https://robs-blog.net/2021/01/11/the-quarterly-essay/ The Radio Amateur is: CONSIDERATE: never knowingly operating in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others. LOYAL: offering loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally. PROGRESSIVE: with knowledge abreast of science, a well built and efficient station, and operation beyond reproach. FRIENDLY: with slow and patient operation when requested, friendly advice and counsel to the beginner, kindly assistance, co-operation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit. BALANCED: Radio is an advocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community. PATRIOTIC: with station and skill always ready for service to country and community.
And most amateurs do a good job living up to this time honored ideal. Sure, there are screwballs, soreheads, and knuckleheads among us...but there always have been...in radio and everything else. On balance, I'd say hams are the nicest bunch of people it's ever been my pleasure to be associated with.
The problem is they are out in force currently and having a huge impact. When they are forcing really good people to rethink what they are doing, its time the sane, rational adults among us did something about it, rather than idly sitting by and letting them have their way. Good people should not do nothing and say nothing.
They are no more out in force now than they ever have been. I don't know how long you've been a ham OM...but if you've been on the air a while, remember what 75 sounded like in the 80s and 70s? Even with more of a threat of enforcement in the US.
The 7.2 folks have been out in full force lately. I tuned around 75 the other night and other than some good natured cussing I couldn’t find anything remotely close to what is spewed on 7.2. The threats of male rape and utter psychopathic statements being made on 7.2, makes me wonder how some of these folks can claim to be human beings, let alone amateur radio operators. But, guess what, I took Riley’s advice and just spun the big knob....problem solved right?
From The Opus of Amateur Radio Knowledge and Lore CHAPTER FOURTEEN Setting Up Your Very Own Ham Radio Station in Your Bedroom, Garage, Attic, Basement, or Perambulator You’ll notice that there is no Chapter Thirteen in this Opus of Amateur Radio Knowledge and Lore. This is not to be interpreted to mean that the author is superstitious in any manner whatsoever. However, since this tome deals with lore as well as facts, we might as well make some concessions to those who might be superstitious. We’d hate for anyone to miss out on a very important and exciting chapter. Hopefully, by now, you have paid a visit—or many visits—to your friendly local Elmer. You’ve seen all the things that work for him, as well as a few things you’d improve upon if you had your own radio station. Well, here is your golden opportunity to do it right. Now, this is not to say that you will have your personal Taj Mahal in which to put together your dream station, though in rare instances, you might. There is nothing like having a real, actual, dedicated radio shack in which to perform your devious deeds. However, most of us have to work up to that point. It may be that your first radio room is actually a broom closet, a corner of your desk, an attic, a basement, a doghouse, or a car. Before we go much further, however, I’d like to direct your attention to a six-pointed ancient document known as The Amateur’s Code, which first showed up before your great-grandfather was born: The Amateur's Code The Radio Amateur is CONSIDERATE...never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others. LOYAL...offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally. PROGRESSIVE...with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach. FRIENDLY...slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit. BALANCED...radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community. PATRIOTIC...station and skill always ready for service to country and community. --The original Amateur's Code was written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928. Take special note of point five. This is a really stupid point. I’ve never met a balanced radio amateur, and neither will you. This was surreptitiously inserted into the “Code” as a feeble gesture to portray radio amateurs as normal human beings. It was a futile attempt in 1928, and it’s a futile attempt now. But it does sort of make us all feel warm and fuzzy, so it’s still with us eighty years after the fact. In modern day vernacular, point five might be translated as: “Get a life.” Obviously, if you have made it all the way to Chapter Fourteen of this book you have no life, nor does any other true Radio Amateur. Don’t fight it. You may in all good conscience totally ignore point five, but be aware that it exists, just in case anyone asks. If you’re like me, you probably got your start in ham radio in late high school. Actually I didn’t get my license until the summer after graduation, but I was doing a lot of peripheral radio stuff well before then, building crystal radios and simple shortwave receivers and such. I had a pretty fair sized built-in desk in my bedroom, extending about six feet either way from the northwestern corner window. The west wall part of the desk was dedicated to homework and other things I was supposed to be doing, while the north wall part of the desk was dedicated to radios and such. Eventually the radios crept around the corner toward the homework end of the desk until the latter pretty well vanished into non-existence. Our suggestion to you is to save time by eliminating the homework part of your desk right at the outset. Of course, this may not be entirely feasible, especially if you happen to have parents who might have a say in your educational progress. In this case, the next best thing is to make your ham radio equipment look like homework. This is not quite as difficult as it sounds.
Yeah I have heard some serious filth on 7200 KHZ. I really wish there was a way to deal with it, but the FCC just doesn't care.
OM, the FCC have identified/labeled 7.2 a “bad neighborhood” and therefore it’s our fault if we happen to tune by there. The FCC’s logic is the idiots on 7.2 are not the problem....we are.
