0jaa
08-25-2006, 07:45 PM
I also started out as a Novice... KAØVBO, May 1985. #Made my first CW contact on the 40-Meter Novice Subband.
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif
W0JBC
08-25-2006, 07:53 PM
First of all.... I did NOT call FRN a SHAM.... I simply stated (in my opinion ) that The EXTRA class license is supposed to be an elite class especially code.... It is the FCC that changed things... If you all read what I posted you will see that I did not direct the comments towards anyone in particular ..... I guess the skin is thin..
If I hurt anyones feelings I am sorry... I DID NOT even suggest that he was a " COOKIE CUTTER " just that there are a bunch of hams who do that thing...
Later,
JB WØJBC
n0jaa
08-25-2006, 07:55 PM
Quote[/b] (AB2MH @ Aug. 25 2006,15:03)]Amateur radio is marketed to the public as worldwide communications, DX and fun. #When they get a NCT license all they end up with are cliques on the dead repeater who won't answer their calls, and occasionally punctuated with a dose of IRLP and EchoLink. #
Yepper, gotta agree with you there. #Almost every day I'll hear one of those new NCT's put their call on a repeater to say they're "listening" or "monitoring" or something like that, but as soon as I answer them -- silence. #It's like they were never there to start with.
A lot of them are impatient, too. #When one comes on the air and I try to strike up a QSO, they'll come back to me and say that they have to go or they just got home and are leaving the air, etc., etc.
How can one have a QSO with an NCT who puts out his call but then doesn't answer or immediately makes some excuse for leaving?
And nets? #Don't even get me started there! #The lot of them couldn't run a radio net if their life depended on it! #Very scary. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif #Just a few weeks ago, one of those new NCT's tried to run a radio net, but he had no paper, computer, etc. with which to record call signs. #So when it came to acknowleging check-ins, he couldn't remember any of them!!
Let's face it... Amateur Radio is on its death bed and vital signs are fading fast.
N4AUD
08-25-2006, 07:59 PM
Quote[/b] (n0jaa @ Aug. 24 2006,13:55)]Quote[/b] (AB2MH @ Aug. 25 2006,15:03)]Amateur radio is marketed to the public as worldwide communications, DX and fun. When they get a NCT license all they end up with are cliques on the dead repeater who won't answer their calls, and occasionally punctuated with a dose of IRLP and EchoLink.
Yepper, gotta agree with you there. Almost every day I'll hear one of those new NCT's put their call on a repeater to say they're "listening" or "monitoring" or something like that, but as soon as I answer them -- silence. It's like they were never there to start with.
A lot of them are impatient, too. When one comes on the air and I try to strike up a QSO, they'll come back to me and say that they have to go or they just got home and are leaving the air, etc., etc.
How can one have a QSO with an NCT who puts out his call but then doesn't answer or immediately makes some excuse for leaving?
And nets? Don't even get me started there! The lot of them couldn't run a radio net if their life depended on it! Very scary. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif Just a few weeks ago, one of those new NCT's tried to run a radio net, but he had no paper, computer, etc. with which to record call signs. So when it came to acknowleging check-ins, he couldn't remember any of them!!
Let's face it... Amateur Radio is on its death bed and vital signs are fading fast.
That response is probably caused by nothing more than fright. It takes some people a while to lose their initial shyness.
KE5FRF
08-25-2006, 08:22 PM
Quote[/b] (W0JBC @ Aug. 25 2006,14:53)]First of all.... I did NOT call FRN a SHAM.... #I simply stated #(in my opinion ) that The EXTRA class license is supposed to be an elite class especially code.... #It is the FCC that changed things... #If you all read what I posted you will see that I did not direct the comments towards anyone in particular ..... #I guess the skin is thin.. #
If I hurt anyones feelings I am sorry... #I DID NOT even suggest that he was a " COOKIE CUTTER " just that there are a bunch of hams who do that thing...
Later,
JB # WØJBC
Here to set the record straight...
W0JBC did not call me a sham directly, and I am fairly certain that he has no idea who I am...
But he made one of those very fair and open minded generalizations that are so very rare and unexpected here on QRZ.com, he said "5 wpm extra is a sham"...His comment came just one or two posts after my initial comment about the thread subject in which I started, "an opinion from an extralite"...yes, I openly adopt that nickname for myself because it disarms anyone who might call me that in a derrogatory way.
So, I reasoned that his dig on the 5 WPM extra was "spurred" by something I said. Thus, I point blank asked the question..."JB, am I a sham?"
Nothing more, nothing less.
I did not ask that question because I was mad, or had been offended, or had my ego bruised...
