Amateur Radio and the Internet

Hello my fellow Hams:

I have said for along time that Ham Radio is falling behind to the computer technology. I have also said too may people are relying on the usage of repeaters. A goup of us has a new idea that we have been experimenting with.

We are on simplex and use a Yahoo chat room! Here's how it works. If you live in the Central Wisconsin Area, we are on 146.475 with a PL 67. You MUST run that PL to be heard!!! At the sametime, we creat a chat room in Yahoo. Look for in "Hobbies & Craft" and then click on "User Rooms". There look for 146.745 Simplex Group.
We will be able to voice chat with you. We even have our web cams on so that you can see us and our station!

We welcome everyone to join us. Even if you can't get onto the frequency. We also have a web site. www.geocities.com/simplexgroup475

We hope to hear from you soon.

73,
Andy KF4JQD

Promoting the Spirit of Amateur Radio!

 

Just a quick question... How do you make sure unlicenced people don't check into your chat room?

 

This is another one of those joke postings - right?

 

This one looks ligit, no IRLP or any other VoIP and radio blending. My feeling on repeaters is they are good for the person that is in charge on one, just for bragging and chest thumping. Our simplex group sometimes uses IM, NOT connected to radio, to say what can't be said over the radio.

 

Some of us are way ahead of you. We check into a number of chat rooms. One of them is on 75 meters SSB, and we don't even need a computer! There are some other chat rooms on 20 meters SSB, and a lot of us actually chat long distances. Quite a lot of us use Morse code, too. No PL tones required, but a General or higher ham license is a prerequisite, and HF radio gear is required, too. We can send photos via slow scan TV! It's lots of fun. We invite those with HF radios and General or higher class licenses to get in and see what the fun is all about.

And we can use "WADIO!"

73
Ed

 

That last posting was great!!!

 

Hello Andy,

I thought your idea of the chat room was pretty good. I guess that one of the questions that came up was how do you keep unlicensed users off the group. But when you get right down to it, how do you keep any unlicensed user off the air if they have an amateur radio and just look up a callsign belonging to someone thousands of miles away and use it?  You can't. So in the end the question is a moot point in relation to how everything else is regulated in amateur radio.

Then there's the folks who can't imagine doing things the way you guys are doing it. These folks claim that if you just used HF then you wouldn't need a computer, and could converse in "real time" (I believe that was the terminlogy used).

So apparently if it ain't HF then it ain't worth doing to some. At least that's what appears to be implied with those statements. I say, if you like doing things the way your doing it then keep doing it, and more power to you. If by chance you want to get involved in HF then you can do that too. But remember that HF is merely one small band in the grand scheme of things, and there's more than one way to get things done.

So keep on doing what makes you happy. And if it works for everyone involved then don't let all the pro-HF'ers make you feel your going about it all wrong. Their way isn't always the correct or even the best way of doing things. You may want to converse using your method to further your knowledge in an area some of these other people never even thought of. Just do what you'd like to do, and without all the outside influence of what other people want you to do, and how they think you should do it. HF ain't the center of the universe . . .


Randy Evans
 KE4RWS

 

Hmmm....
Kind of sounds like Echolink.

 

This is an interesting idea, but I doubt that I could really get into it... I do think, though, that it could promote HAM radio in general...

VHF, to me, is a way to get things done, for the most part... You pretty much always know what you are going to get... HF is more fun for me, because it comes with a little challenge, and my IC746PRO has all sorts of cool little buttons and stuff on it (Okay, half the reason I'm a HAM is for the cool toys!&#33

I see people taking this stuff too seriously, being critical of people who are doing what this hobby is all about (fun)... Hey, it's all about different strokes for different folks...

73's
John, KB5SXH

 

Seems like there's some misunderstanding!

The chatroom is not a permint link. Most of the time the chat room is off the air. We encourage non hams to join us. On air chats consist of Ham Radio talk. Chat room chats are used to chat and say what is not fit for air. We are NOT like Echo link or any other thing like that.

As for HF, there's alot of no coders in the area. Alot of them believe the repeaters are the only way to communicate. We will use HF if someone in the chat room is a Ham and requests a HF contact. Mostly we are trying to encourage other ways of communiications.

This is something new for our area, we are hoping that this will get some more people interested in this hobby.

73,
Andy KF4JQD

 

Another fine example of the hobbie of amateur radio and two way going to the cyber dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glenn KO4VP
73 and good DX

 

I guess there will always be some that feel it is necessary to integrate the Internet with ham radio, as ham radio by itself isn’t fun or cool anymore. What I don’t understand is why you need the radio at all. You can have your roundtables exclusively in the Internet chat room without even bringing a repeater and your radios into it at all! Just ID with your callsigns every 10 minutes to give you that ham radio “feel”.

For hams without HF privileges who are bored with repeater use, why not try something different? How about simplex FM? How about SSB? How about AM? Why not try some DXing on 6m? Satellite work? If you really need to use the computer with your radios, why not try PSK 31?

There are so many facets of this hobby and so many ways of having fun exclusively with radio, so why drag the Internet into it? As for being able to say things that are not fit for ham radio, that’s what CB is for. If you’re all on one repeater, then you’re probably all close enough take your profane QSO to CB.

As for me, I use the radio for radio purposes and the Internet for Internet purposes. I see no need to use the Internet to talk to people that I can talk to on the radio, and if I can’t say something on the radio, it’s not worth saying.

 

You said it all - "Radio Experimenters" Nuff said.

K2WH

 

Andy KF4JOD:

I think it is ashame that one can not post on here without others beating your post down or trying to get the best "dig" on whatever they think Ham Radio is about.....I think that the 2% of the Hams that are always negative do 80% of the reply feedback postings anymore. I guess I missed something here....looks to me that you are trying to promote Ham Radio in your area to not only Hams but non-Hams (be it on the air on HF/UHF or via the Internet). I think you are trying to promote simplex activity also....seems to me that nothing is wrong with that (those that do not agree sure do not have to try it or at least can word any disagreement with a better approach).

Only those reading your posting and you seeing any activity on this idea will give you indication if your idea will take hold and be used or not. You have put it out here for everyone to know about and I think have good intentions on promoting Ham Radio so thanks for the URL and information and GL with your idea!

I think promoting Ham Radio no matter how it is done should not be automaticlly shot down and it is YOU younger guys that will carry Ham Radio on.

Again NICE JOB AND DON'T LET THEM BLOW THE WIND OUT OF YOUR SAILS!!! Most reading that might not agree with you 100% are I hope from the old school like me and were taught that if you have nothing nice to say or positive to add to the discussion that some things are better left unsaid (unless of course it is against all the things you believe in and must be addressed.....I don't think Promoting Ham Radio via the Internet is cause for for negative postings or such alarm).

GL and btw I have helped many a Non-Ham via the internet by letting them listen in on my shack or contacts.

de kb9umt Don

 

Wakeup Call for all you Wannabbes in the front of cutting edge technology!!!

It seems that WB2REM and G4CDY have already beaten you to it on the computer/ham radio cutting edge technolgy issue.

Buy their excellent board and you can Plug 'N Play just like you do with the new computer products you pick up at Circuit City or one of the other "discount computer stores".

Sorry guys, but you are just the end user when it comes to interfacing your new 950 GHz 'puter with that real DX Machine VX-150 that you alternate between hangin' off the rear of your Baggies and plugging into an interface board.

So much for your "New Ideas" regarding ham radio.









73 de Bob