"Take Your Handheld to Work Day." June 20

Always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I certainly can't believe that an OO would send a slip of paper for something like that; it's totally nuts! I received an OO notice maybe twice in my 15-year ham radio career, but the notices were legitimate. I appreciated those notices and sent them thank you notes.

Just enjoy the hobby and don't let such an unfortunate event bog you down. The OO program does do a good job in many cases, but not this time.

 

Please can we cut out the blatant D-Star advertising! This is creeping into more and more postings on here.

There are many avenues available on the internet, or in ham associated magazines, where advertising is more appropriate. I do not think the majority of QRZ Ham Radio News readers and contributers want to constantly hear and see "how the world and AR revolves around D-Star".

 

Your story is somewhat similar to mine. When I was 15, my dad brought home a portable shortwave radio, and no one else in the family was even remotely interested. I started DXing like crazy, first getting a QSL from CFRX in Toronto, and getting about 30 more SW QSLs in just my first year. I kept hearing these transmissions in between the SW broadcasts bands and they got my interest also, my first foray into amateur radio, but the bug had made its bite!

College and work got in the way, but I kept the dream alive, and this year I promised myself that I was going to do it, and I did. Some of my friends who are already hams also got started the same way, by listening to shortwave broadcasts.

So my difficult question of the day is, where were the AROs when the BBC, VOA, Deusche Welle, Radio Canada, HCJB, etc. all made the made their big broadcasting cutbacks in the last few years? How can we convince today's youth of shortwave AND/OR amateur radio when the content isn't there?

Just remember, we're all in this together.

Another two cents worth...

 

I take my HT to work with me everyday . There was some ridicule at first , that ended completely when we had a near- miss tornado strike ! I was the only person in the building with capabiliteis of contacting the " outside" world . all electrical power was out . Now when I set my "emergency" station out of my lunch box and say that this might be needed tonight , people listen !!!

 

How many were in the building?

No one had a cellphone?

Dang, 8 of 10 ppl here have cellphones.

7 of those 8 are driving down the road yaking, yaking, yaking while putting on their makeup!

 

About 250 people were in the building. Cell phones are "blocked" ! My radios are allowed because the safety manager ( he's got a much fancier title ) knows that I am an amatuer radio operator and we had a long talk about the Company's storm safety policies . Basically , there policy was " Loosen all restrictive clothing , bend over, place your head between your knees and kiss your behind good-bye ! " That being said , I've been there for 8 years and have had a hand in making these people in Tornado Alley rethink several of their policies .

 

How are cellphones being blocked?

I've read of the cellphone jamming devices sold overseas, but I do believe they are "illegal" here. Fill me in.

Cellphone Jammer

 

In all seriousness I brought Echolink, APRS, and an FT840 complete with dipole to work yesterday. Check it out and maybe get your club to do this in your community.

http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=26731

Don't give me any excuses about not working in a library. Many libraries are constantly looking for programs and displays for their library. Just call your library and ask for the person in charge of programming.

I am also participating in "take your co-worker to Field Day" There were a few staff members who could not attend the presentation, (they were doing my normal job) but were still somewhat interested. This program was formed with Field Day in mind, because the Field Day site is less than 2 weeks and a mile from the library program.

 

This is one of the best ideas that I have seen on this forum. Educate the educators and encourage your young ham to get a School ARC started. If school clubs encouraged other students to get their licence it would become recognized as part of the educational system. Something like this would give our hobby the recognition that it deserves. It would also give older, qualified hams a chance to be an “Elmer” to a younger generation and help bridge some of the gap that exists in society today.

Being addicted to ham radio is much more productive than being addicted to a game called " World of Warcraft ". We could use some fresh minds in this hobby, who aren’t afraid to think outside of the box.

 

Speak for yourself... He's a realist.

 

No one ever said that amateur radio revolves around D-STAR, but it is a legitimate part of the Amateur Radio Service, just like SSB. Maybe you would have liked to be on the side of those hams who said that SSB had no part in amateur radio back in the thirties. Some activity took place about 1933, but it was nearly fifteen years later when the use of SSB began in earnest on the amateur bands.

 

It’s not as much about Dim-Star, as it is about your Dim-Star commercials!

Why is this so hard to grasp?

 

...as if I'd leave my new FT-817 in the car! Of course, I drag my "HT" into my workplace!!!!

Heck, it's sitting beside my mousepad right now. For that matter, the Z-100 is velcroed to it and the mic has a bit of Velcro so it's not bouncing off the asphalt when I carry it.

That's still FAR more subtle than the 20m & 40m elements stuck into the Diamond HVMA on the roof of my Outback wagon. Now THAT generates some questions!

Okay, the FT-470 is in the car, under junk so it's not seen. Get me on a technicality! At least the Arrow is assembled and in plain view in the back (THAT generates some questions too!).

Joe, WB3CFN, sometimes checks into the 14.3MHz net, QRP mobile

 

Somebody once explained amateur radio to the majority of us and I doube that person had a 100% conversion rate.

It is up to us to take the place of the person who showed us the ropes and explain it to others. HT to work is just a way to open the door to a conversation. (And it is set for 1200-1300, to try to get into the "conventional lunch break) This could just as easily been HT to church weekend, HT to family reunion day, HT to mall walkers meeting, etc.

The idea is to start a conversation.

Maybe some have a hard time doing face to face conversations--that's all well and good, but don't smack everyone else around for trying to share their hobby.