I asked that question in hopes of making a fellow ham think...(thinking to oneself) "Self, I have made comments in an open public arena that possibly demean and offend an entire large group of my fellow amateurs. My comments are generalized to put the "5 WPM Extralite" license older down. Yes, many of those operators deserve my comment, because they intentionally waited for their upgrade and took the lazy way out, but it is very possible that the largest majority of those people are every bit as good at CW as myself and constanly striving to be better. It is very possible that many "extralites" are technically oriented people and eager to learn and become good amateurs" (self thinking over)
By wording my question "Am I a sham?" the way I did, I was putting him on the spot to help him realize that he doesn't know ME, and 99.9% of the extralites out there, and will probably never meet us face to face...so he shouldn't begrudge us and make generalizations.
It is far better to take each person on an individual basis rather than make broad generalizations.
The 5 WPM extra was the FCC's doing, not mine.
SO, this CW operator, while BARELY a 20 wpm head copier, may be an extralite by license TESTING, but in on the air work, I am an EXTRA, PERIOD.
No offense to JWB, and I really wish to work him on the air sometime (maybe I already have and don't recall?"
And thanks for the nice comments from the QRZ folks with whome I have QSOed.
wa4brl
08-25-2006, 08:41 PM
WN4VQY -- June 1971
Originally a Knight T50 and a BC-348 borrowed from my high-school Amateur Radio club. #I had only one crystal -- 7147 kc -- for months and STILL had a ball! #
http://www.geocities.com/oblast51/shack1.jpg
I mowed lawns and delivered papers to earn money for a DX-60B. #Not long after I finished building it, my father got me a Knight R-100A receiver. #My own station! #I bought a few more crystals and put up a 15 meter yagi. #I worked Japan with that set-up and really thought I was hot stuff. #And you know what? #Compared to most of the kids in the neighborhood hanging around and not accomplishing much, I was!
Darned right we need to bring back the Novice license -- or something closely akin to it.
W8EFA
08-25-2006, 11:55 PM
1969 - WN8EFA - Ameco R5a Rcvr and Homemade TX from Now your Talking that actually worked, to my surprise http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
KI4PEQ
08-26-2006, 10:37 AM
Quote[/b] (n0jaa @ Aug. 25 2006,14:55)]Quote[/b] (AB2MH @ Aug. 25 2006,15:03)]Amateur radio is marketed to the public as worldwide communications, DX and fun. #When they get a NCT license all they end up with are cliques on the dead repeater who won't answer their calls, and occasionally punctuated with a dose of IRLP and EchoLink. #
Yepper, gotta agree with you there. #Almost every day I'll hear one of those new NCT's put their call on a repeater to say they're "listening" or "monitoring" or something like that, but as soon as I answer them -- silence. #It's like they were never there to start with.
A lot of them are impatient, too. #When one comes on the air and I try to strike up a QSO, they'll come back to me and say that they have to go or they just got home and are leaving the air, etc., etc.
How can one have a QSO with an NCT who puts out his call but then doesn't answer or immediately makes some excuse for leaving?
And nets? #Don't even get me started there! #The lot of them couldn't run a radio net if their life depended on it! #Very scary. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif #Just a few weeks ago, one of those new NCT's tried to run a radio net, but he had no paper, computer, etc. with which to record call signs. #So when it came to acknowleging check-ins, he couldn't remember any of them!!
Let's face it... Amateur Radio is on its death bed and vital signs are fading fast.
At the present time, I am a NCT, but I am working on learning code and developing CW skills.
That being said, I can say from personal experience that what gives a lot of new Techs "cold feet" on replying to a QSO is fear. While the vast majority of veteran amateurs are friendly, all it takes is a amateur with an attitude to put that fear in the hearts and minds of new hams.
The best advice that was ever given to me for amateur operation is to LISTEN. But getting the courage to key the mike or pound the key for the first time is difficult for some. The desire to not make a on-air mistake kept me from jumping in and trying to make contacts. It took a Extra in my club to guide me through my first few exchanges on Field Day. But I learned a lot in those 24 hours.
I want to do well and develop good operating habits. Not all NCTs are "chicken band" refugees. It's the mindset of some older hams that the new blood is getting a "free ride" that is corrosive to the hobby. I didn't make the new rules, I just took the test that was given to me. The no-code option got me in the door.
Helping newcomers and showing a positive attitude to them will do a lot more for the hobby than lamenting about the "old days" when the requirements were stiffer. My ticket is framed and I have it hanging on the wall, I'm proud of that FIRST STEP. A lot of hams have helped me to get some good gear at reasonable prices, and I am grateful. But it is disheartening to know that some hams look upon me as some lower form of life, simply because I did not take a code test to get my call sign.
Can we get more encouragement and sound mentoring instead of moaning and groaning about the "death" of the Amateur service?