Morse Code on Tonight Show - Friday, May 13

No Mike, you are doing just fine! Thanks!



N1IRL


Rick

 

Not a theory and not shot down.  I'm familiar with those outlaw CB stations, there is a major one near me.  BUT that is single band, not the 7 bands of varying characteristics that HF hams have.  It is also one mode, AM (occasionally SSB as a second), a very antiquated mode on ham bands.  (Not knocking those who enjoy AM... I do too, but it is old style.)  No SSTV, no PSK, no digital at all.  Rarely a rotor, no legal international QSOs, I could go on and on.

There are some complex VHF and UHF stations, of course.  But I am talking about the average or normal run-of-the-mill station.  HF ham far more complex than a 2m vertical, or an 11m vertical and RadioShack transciever.  First hand knowledge - been there done that (the legal part).

 

Sorry, Rick. Cell phones are just NOT that reliable. I can get a message through on ham radio just about any time or any place (if I have access to all bands), but my cell phone just has too many gaps in coverage and fails too quickly in an emergency.

That's why nobody builds disaster plans based on relying on cell phones alone. And why ham radio is famous for getting through "when all else fails". (Using whatever mode is best suited for the conditions: SSB, FM, or PSK, CW or other digital modes.)

I recently participated in a disaster exercise - ham radio (FM) got more information through faster and more reliably than cell phones, business band HTs, or even hardwired phones (and Nextel was deemed just about a total failure). And that was under conditions of all up and running - not overloaded as cell and other circuits would be in a real emergency.

 

You have the nerve to say AM is an antiquated mode??? Where have you been when we were talking about CW as an antiquated mode??? You still use that.., no that's right you don't! You just memorized it long enough to pass the test and now don't use it but expect everyone else to learn it because you had to!

11M stations also use SSB quite regularly!! They also use 10M/11M beams with rotors quite often. So please, don't talk to me about them ot being complex.

They do it all and probably have more contacts than you do..., with NO CW required!!! Why?? Because they are talking HF PHONE..., not CW!!! No need to learn an "antiquated mode" like CW when you want to talk PHONE on HF!


N1IRL


Rick

 

Yeah, everyone carries around HF gear and antennas to work all HF bands in case they need to pass a message!

Yeah right.., but everyone does carry cell phones! We also have the ability to use satellite phones as well as using the satellites for internet access anywhere in the world! Never have to worry about conditions being in for them!

For your information, The Tournament of Roses Parade in California this past year rejected help from Amateur Radio operators in running communications for their parade. Amateur Radio had been doing it for 50 years previously. They now use their own officials with Nextel phones. Nextel phones which by the way can be used as 2-way radios even if the cell network is down!!!!

The parade officials were tired of dealing with snotty, know-it-all CW hams and told them their equipment was outdated and no longer useful to them!

They used their own equipment and their own people who dressed normal and didn't distract from the parade with old time telegraphers outfits!



N1IRL

Rick

 

Yes, I agree with you! VHF/UHF FM PHONE (voice) communications are the most widely used and most effective in emergency situations! That is why all emergency personel vehicles (police, fire, ambulance..., etc.) carry either VHF or UHF FM radio equipment in their vehicles as well as HT's on the same bands on their belts!

Granted, most Amateur Radio repeater systems provide much better coverage and have emergency back up power in case of an emergency. Also, you can use any dual-band mobile that is capable of cross-band repeating at any emergency site to dramatically increase communications range on VHF & UHF FM. Like having a repeater on wheels with its own power source.

I agree with all that! But I don't see any CW keys in these kinds of communications!!!! Why?? It is antiquated, slow, cumbersome and not needed!

Imagine a medical technician in an ambulance trying to send a patients vital signs via CW to the doctor at the hospital (assuming he could copy CW, probably not though as he spent his time learning important medical stuff to help people). By the time they got the message through (assuming they could) the patient might be dead!

Much easier and efficient to use FM VHF or UHF voice systems, I agree!

Thanks for confirming that for us!


www.nocode.org



N1IRL


Rick

 

Sorry, Rick.... wrong again.  You make an assumption without bothering to learn the facts.  You haven't seen my logs, so you just don't know what you're talking about.  

I have used CW extensively, and still do.  (On my wall is a WAS certificate - earned exclusively using CW as a novice with less than 75 watts. I believe that could be considered proof.) Not today as much as in years past because of a wrist problem (quite possibly related to computer use) that won't let me use the straight key I enjoy so much (without serious pain).  I have had a problem trying to use paddles, but have succeeded to some extent although have to go slower.  Switching from straight key to paddle has been the most difficult thing I have ever done in ham radio.  Far more difficult than learning code (which wasn't easy for me), or getting up to 25 WPM.  More difficult than mastering the Extra theory and regs, etc.  Have also taught CW.  As a matter of interest, I copied the CW on the Tonight show and found it to be a bit slow.

