GMail isn't all that HAM friendly

[K5KVJ]

A friend of mine sent me a GMail invite the other day but when I went to register I discovered my call sign was too short! Google's new GMail service will only let you use a minimum of six (6) characters. :-( So for all the HAM's out there who's call sign is less than six characters long you cannot get a GMail account unless you modify your "name" to fit their criteria. I searched Googles website for an email address so I could email them and express my disappointment on this, but if it's there it is buried so deep within their website that I could not find it. If anyone knows the email address to Google support please post it. I would also recommend that any HAM who would consider getting a GMail account but is affected by this restriction send Google an email and let them know. Other free online email services (i.e. - Yahoo, Hotmail, mail.com, etc.) will let you create a short email addess but Google won't.

[kj5t]

Are you an ARRL member? If so.. get a free acount with whatever you want, and use the ARRL fowarding service..

[KG6YMG]

Ha ha. For once, my 2x3 is worth something. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[WA2ZDY]

What exactly is so wonderful about g-mail anyway? My brother raves about how exclusive it is and sent me an invite. I signed up and it seems about the same as anything else. I get mail, I read it, I reply, I delete. What's the fuss?

I understand arrl.net is a spammer magnet. I have thus far elected not to use their forwarding service. Does anyone have more recent info about this situation? It would be convenient to use, though saying "at yahoo dot com" doesn't seem to difficult either.

[KG6YMG]

I have two reasons for really liking gmail.

1. It provides me with way more storage than I ever will need to use.
2. The interface is efficient. Yahoo, Hotmail, brightmail, squirrelmail, etc all suck. They are painful to use. With Gmail, I can find whatever I'm looking for rather quickly. I don't have to spend a second thinking, "now where did they put that one option...."

[k9apy]

that and gmail is now upto about 2gb of storage...what I do is setup ISP emails(i have 6 to use) and forward them to my gmail acct.

[KI4GST]

Quote[/b] (K5KVJ @ May 08 2005,16:42)]If anyone knows the email address to Google support please post it.
I couldn't find a direct email address to them but after logging into my account I found a link that will let you send them a message threw a webpage. #you can get in touch with their support threw this page and they will get back to you.

http://gmail.google.com/support/bin/request.py?ctx=ask-how

another thing I like about gmail is unlike yahoo and some others free pop access.

Robert
KI4GST

[N5BO]

I never get spam with my gmail.....can't say that for every other email provider I've used.

[W3MIV]

Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ May 08 2005,19:39)]I understand arrl.net is a spammer magnet.
Chris:

I have often heard the same allegation. However, I have maintained an arrl.net address for the convenience of others (easier to remember) for more than a year. I have never gotten a single spam message through that address, though I do occasionally get them through my regular verizon.net address.

{nok nok} (sound of knuckles lightly tapping table top)

[w3sy]

What's a HAM? That stand for something??

[KG4CGC]

H.A.M.

Haiku
Attempt
Morbid

One could always put "I am" in front of your call but yahoo is competitive with their free e-mail service.

[KC0LFV]

But you have to pay Yahoo for less then what GMail gives you for free.

[KG4CGC]

Quote[/b] (KC0LFV @ May 09 2005,14:52)]But you have to pay Yahoo for less then what GMail gives you for free.
Pay Yahoo?
I've never paid a cent to yahoo. Are we talking about the same thing here? You can send and receive large files on Yahoo but on hotmail you are limited in file size and storage as well. Yahoo gives you 1 gig of free storage (may be more now) and doesn't charge a dime. They do have a premium service but the average person does not need it.
You don't have to pay for yahoo.

[KC0LFV]

I meant that you have to pay for Yahoo for the 2 GB range.

[K7JBQ]

Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ May 09 2005,05:34)]Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ May 08 2005,19:39)]I understand arrl.net is a spammer magnet.
Chris:

I have often heard the same allegation. However, I have maintained an arrl.net address for the convenience of others (easier to remember) for more than a year. I have never gotten a single spam message through that address, though I do occasionally get them through my regular verizon.net address.

{nok nok} (sound of knuckles lightly tapping table top)
Hmmm.

I get at least 2 or 3 a day that way.
Most telling me about the wonderful home loan rates they can get me.

73,
Bill

[w3sy]

Does a HAM get a HOME loan?

[K8ERV]

Would someone please explain what these mail services do? I just use Outlet Express. What more do I need? Clueless in Colorado.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[KC0LFV]

Tom,

The only reason I use web based e-mail is so I can use my e-mail at school. No other reason s'fars I can see.

[AB8TM]

HIGH ALTITUDE MODULATORS

[N8CPA]

HAM can mean many things--Have Another Molson; Hug A Manatee; Hire A Moron; Holy Aardvark Manure--but none of those have anything to do with Amateur Radio.

[kb2vxa]

Hi guys,

You can tell this guy never heard of packet. If more than one station is under the same callsign SSIDs are used, K5KVJ-1 having 7 characters meets the criterium. Hams sometimes keep multiple e-mail accounts on the same server separate the same way, by the numbers.

All G Mail is doing is increasing the odds against duplicate user names thereby reducing the chances that someone will have to use one he's less than fond of. Right, more characters, more permutations.

BTW, my "secret name" is Pookie, bet you'll never figure out where I use it but you just may know where I got it from and it wasn't Uncle Floyd. (;->)

[W2ILP]

I don't like to use any ISP who won't let me use w2ilp@xxxxxx
Being the one and only holder of the call w2ilp, as issued by the FCC, I don't want anyone else to get a chance to use those five characters by themselves. I think that the FCC should make the regulations, that apply to our on the air ID being unique to only one licensee. (who is licensed by the FCC after passing required ham exams) also apply to e-mail addresses or internet site IDs.
I can not understand how there can be organizations who now take money for permitting users to supposedly be guarenteed the specific use of a desired ID. This all started with telephone companies charging for giving business the right to get vanity phone numbers. In my opinion we hams deserve to use our own calls without question or character limit.

Believe it or not, some ISPs do know about ham radio and do verify and respect our call IDs. Remember that we can also be tracked as to address by simple input to FCC, QRZ or other sites
which verify the right to use out calls, which BTW can be confirmed by any ISP or communications media just by checking here with QRZ.
We thus can be recognized as responsible citizens who are not hiding from anyone. By FCC regs we can not hide.

Another thing I want to add is that anytime I sign w2ilp, I represent my own opinion, which is not necessarily the opinion of any club or organization I belong to or no longer belong to.

My opinions like my call are all my own.

w2ilp (IDs Labeled "Pookie"?)