farewell to HF

[G6URM]

HUMM - well amoungst the cries of "good riddance" and "we should care like why ?? " - i bid HF farewell - the last few days of listening to the yea - man standards of operating - and fraggle rock mentality on the bands have convinced me that HF is nooooooooooo place for me - so i have this morning removed my hf antennas ( such as they where ) and put the transverter back in the cupboard - frankly people if this is what HF amateur operating has degenerated to then i dont want to know

so i am going back to my main interest - VHF & UHF - where on the whole ,operating standards are seemingly better ( untill the bands really open and the LIDS turn up - you know the ones who are missing 99.99999 % of the time ) where there is still much experimenting to be done and where there STILL IS the extra mile to go ( unlike HF where its virtually all been done already ) - where the contesters ( yes we have to get them in too .lol ) are again seemingly more civalised - and on the whole its a MUCH nicer aptmosphere all round

but why has this happened ?? - it was never like it 30 years ago when i first started - what has gone so wrong with HF ?? - IS IT the dropping of the code requirement ?? ( this certainly HAS had an effect on vhf and up ) - or is it just indicitive of society generally ? with its "me first - screw the rest of you - and i have this desperate need to be the center of attention - and have more friends than you on farcebook and twatter - so would not p*** on you if you where on fire " attitudes

IMO - the dropping of standards reqired to GET a ticket in the first place has a LOT to do with it ( we will leave the code element aside here ) - the concept of SWL to "learn " good practice has seemingly gone - as most new hams plunge streight in with HF 100 w ( capability if not use ) and from SOME ( NOT ALL BY A LONG WAY ) of the new op's i have heard since i returned to AR after a fair few years break -have little real idea of operating or certainly the "curtousies " of same ( having said that nor do quite a few "old hands " )

ah well whatever - so if you hear my call on HF they are a pirate !!

what AM i going to do ?? - the one thing i have always wanted to acheive - EME on 70 cm ( 2 m is impractical owing to lack of space ) - with as much homebrew as i can - i MAY not succeed - but its going to be fun trying from a restricted location like mine

so ta ta HF - its been er "interesting " - NOT

[AF6LJ]

Well I am sorry to hear of your decision, I would point out if one looks for the good one sees good, if one looks for the bad one sees the bad.


These things come and go in cycles.

Who's to say this trend won't follow you to UHF.....

[NA0AA]

Hm. I can appreciate your point, but if I quit doing anything because morons are being morons, I'd have to quit driving, skiing, walking, shopping.....

That's OK, I actually heard yesterday, and I'm still in shock...."Break 240" on 14.240. Honest to gosh. Guy said it a dozen times! Wonder how he learned that?

[N0SYA]

Hm. I can appreciate your point, but if I quit doing anything because morons are being morons, I'd have to quit driving, skiing, walking, shopping.....

That's OK, I actually heard yesterday, and I'm still in shock...."Break 240" on 14.240. Honest to gosh. Guy said it a dozen times! Wonder how he learned that?

I'll use break or breaker on hf, but only to rile people I know.

Breaka!

[N5AL]

When compared to today, was the HF spectrum of 30 years ago really that pure and perfect; or, is that just how we tend to remember it?

[AC0H]

When compared to today, was the HF spectrum of 30 years ago really that pure and perfect; or, is that just how we tend to remember it?

I've been a ham for 20 years and one of the things that was drilled into me when I first got licensed was act on the air as if your wife and daughter(s) were listening, that getting a notice from the FCC was serious if not disastrous to the longevity of your ticket. Ia ctually heard on several occasions Hams admonishing other for bad behavior....and it stopped. It was especially effective on VHF/UHF because everybody knew everbody.

Act like a jackass on the repeater and your next club meeting would be "interesting".

Nothing will stop bad behavior like a little public humilation.
I've proposed in the past a website of sorts where user could report bad behavior, verified by others, and published publically, loudly and often.
It may take some doing because a lot of the jackasses don't ID. They will slip up sooner or later, guaranteed.

Has anybody in Canada ever filed a complaint with their licensing authority about the jackass from the north?

[WA6MHZ]

Life would be so much SIMPLER if I gave up HF!

1) No more rooftop full of metal and wires all over the yard.
2) No more crammed full Radio shack with all these different radios
3) Town Car rear deck would be FREE of antennas, except for maybe an APRS 2m whip
4) I could watch TV every night and sleep WELL knowing I am NOT missing a DX Station!
5) Wouldn't hafta pace the floor waiting for the Mailman to arrive to see if there are QSLs
6) Would have LOTSA DOLLARS to spend on fixing up the house!
7) Wife wouldn't be so CRABBY and might actually get AFFECTIONATE!!!
8) The Cats would have more room to run around and play
9) Would have Saturday mornings free to SLEEP IN instead of getting up at 3AM to go to Swapmeets
10) Could explore STAMP COLLECTING, do more OIL PAINTING, do some NATURE WATCHING, etc.

So I really SHOULD GIVE UP HF TOO!!!
........................
.............................................

NAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AF6LJ]

Life would be so much SIMPLER if I gave up HF!

1) No more rooftop full of metal and wires all over the yard.
2) No more crammed full Radio shack with all these different radios
3) Town Car rear deck would be FREE of antennas, except for maybe an APRS 2m whip
4) I could watch TV every night and sleep WELL knowing I am NOT missing a DX Station!
5) Wouldn't hafta pace the floor waiting for the Mailman to arrive to see if there are QSLs
6) Would have LOTSA DOLLARS to spend on fixing up the house!
7) Wife wouldn't be so CRABBY and might actually get AFFECTIONATE!!!
8) The Cats would have more room to run around and play
9) Would have Saturday mornings free to SLEEP IN instead of getting up at 3AM to go to Swapmeets
10) Could explore STAMP COLLECTING, do more OIL PAINTING, do some NATURE WATCHING, etc.

So I really SHOULD GIVE UP HF TOO!!!
........................
.............................................

NAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We know you love it
Same reason I get up at FOUR in the morning on weekends to rag chew.

[KA9JLM]

Life would be so much SIMPLER if I gave up HF!

7) Wife wouldn't be so CRABBY and might actually get AFFECTIONATE!!!

So I really SHOULD GIVE UP HF TOO!!!

Just number 7 would make me think about giving HF up.

I would not take my antenna down, I would have a mast up.

[W3RXO]

Hm. I can appreciate your point, but if I quit doing anything because morons are being morons, I'd have to quit driving, skiing, walking, shopping.....

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Great point. I refuse to let the morons of life, determine my interests. I will continue doing things the way I was taught was RIGHT, and when I do, do something wrong, I will take the constructive criticism, and learn from it.