Didn't you notice the DXCC on my website?  It is rather uncommon to get that without using at least some CW because that is where all the good DX is.  As well as the
fact that CW will get through on HF when other modes just can't be heard.  Why do you think every DXpedition has a CW position?

Yes, AM is old.  But some still enjoy it and I have no problem with that.  It does have superior sound quality to SSB, and narrower bandwidth than FM.  So it still has a place.  CW is still the only digital mode that can be understood by both humans and machines.  That fact alone keeps it out of the "obsolete and outdated" category.  Old, yes.  Obsolete, absolutely not.

And I never said I expected everyone else to learn it.  You really should check your facts.

 

Again wrong, Rick. I have heard that before. Nextel phones are cell phones with a built in direct linking technology. They are NOT the same as 2-way radios and do not work if the cell network is down. It is ludicrous to believe that a hand-held 1/3 watt radio will reach across the country, or even state. Sheesh!! As I noted before, knowledge will greatly improve one's argument.

And the Rose Bowl Parade is hardly a disaster!! If they want to cut down on the number of staffers, that is their business.

 

Yes, my car is set up that way, as a matter of fact. The TM-V7A does a good job as a cross-band repeater when I can't get in from a remote site with the HT. (I had to bypass the car's computer, which didn't want to let me lock the car with the rig on.)

So what does that have to do with my using (or not using) CW? Absolutely nothing!!

I was addressing the statement that a cell phone will always get through. Wrong. The amateur repeaters are much more reliable. And more reliable than some commercial HTs also, I have discovered first hand.

CW does go quite a bit faster than cellphone text messaging. We proved that beyond argument, and that is all this thread is about. So if I needed exactly worded and spelled communications from a portable site, I would choose CW over cell text mesaging. Assuming those were the only choices, which is all the TV show illustrated. In a real emergency, I would choose the best for the situation, location and equipment available. (I don't see how anyone could logically argue with that.) And CW is, and always should be, one of those options.

 

Come on, now. I read the statements and there were no comments such as you say. No comments about equipment or any problem with attitudes. And I don't believe the ham parade workers used CW on their HTs. Again, check your data and use facts. You don't help your argument when you make stuff up.

And nobody will believe you when you say parade workers wore telegrapher's outfits. Ludicrous.

 

Nextel Direct Talk


Emergencies. Remote locations. You still need to communicate.
Use the off-network walkie-tallkie to keep in touch with others even when you're far beyond wireless coverage or when regular phone lines are unavailable. Communicate with others within up to six miles¹ using our Direct TalkSM capable phones.
Gear to Get It Done
One-phone convenience: All Direct TalkSM capable phones allow for three types of digital voice communication in one phone: cellular, Direct Connect® walkie-talkie service and Direct TalkSM off-network walkie-talkie.
Group calls: Choose from 10 channels and 15 codes to keep your entire team in touch even without network coverage - in the most remote work site or when landline and cellular service is busy, or down.
Private walkie-talkie: Just dial a nearby contact's Nextel phone number and have a private conversation using Direct TalkSM off-network walkie-talkie.
Acknowledgement tone: Nextel's trademark "chirp" lets you know if anyone is in your range and code/channel so you can feel confident someone heard your communication.
What You'll Need
A Direct TalkSM capable phone (i315, i325, i325is, i275,)

http://www.nextel.com/en/services/walkietalkie/offnetwork.shtml


Do your homework! Oh, I forgot! You were busy studying that antiquated, useless, dying mode CW instead of keeping up with the modern technology!



N1IRL

Rick


Nextel Direct Talk, Off-network walkie-talkie capable phones for emergencies where there is no cell network!

 

I never said the amateur radio parade workers used CW on their HT's, you just implied that!

Maybe they did and maybe they didn't wear telegraphers outfits on the parade route. I would rather have them do that at a lower exposure to our hobby then have hams dress like that on national TV!


N1IRL


Rick

 

Direct quote from your post, Rick. I didn't say anything about hams using CW in the parade, you said it as clearly shown here. "CW hams" - I'll bet they had no idea about CW and never mentioned it. "Outdated equipment", again, never heard of CW equipment being used. FM is a long way from being outdated... it is probably the most widely used mode today.

 

As I said before: "In a real emergency, I would choose the best for the situation, location and equipment available. (I don't see how anyone could logically argue with that.) And CW is, and always should be, one of those options."

I stand by my original statement, as originally stated.