Demote Extra class Lids to no-HF status for rudeness
cber...@cc.utah.edu
to experience both the rudeness and the generosity of the ham community.
I'm learning the code because I *HAVE TO* for HF privileges, but I doubt
I'll ever use it after the exams. Probably the most intimidating thing
about the idea of going on the air with Morse instead of VOICE is the
rude "old farts" out there that won't give a new ham the time of day.
Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts. Well, her
Kenwood 440 will only put out 100 watts so what's the deal here.
I've read months of arguing over the code versus no-code issue. Seems
to me that this is territorial issue rather than a technical one. The
"old farts" were on the playground first and don't want newcomers to
come in and use the swings because then they'll have to share. I've
even had some interesting 2m experiences. After listening carefully
and confirming that a simplex frequency was not in use, transmitted to
a fellow ham. I was immediately rebuffed that "a bunch of us monitor
this frequency, could you move to another frequency?" Since when did
a bunch of hams own a frequency? Why could I not use a frequency if
they were clearly not transmitting on it?
The rude and intimidating may be a small percent of the ham community
but it certainly spoils it for the rest of us. Too bad the FCC or ARRL
didn't outlaw rudeness when they did profanity and idecency! Too bad
a Extra class *LID* can't be demoted to no-HF tech status for being
abusive on the ham bands.
Cheryl
N7XHZ
Mike White
> the most intimidating thing
> about the idea of going on the air with Morse instead of VOICE is the
> rude "old farts" out there that won't give a new ham the time of day.
Hams are like all human beings; they behave according to their nature.
You just happened to run into a couple of duds. There are lots and lots
of us who have been on the air for a long time (30 years in my case) who
are very nice people who will chat with newcommers and give them all the
help they need. Many of us go out of our way to help newcommers; we're
VEs, and spend lots of time and money as Elmers to new hams. Go for the
advanced license classes, and ignore the lids. Who knows; you might even
get to like CW.
Mike, N4PDY... Non-lid Extra
************************
* These are my opinions only.*
************************
Michael A. Covington
>Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
>he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts. Well, her
>Kenwood 440 will only put out 100 watts so what's the deal here.
He's directly advocating violation of an FCC regulation (the one that
requires us to use no more power than necessary) and should be told so.
--
==========================================================================
Michael A. Covington, Ph.D. | mcov...@uga.cc.uga.edu | ham radio N4TMI
Artificial Intelligence Programs | U of Georgia | Athens, GA 30602 U.S.A.
==========================================================================
cber...@cc.utah.edu
Not all of my experiences have been bad. Notice that I said both the
rudeness and the generosity of the ham community. Actually, my experience
has been more positive than negative. Perhaps that's why the negative
experiences are so memorable.
I guess now I should relate some of the positive for you. An extra class
ham locally helped me install my mobile rig in my new Subaru Legacy. I'm
taking him out to dinner tomorrow to say "thanks." My blind YL ham was
having trouble with TVI and RFI in her shack. A local ham came up and did
a site inspection for her and told me what I could do to help the situation.
(I wasn't a ham yet and was just learning about TVI and RFI). I ran out of
gas one day on the way to work. A local ham showed up within 10 minutes of
my distress call with a gallon of gas. This past weekend I attended the
"Mormon Miracle Pageant" down in Manti, Utah. It's an outdoor, under the
stars, affair. My YL friend and I took our HTs and we had a great time
meeting other hams present from other parts of Utah. It was like these
guys had known us in high school. A ham from San Diego, California at
the pageant tapped my blind friend on the shoulder and introduced himself
when he saw her HT. On the 2 hour drive back to Salt Lake City in the
middle of the night my friend in another car, me, and another ham kept
each other awake by talking on 2m. It was great.
Oh, I also had a great time on field day. My blind YL friend and I made
contacts from her shack. We weren't competing but just having fun. The
hams we met were just great--polite and friendly (even when they sounded
like they really needed some sleep).
