Ham Talk Live! Episode 78 - The Latest Changes at WWV

Yeah, that 100 seconds per minute thing just never went over.

 

The USA is the only country that uses it in practice. It's still on the books in Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia, but in practice it's all metric.

 

Ok, the guy from WWV emailed me back and said even though we live in the united states, they use the metric system anyways. I'll be right back, I'm going to figure out how many liters per kilometer my truck gets.

 

Hopefully you mean kilometers per liter, unless it gets REALLY bad mileage!

We used the MKS system (Meters, Kilograms, Seconds) system in collage back in the 80's - it really is much easier to work with units. Even in ham radio we refer to bands in Meters, not Feet.

 

On metric units...I see it as a bit like Britain, which for centuries had a ridiculous monetary system (12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 240 pence = 1 pound, with coins of 1/2d (pence), 2d, 3d, 6d, 12d, 24d, 30d). After talking about it forever they finally went to 100p = 1 pound. Now the young generation couldn't imagine ever going back to something as absurd and clumsy as what once was used.

Actually international trade and the sheer pressure of standardizing export products will probably push the U.S. to drop its silly system. You see that already happening in liquor bottle sizes, drugs in mg, measuring small things like coins in mm and the like. (Electronics has always been metric.) But most people hate change, even if some homey things like cooking, surveying, and carpentry will likely stay the same.

 

Yeah, well there's still 14 pounds to a stone, right?

 

People have been pushing us towards the metric system for years, and it's not taken hold yet. It seems obvious to me the majority of Americans don't like it and don't want it.

 

People everywhere have been pushing for the SCIENTIFIC SYSTEM for years, and there are places it's not taken hold yet. It seems obvious to me the majority for EXXON STOCKHOLDERS don't like it and don't want it.

shouting for your emphasis

 

Here's why:

 

Actually many things we buy today are designed and made using the metric system. Almost everything that is imported, even if sold with familiar Imperial unit labels for the consumer. A lot of things made in the US are actually metric because they are also exported, or because of standardization. And machine tools and many components to build things are also metric.

For example, if you look at data sheets for electronic items you see that the primary dimensions are metric, with Imperial provided as reference.

Metric conversion has and is happening, whether people know it or not. As was mentioned, some things will be very slow to change like construction materials, distance and land measurements.

 

Actually, I wish folks would talk about what mhz they are on instead of meters. For a new ham learning frequencies and bands, how are they supposed to know what 40 meters is expecially in a country that doesn't use meters.

 

I can't understand either... Virtually, every measurement is based on water and is divisible by 10!!!

I really get frustrated while working on my vehicles since 10mm and 15mm sockets and wrenches are the first ones to be lost!! All others have a substitute...

 

Yep, I surely enjoy dx'ing on the good old 131 foot band around 7 mHz.

 

Unfortunately, at least in some cases, when we change from Imperial to Metric the amount provided goes down, but of course the price does not. Greed.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

However, some of us still measure wavelength in cubits.