More ECOMM Insanity

[N5PVL]

This item was posted at our South Texas ARES website the other day:

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We need less federal government "help." And we need them to get out of the way. I struggle to see the benefit that the current Part 97 Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) regulations bring to enhancing the use of all Amateur Radio capabilities for communications problems. They remain nothing more than restrictions on how emergency management may employ Amateur Radio. As but one example, mutual aid does not exist, from a practical standpoint, within RACES, because each person must be vetted by their sponsoring government (city, county, or state), and forget about crossing state lines. A wise move would be to eliminate the whole section and allow private organizations, such as ARES, to use all the available Amateur Radio resources.

-- Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, South Texas SEC

I met Jerry Reimer a couple of years back at the Austin hamfest. An ARRL official had invited me there to to hear Jerry speak, and I had driven to Austin for that sole purpose. When I arrived at the conference, Jerry was there telling us about WinLink2000. Unfortunately, while he was at it he managed to say a few ugly, untruthful things about 'obsolete' luddite Packet operators and how backward they all are.

I guess Jerry didn't know that WinLink2000 is based upon much older technology than Packet radio is... The "Star" network topology WinLink uses was obsoleted in the late 1970's by the "Meshed" network design that Packet - and the Internet uses. So, Jerry wasn't just running down thousands of his fellow hams and what they do, he was running them down on the strength of a load of baloney.

I got some neat stuff at the ham-fest and saw a lot of good people, so it's not like the trip was a total write-off. Still, my main purpose in being there had worked out to be a waste of time. I can be insulted and called names at home, so there was really no need for me to travel 400 miles for that kind of thing.

A week or two after the ham-fest, Jerry contacted me at USPacket, asking for information about the Packet Radio resources in deep south Texas.

I told Jerry that I had seen him at Austin and that I'd be happy to cooperate if his apology was as public as his insult there had been to his fellow hams. I didn't say so to Jerry at the time, but the fact is that my duties at USPacket do not include kissing up to people who run down and insult all the world's Packet radio operators in a public forum.

Later I found out that Jerry was not wanting information about Packet resources so that he could do something inclusive, working with the Packet folks in South Texas on ECOMM issues like a ham... He was wanting an inventory of Packet resources that he could attempt to grab for the WinLink2000 group.

Now Jerry is running down RACES and the hams involved in that fine organization, and is trying to undercut thier funding. - He appears to have made a hobby of alienating one large group of amateurs this way after another.

My suggestion: Eliminate Jerry Reimer, KK5CA. - He does not play well with others, and his divisive habit of hostile, vicious attacks upon his fellow hams does not foster the atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect that is vital to effective ECOMMS and is characteristic of amateur radio.

We really deserve to have someone in there who is a team player, someone who understands and participates in the fraternal, cooperative spirit of amateur radio that makes this hobby great.

[KG4DCI]

Charles,

I'm sorry but it seems this topic is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black.

Every time I read one of your posts you seem to be blaming something on WinLink... we all know by know your distaste for that mode of operation... It's simply over kill at this point.

[N5PVL]

KG4DCI:

If you'll read the post you are replying to, you'll discover that it is not about WinLink at all, but rather about inappropriate behavior on the part of South Texas SEC Jerry Reimer.

Jerry is a poster boy for what is wrong with ARES today. The arrogant, snide attitude, the ready willingness to exclude and run down his fellow hams, the fawning over a tiny minority of digital elitists while the overall system goes to pot... And let's not forget the shameless rooting at the government trough that the DHS grants have brought to amateur radio, as this is what motivated Jerry's little anti-RACES tirade that I quoted above.

Sure, I'll grant you that WinLink sucks, but that has been well established in other topics just as you say, and should not be confused as being the topic of this particular discussion.

[AC3P]

Not to get in the middle of a controversy here but need an opinion.

Our RACES group is preparing to set up some point to point digital comms.

Prior to the complete takeover of ECOMM from ARES by RACES there was a push to install WINLINK 2000. I spent a lot of time getting a vhf node up for the purpose.

Now the WINLINK concept has been dropped and the new soup de jour is MT-63.

Any thoughts on using MT-63 in ECOMMs?

[N5PVL]

AC3P asks:

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Any thoughts on using MT-63 in ECOMMs?

MT-63 is a powerful mode and I'm sure that it will serve well for a number of purposes including ecomms.

In general though, it's good to stay flexible as new digital modes come out regularly now and some of them are really amazing.

I'm still waiting for something that does all of what Packet does, and does it better... So far though, no banana.

[N5PVL]

Albert, if you want to make it your mission to reform the troublemakers and jerks in the world, by all means be my guest.
Personally, I don't put in a lot of time on people who cause problems and at no point do I attempt to seperate the behavior from the person.

It appears that you and I do not share the same views on personal responsibility... I don't sweat that and neither should you. Try to get a grip there, OM.

[KE5FRF]

I am trying to remember if N5PVL ever started a thread with something nice to say: a compliment about someone or some idea, a positive message about an event or group, a suggestion about improving an antenna system, a thumbs up for a new product, or even a paragraph about the benefits of aroma-therapy. Rather, I always read diatribes of disgust, distaste, or otherwise disdain for some ham mode or technology that isn't packet radio, or a desertation on how the ARRL or some individual is poisoning amateur radio because they are failing to recognize the bad that Charles recognizes, or because they are promoting something that Charles deams bad for amateur radio.

Again, never anything positive or pleasant or congratulatory or beneficial. Just complaints.

Charles, I agree with you and have said this before that Winlink2000 goes against the spirit of amateur radio. I don't particularly agree with the idea of an encrypted e-mail service over amateur spectrum. I don't like the idea of amateur frequencies being used to connect to the internet. But that is just my opinion, and if the FCC disagrees and wants to be permissive of Winlink2000, well, it is just something I will have to get over.

On the other hand, I feel VoIP technology is different, the direct opposite of what Winlink2000 is. It is using the INTERNET to link AMTEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT, the converse of using AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT to link to the INTERNET, which is what Winlink2000 does. But that is another debate and everyone has opinions...but the bottom line is what the FCC determines to be legal.

Anyhow, my purpose Charles is not to insult or debate you. I am tired of doing that, I used to do it all the time. It serves no purpose, and nothing changes. My purpose is to hopefully make you self aware of the negativity that always teams from your QRZ threads. It almost seems like an unhealthy obsession with you. It always seems like you are LOOKING for the negative in everything, and eager to come on this forum and complain. Hey man, join in on some of the positive discussions some time! When you see a new ham make a post about getting into amateur radio...welcome him. When you see some others talking about a barbeque rib recipe, share a recipe of your own! Quit worrying so much about how everyone else is on a mission to destroy amateur radio...because ya wanna know something...I don't think there really is anyone out there who really wants to damage the hobby, no matter what the perception of what they are doing.

[KC9ECI]

Enough. Attack the ideas, not the people.

Tom
One of the QRZ.COM Moderators.