Yes, ham radio is a great hobby. I guess that was why I was lamenting the
small percentage of hams that spoil it by their rudeness and intimidation.
Cheryl
N7XHZ
Martin McCormick
>to experience both the rudeness and the generosity of the ham community.
>I'm learning the code because I *HAVE TO* for HF privileges, but I doubt
>I'll ever use it after the exams. Probably the most intimidating thing
>about the idea of going on the air with Morse instead of VOICE is the
>rude "old farts" out there that won't give a new ham the time of day.
>Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
>he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts.
Unfortunately, the problem described, here, is one of the
travails of life. Fortunately, the number of helpful,
knowledgeable, and generous hans far exceeds the number of
"old farts" who do their best to sabotage life on the bands.
The "old farts" probably started life as young farts. You
can hear and see tomorrows "old farts" in action at the local
grocery store blowing off steam because they didn't get a
candy bar.
Somewhere in life, like a maggot metamorphosing into a
fly, they change from young fart to "old fart." Some make
the change at 16 when they realize that they know everything
and don't need to go to school any more. Others gradually
decay into fartdom with years, and still others never go
through this metamorphosis.
Most radio clubs will have at least one "old fart." He
believes that everything new is worthless unless his sleeve
happened to bump the on/off switch on a computer and it did
something besides catch fire, at which point, he is an
instant expert.
What does one do about "old farts?" Just remember that
their little brains are filled to overflowing and you can't
tell them anything, at all. Ignore them totally. Fartdom
tends to be very contagious and these guys love nothing more
than to know that they are pushing everybody's buttons.
Do I follow my own advice? Probably not as often as I
should, but one should not forget that a few bad apples
needn't spoil the barrel.
Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK
O.S.U. Computer Center Data Communications Group
Walter Spector
|> to experience both the rudeness and the generosity of the ham community.
|> Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
|> he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts. Well, her
|> Kenwood 440 will only put out 100 watts so what's the deal here.
Prob'ly an AMer on 75 meter phone? They don't like talking with anyone
who doesn't 'glow in the dark'! You really need a Collins 32V or a Johnson
'Desk Top Kilowatt' to join this club. One guy around here uses an old Gates
broadcast transmitter. My TR-4Cw is almost passable, but they can spot the
controlled carrier a continent away. Solid state Japanese 'bell and whistle'
rigs which happen to do AM usually don't cut it. :-)
100 watts is plenty of power - assuming a good antenna/feed/tuner system
and good band conditions. It is amazing what 10 watts can do on 10 meters
when the band is open! Most hams only use high power for Serious Contesting,
marginal band conditions, and for Serious Dxing. (Oh yes, and Serious AMing
on 75 meters. :-)
|> Since when did
|> a bunch of hams own a frequency? Why could I not use a frequency if
|> they were clearly not transmitting on it?
Simply listening is not enough on HF. Proper protocol is to ask
"Is the frequency in use?" before calling CQ. The major reason is that
you can often only hear one side of a conversation on HF. You may be
innocently interfering with a QSO since you may not be able to hear the
other side.
Walt
--
Walt Spector
(w...@renaissance.cray.com)
Sunnyvale, California
_._ _._ _.... _. ._.
clmo...@miavx3.mid.muohio.edu
published any more than *ALL* teenagers are corrupt and immoral or *ALL*
no-code Techs are poor operators.
Speaking as one who has been around the ham bands for more than six months,
you'll find all varieties of individual .... just emulate the ones you
respect and try to persuade (read "show by example") those who may lack a bit
in their protocol.
But, whatever you do, do ENJOY ham radio .... there's something there for
everyone.
73 <> Carl
K8NHE
bill nelson
:
: |> Since when did
: |> a bunch of hams own a frequency? Why could I not use a frequency if
: |> they were clearly not transmitting on it?
:
: Simply listening is not enough on HF. Proper protocol is to ask
: "Is the frequency in use?" before calling CQ. The major reason is that
: you can often only hear one side of a conversation on HF. You may be
: innocently interfering with a QSO since you may not be able to hear the
: other side.
Correct. But, in this case, the person was not interfering with anyone.
The people just wanted them to move off the frequency since some of them
monitored it. They have no right to do that - it is poor manners to even
ask.
Bill
Roger Bly
>> but it certainly spoils it for the rest of us. Too bad the FCC or ARRL
>> didn't outlaw rudeness when they did profanity and idecency! Too bad
>> a Extra class *LID* can't be demoted to no-HF tech status for being
Remember, the ham community is diverse as is our society in general.
I am a rude and vulgar person (esp. on the radio) and prefer to associate
with similarly dispositioned people on the air. If you operate in the
40M "war zone" or on a "war repeater" such as 147.435 in LA, you had better
be ready to sling some shit. However, I do try hard not to offend others
when operating on other "non-war" freqs. As long as designated "war zones"
exist, we "bad apples" can coexist with out offending.
-Roger
ka6mwt
Advanced Class Lid for 12 years
jeffrey.n.jones
When I got into ham radio a little over a year ago I came in fully expecting
that 99% would be great people and the other 1% to be absolute rude idiots.
So far I haven't been disapointed. I have been rude to only once so far and
really have no bad experiences to relate. Yes, I have heard bad language and
the jammers but they are so few in relation to the others that are fine people
that it makes ham radio all that much better. Where else can you go to and
ask out loud that I need help or that I want to chat and have people come
running? If you are carrying a HT like Cheryl and a fellow ham sees you
he will usually come up and say hello. Maybe it's just me but I find this
to be one great hobby that seems to bring out the best in people.
Jeff
--
Jeff Jones AB6MB | On CW no one can hear you scream!
je...@seeker.mystic.com |
Infolinc BBS 415-778-5929 |
Jim Lockwood
>In article <1992Jul13...@cc.utah.edu>, cber...@cc.utah.edu writes:
>|> I've had my no-code tech ticket for about 2 months now--just long enough
>|> to experience both the rudeness and the generosity of the ham community.
>|> ...
>|> Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
>|> he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts. Well, her
>|> Kenwood 440 will only put out 100 watts so what's the deal here.
>
>Prob'ly an AMer on 75 meter phone? They don't like talking with anyone
>who doesn't 'glow in the dark'! You really need a Collins 32V or a Johnson
They only like to talk to people who have R-390 receivers that still have
their meters? :-)
More seriously though, I've tuned my SX-100 to the 3870 group often enough
to recognize the folks by the sounds of their voices, and I don't recall a
time when I heard them be rude to anyone, not even a QRMer.
73,
Jim Lockwood - KM6NK
lock...@acidqueen.eng.sun.com
Alan Bloom
>Probably the most intimidating thing
>about the idea of going on the air with Morse instead of VOICE is the
>rude "old farts" out there that won't give a new ham the time of day.
>Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
>he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts.
Sounds like the above incident happened on phone, not CW. My experience
is that the vast majority of the jerks, jammers and pirates are found
on the phone end of the bands. Why not give CW a try -- you might come
away with a more positive impression of hams.
AL N1AL
Jeff Angus
> Sounds like the above incident happened on phone, not CW. My experience
> is that the vast majority of the jerks, jammers and pirates are found
> on the phone end of the bands. Why not give CW a try -- you might come
> away with a more positive impression of hams.
>
> AL N1AL
>
Just as a counterpoint for this, I would like to point out the actions of a
HAM I've known for the past 24 years.
He purposely sends sloppy to keep the "no-coders with keyboards" from being
able to QSO with him. This is despite the fact they they came down to CW
portion wishing to see what this "CW stuff" is all about.
He also consistently tunes up his equipment on top of HF packet stations as
quote "that never works anyways, and at least I'm not causing interference to
any real people."
This is not a pro/anti CW posting, just a reminder that AH's are everywhere and
the type of modes they choose to operate doesn't affect their ability to act
accordingly.
The good news is that he's old and he'll be dead soon. The bad news is that he
probably has infected others with his attitude.
xenon!skyld!jangus < This space left blank intentionally. >
J Angus, PO Box 4425, Carson CA 90749-4425 voice (310) 324-6080
j...@n5ial.chi.il.us
I'll second that. I didn't catch what your license class was (and am too
lazy to back up and check), but if you're license allows it (or when it
does), check out cw, especially on 30m --- it's been a while since I lived
on 30m, but when I did, 99.9999% of the cw ops who hung around there were
the type I always loved to run into...good folks who wanted to chat, meet
people, and enjoy the hobby. none of the rudeness, none of the bad
language (which I do use...but NOT on the air!), and (one of my personal
favorite dislikes) none of the
n5ial de ..... tnx fer call ur 59 73 es tnx n5ial de ..... sk dit dit
(QSY).
(not even worth an entry in the logbook....)
most of the time, the folks on 30m cruise at 25 wpm and up, but I never
heard a slow CQ (relatively slow, that is --- right around 13 wpm) go
unanswered. quite often, it would be answered by someone I'd worked or
heard at speeds of around 28 wpm.
I've also heard that 160m (all modes) is the same way, but I've never
actually worked 160.
you might also try out (my latest new mode) AMTOR --- similar reasons,
just a different mode. lots of good people seem to hang out on AMTOR.
just look for a CQ, or call CQ.
and, as some have already said, don't let the lids get you down. just
ignore them --- that's what irritates them the most.....if you argue with
them, or try to flame them over the air, they eat it up like a kid eating
candy.
and if someone says they won't talk to you because you're not running
enough power to make them happy (they clearly don't care about FCC regs),
explain to them the difference (about 7 dB) between 100W and 500W, and
then point out to them exactly how insignificant that difference really
is --- there are roughly 5 dB per S-unit, so we're talking no more than
a 2 S-unit difference in signal strength. ok, if you're marginal, it
helps...otherwise, it's a total waste of time (and power). then again,
there are people who seem to require a full kW to talk to someone
literally half a block away on 75m, too.....
--jim
\input std_disclaimer % 73 DE N5IAL (/9)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"[...] the plural of `mongoose' ought to be `polygoose'." [Jargon file 2.9.10]
INTERNET: j...@n5ial.chi.il.us | gr...@gagme.chi.il.us | j.gr...@ieee.org
UUCP: gagme!n5ial!j...@clout.chi.il.us
AMATEUR RADIO: n5ial@n9hsi (Chicago.IL.US.Earth)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lai...@lub001.lamar.edu
Yes, I have to agree that many "SEASONED" HAMS are griping about the No Code
Techs. But you DO NOT have to let them run you off a frequency, Cheryl! Never
let them do that. The way I see it, If they treated me that way, I wouldn't
want to talk to them! They are just being old goats when they act like they
own a frequency. Just ignore them, the same as they do you are they are gonna
have a bigger laugh than you. I am advanced class and it is not any more
important than being a novice class, it just offers me more bandwidth.
CASE in point: And old friend, 68 years old is a No-Code Technician, not
because he wants to be but because he has a medical problem and can't hear
tones. Several people even Technicians with 5 words per minute Code passed
have made commetns about No-Code technicians. Well, it hurt that old guys
feelings real bad and mine too, listening to them. What if they were in the
same situation? He took it good, though, he knew they were old goats just as
much as they knew they were. Now he ignores when they call him - serves
them right. His quote - "There is something for everyone in America!".
Just remember that!
73's from and Advanced Class to a No-Code Technician- be proud of it! Write
when you like!
DE N5UYH in S.E. Texas
Brian Weaver
>CASE in point: And old friend, 68 years old is a No-Code Technician, not
>because he wants to be but because he has a medical problem and can't hear
>tones. Several people even Technicians with 5 words per minute Code passed
>have made commetns about No-Code technicians. Well, it hurt that old guys
>feelings real bad and mine too, listening to them. What if they were in the
>same situation? He took it good, though, he knew they were old goats just as
>much as they knew they were. Now he ignores when they call him - serves
>them right. His quote - "There is something for everyone in America!".
>Just remember that!
If he has a medical problem he should submit the proper forms
so he can bypass the CW requirement to upgrade. He
will just have to understand the theory and a doctor has to
sign the medical form.
--
Brian Weaver
Internet: bwe...@quack.sac.ca.us
Packet Radio: KD6CFA@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA
Ron Natalie
>>because he wants to be but because he has a medical problem and can't hear
> so he can bypass the CW requirement to upgrade. He
> will just have to understand the theory and a doctor has to
> sign the medical form.
You can't waiver the 5 WPM test. The examiners however are allowed
a lot of leeway (to the point of absurdity) in giving a code test
to a handicapped applicant. You should contact a knowlegable local
VE team, Handihams, or the league.
-Ron
j...@n5ial.chi.il.us
more comments here..... this whole bit really bugs me.... there is no
excuse, period, for people behaving that way --- it is NOT what Amateur
Radio is all about.
In article <1992Jul13...@cc.utah.edu> cber...@cc.utah.edu writes:
>Probably the most intimidating thing
>about the idea of going on the air with Morse instead of VOICE is the
>rude "old farts" out there that won't give a new ham the time of day.
QUESTION: are they not giving you the time of day because you're a
new ham? or is it because you don't have the 5 wpm code? it's wrong
either way (very wrong), but I can't even begin to imagine *ANY* ham
(even those who can't handle the idea of a no-code license) not being
willing to help out a new ham....that just goes against the grain.
also, I mentioned this yesterday, but it deserves repeating.... you'll
find that these types are ***MUCH*** more common in the phone portion
of the bands. seems the people who rag on others for not knowing the
code don't seem to use it themselves (at least, from what I've seen).
when I was starting out with cw, and (due to not having used it for a
year, and the resulting lack of confidence) was really shakey even at
5 wpm, did anyone I worked give me a hard time? no. all I got was a
gentle reminder at times that it's ok to ask them to slow down if I
need to. btw, this was before there was such a thing as a no-code
license.
before any of this happened, one of the local hams in San Antonio (where
I grew up) heard about this technician (me) who wanted to upgrade to
general, but didn't have a rig to get on the air with and work on his
code speed....he was genuinely p*ssed off (that nobody had helped me
out already with either building one or getting an old rig on a college
student's budget), and set out to find a rig for me. before the day was
over, I had a rig up and running --- cost me 25 cents (so he could tell
his wife: ``yes dear, I *sold* it''). it was an old rig, but it still
worked on 20m, 40m, and 75/80m.
this rig has now been passed along to another new ham who wants to get
his code speed up (I'm not sure if he's a no-code tech or just a plain
old tech)....cost him (you guessed it) 25 cents.
*THAT* is how it is supposed to work.
>I've read months of arguing over the code versus no-code issue. Seems
>to me that this is territorial issue rather than a technical one.
there is a good reason I know of why code is still important (note that
I didn't say fun --- I love cw): bad band conditions. if band conditions
are lousy, cw is still the most efficient in terms of power distribution
per unit frequency, as it is a pure, unmodulated carrier. this means that
it still penetrates through the noise better than other modes. when band
conditions are really marginal, you'll often find folks (like me) who'll
switch to cw to finish off the QSO after the voice signal is ancient history.
this can be really important during disaster communications, too......
>The
>"old farts" were on the playground first and don't want newcomers to
>come in and use the swings because then they'll have to share.
yes, that is generally the real reason why people (at least, people I've
talked to) are anti-no-code. they're concerned about ``keeping the
standard high'' or something, and don't realize what a black eye their
attitude gives the hobby.
>Too bad the FCC or ARRL
>didn't outlaw rudeness when they did profanity and idecency! Too bad
>a Extra class *LID* can't be demoted to no-HF tech status for being
>abusive on the ham bands.
at least in the cases of the lids I've heard, their language was far from
clean....they used just about every word in the book. scratch ``just
about'' --- they even created words that aren't in the book. they also
were so arrogant that they didn't mind at all giving their callsigns,
since they were sure that even if the FCC was listening that they wouldn't
get as much as a slap on the wrist. sadly enough, they were probably
right.
what needs to happen is for something to be done to enforce the regs.
granted, the FCC can't be everywhere, but there should be a well
established, documented, published procedure (or is there?) for going
about contacting the FCC and getting serious action taken. I'm not
suggesting that this be setup for every time someone slips a word in here
and there that they didn't mean to --- I'm talking about the lids who make
a point of it. you all know the type.
from a very irritated ham, licensed since '88, who can't imagine how someone
calling themselves an Amateur Radio Operator can behave so shabbily to
another ham.....
Buddy Brannan
I've been a ham for close to 5 years. I've run into mostly wonderful people.
I've run into a few bozos and jerks and Bubbas and everything else too. But
mostly nice guys/women. I've made many friends, may of whom I may never meet
in person. I've spent many enjoyable nights at the key or microphone with
people, or running up and down the band just looking around. I've jumped out
of my skin a couple times when I worked that "rare one" too ... ham radio is
a wonderful thing. It's even gotten me out of a jam or three. I think my
figures pretty much agree with Jeff's--99% of 'em are great, and the others--
well--let's not talk about them, shall we? :) Personally, I see no reason
for some of the behavior I've seen, especially considering that we represent
our country, whatever it is, to others, andothers get their impressions of
others like us by our actions or our conversations--what else do they have?
I'm sure that more than one SWL has become disillusioned by ham radio when
they hear some of the behavior, but I like to think that a bunch more are
in awe of radio, as am I, as was I at 14 when I first read about ham radio in
"How To Become A Radio Amateur"--a book from 1950 no less. ... I seem to
ramble. Ah well...
Hope to run into some of you as we project into the luminiferous (sp?) ether...
Buddy, KB5ELV
Tom Mann
> In article <1992Jul13...@cc.utah.edu> cber...@cc.utah.edu writes:
>
> >Just last week one yelled at my blind YL friend (who is an Extra) that
> >he didn't want to talk anyone running less than 500 watts. Well, her
> >Kenwood 440 will only put out 100 watts so what's the deal here.
>
> He's directly advocating violation of an FCC regulation (the one that
> requires us to use no more power than necessary) and should be told so.
Most likely he is pretty hard of hearing. Then again, maybe not... I've
got a hearing loss and never noticed that 2 extra 's' units made much
difference. Just turn up the volume a little. My experience has been
that a small percentage of old timers act this way and a larger portion
of the more recently licensed also act this way. My usual response is
to tell them that I hope their mother bites them when they return to
their kennel.
73,
Tom KD9NL
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Tom "Old" Mann KD9NL/7 Kirkland, Wash. |
| |
| Since I am un-employed, no one is responsible for my opinions. |
Richard Loken
>and if someone says they won't talk to you because you're not running
>enough power to make them happy (they clearly don't care about FCC regs),
>explain to them the difference (about 7 dB) between 100W and 500W, and
>then point out to them exactly how insignificant that difference really
>is --- there are roughly 5 dB per S-unit, so we're talking no more than
>a 2 S-unit difference in signal strength. ok, if you're marginal, it
>helps...otherwise, it's a total waste of time (and power). then again,
>there are people who seem to require a full kW to talk to someone
>literally half a block away on 75m, too.....
Or you could lie.
"Oh your right, musta bumped the switch on the 3K Ultra..."
"TWeeeet heelloo, heeelllo....tweeet"
"There is that better?"
"No? Your receiver front end is shot, its a common problem with the
Foo Mumble 101X. Call them up, its on a secret warranty."
--
Richard Loken VE6BSV : "ISDN (acronym)
Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta Canada : Innovations
te...@cs.AthabascaU.CA : Subscribers Don't Need."
{atha|aunro}!cs.athabascau.ca!tech : - some sorehead or other
Buddy Brannan
in question, being a codeless Tech, can't take anyway until he passes 5 WPM,
are forgetting something that seems to me quite obvious and also important.
The disabled have, for years, found new and different ways to do things--
all kinds of things--including copying the code, and sending the code. If
your friend has trouble hearing tones, well then, ... if you look in the rules,
it says that a person can have alternative testing arrangements for that
test, i.e. a vibrating speaker or other device to copy code through, or a
flashing light, or something along those lines. Why not give it a go? If your
friend wants to upgrade, then there is a way. If your friend is happy where
he is, that is fine too. There is room for everyone and everyone's interests
here. And no one should give him grief because he chose to get his codeless
license. It's here; whether ya like it or not, it is, it is legal, and should
be used. The ops who have them are, as a general rule, just as good, or bad,
as any op who got his code requirement way-back-when.
The point is that with some enginuity (or is it ingenuity?) things can be done
thought impossible because a body doesn't possess the conventional means by
which it is done.
73
Buddy, KB5ELV
dav...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
lai...@lub001.lamar.edu
Brian, I would think that the person MUST have passed his 5 WPM code test
before any doctors' excuse would resque him from the 13 and 20 WPM. At least
that is the latest ruling from the FCC. He doesn't have the 5WPM code test
passed, either. He also (which I failed to mention in my earlier post)
suffered from a stroke a while ago. According to his doctor, his memory has
been affected by this. He isn't senile, however things just don't stick
real hard with him anymore. My point was the rude HAMS who always seem to be
making comments on repeaters about how NO-CODE Technicians are less than HAMS.
Thats not true. This guy, however disabled he may be sure beats the attitudes
of a lot of HAM who have been doing it 40 years. I really get tired of hearing
how they should make everybody take the code cause I had to. It is not
entirely the FCC that makes the decision. Remember WARC? Well, that is one
place that sets the requirement for HF priviledges. Yea we have mentioned to
him the waiver for the code requirement, however I don't personally think he
will ever learn the morse code to pass it. This guy shows a lot more
ettiquette on the repeaters and simplex than do a lot of HAMS in the area.
Hope that will explain why I quoted his case as a point.
Phillip - N5UYH
Tom Mann
>
> what needs to happen is for something to be done to enforce the regs.
> granted, the FCC can't be everywhere, but there should be a well
> established, documented, published procedure (or is there?) for going
> about contacting the FCC and getting serious action taken. I'm not
> suggesting that this be setup for every time someone slips a word in here
> and there that they didn't mean to --- I'm talking about the lids who make
> a point of it. you all know the type.
>
we ask the FCC to get involved we generally don't like what we get.
After a lot of years in the hobby, I advocate the "self policing"
policy. Granted, there is not much we can do about the rude idiots
on the air expcept ignore them but if we ask for enforcement, I'm
afraid the FCC might just say "The whole (amateur) service is more
trouble than it is worth".
A quick anecdote from my own past regarding a "word slip"... I've
generally been a push to talk operator rather than 'vox'. Well,
one field day (very early in the morning), something seemed wrong
with the antenna and without thinking, I turned to the logger
and said "what the **** is wrong with this antenna".... you guessed
it! The vox kicked in and every single word was transmitted with
GREAT clarity. Most of the comment I got back were, "Nothing, you're
comming through S-9". Well, it did get a few more contacts!