The "use" of UHF/SHF "consumer" junk from yaecomwood does not an amateur
make......Carl is right.....but the "techs" have even less knowledge and
ability than the "dinosaurs".......(Carl excluded, of course)
Carl, IF you've done what you say, you are NOT representative of 99.99% of
the folks that "no-code" have lured in.....I'm sorry, it's just fact.
Generalization and stereotypes are NOT 100% inclusive....I'm an exception
to several (non-ham) stereotypes......but that doesn't mean diddlyshit as to
the validity of the generalization.
If you're what you say you are, don't make a fool of yourself by "defending"
the kind of garbage that has come into our ranks since the 'decicion' --
or since the 'easing' of the code tests (with the advent of the VEC system)
There will alway be "a" ham radio...of this I'm convinced.....but no,
change is NOT always good, even thought it always happens....
In the audiophile world, of the 50s, most built their gear, or at least
understood the kits they built....the world of "vintage" or "contemporary"
tube audio is alive and well!!!-- but the "appliance" operators of
the audio field don't know anything about their gear....they're just
(usually well-heeled) consumers of a product....they bring it to me to
fix....until I threw them all out of my house, that is...
I am willing to "elmer" -- as much time and effort is needed --- but I'm
NOT a free "radio shop" for the "techies" to drop their "broken" radio
off at....not any more....they can send their talkies and mobiles (that's
all they own, isn't it?) to some "importer" -- IF they can even define/describe
the problem....
Goodbye, elmer....hello Gordon West/Fred Maia/Alinco/ADI/Rat Shack/...whip out
them Master Cards....so we can TALK!!!!
Threes and Eights, my good buddies,
Walt
On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 11:04:29 -0500 Carl Hyde <carl.s.hyde@lmco.com>
wrote:
>
>
>
> Peter J. F. Shaw wrote:
>
> > Greetings Ten-Tecers
> > I have derived an opinion about the above no code licensee statistics
> > based on observations and analysis made while a resident of Atlanta,
> > GA and Citrus County, FL. A no code tech has no need to pay money to
> > the ARRL for their services and information because many of the no
> > code tech licensees aren't hams at all, but amateur licensees
> > (persons) who have found a more economical (cheaper) alternative to
> > cellular mobile telephone service. I hear this style of mobile
> > telephone usage on the 2M and 70CM repeaters predominantly. Weeks or
> > more pass without any mention of amateur radio or its related topics
> > in repeater conversations. It is truly sad, and I am depressed about
> > it. As I see it, the huge mistake was establishing a no code license
> > class without a 2 to 4 year sunset (specific term). Here, there are
> > 600+ amateur licensees in this 115K population county and you can
> > count on two hands the number of hams. When times change like this,
> > it isn't for the better; at least in my book.
> > 73 Pete K4LDR Citrus County, FL on the Gulf of Mex
> >
> > --
>
> Pete I think your way off base here. I was one of those no code techs
> for a few years and I considered myself more of a Ham than 99% of you HF
> guys will ever be. I design and build my own 440 and 1200 Mhz
> tranceivers, Designed an entire emergency 1.2 gig hi speed APRS Packet
> repeater for the County Emergency Service and then built the equipment.
> I didn't subscribe to QST or join the ARRL because they dont even know
> that the radio spectrum goes buyond 30 Mhz. I don't care about
> contesting and I don't care what happened in the latest ARRL Weekly
> convention somewhere. If I want to read a magazine I'll read CQ VHF or
> Communications Quarterly. So when was the last time you designed and
> built a tranceiver? When was the last time QST published an article on
> APRS, Hi Speed Packed, 1200 Mhz radio development or anything not having
> to do with HF contesting and DXpeditions.
>
> Also your impression of repeater use in your area differs from mine. 60%
> of the members of our repeater are General License or above. We have a
> policy of emergency use only of the phone patch and anyone who has been
> awake the last three years knows that a cell phone is cheaper (read free)
> and at $14.00 a month provides a much more reliable communications method
> than using a $400.00 radio to save a few phone calls!!! We use the
> repeaters to stay in touch, ragchew and make plans to get together. I
> don't see why every conversation has to be about ham radio. You can only
> talk about it so much. Besides you miss the point that by using a
> repeater you are involved in ham radio!
>
> If the state of ham radio is as you say in your area then YOU didn't do
> anything to improve it. You guys make me sick squawking about how the
> Techs are a bunch of CBers yet you don't make any effort to get them
> interested in the HF spectrum, hell most of you have never even talked to
> them to see if they might like to hear about how much fun HF is. And if
> it werent for the no-code license, there would be no influx of new hams
> at all. Face it Gentlemen there is no NEED for anyone on this planet to
> know morse code just as there is no need for anyone to manufacture buggy
> whips. Is there a DESIRE for anyone to learn morse code? Yes the desire
> can be fostered if you can demonstrate to a no-code tech the elegance and
> usefullness of Morse as a communications mode. Hell most people that
> have general and above licenses don't use code and stopped the day they
> got their General. Virtuall 99% of all innovation, technical
> improvementsn new communications methods and fresh ideas are taking place
> in the VHF and UHF spectrum. In the next few years there will be
> revolutionaly innovations in how amateurs communicate and innovate. Some
> are already here Kenwood has taken the lead in bringing this technology
> to the market. TV cameras that send pictures over packet, a data ready
> aprs'packet HT with TNC built in. A plug-in GPS receiver will be
> available in the spring. 1200 Mhz HTs with spread spectrum data
> transmission will be available next year. Too bad many of these
> innovations are being developed by European and Japanese Hams. They
> arent being developed here in the United States because OUR hams can't
> seem to agree on a future path for amateur radio where we work together,
> actually try new things, and stop pointing fingers and catagorizing
> people based on their license level and not on what they bring to the
> hobby.
>
> You wanna get no-code techs to upgrade to HF licenses then get off your
> ass and do it!!
> Just quit bitching about how everything is bad since the spark gap
> transmitter went away and the transistor was invented. Its called CHANGE
> and you can either shape that change to your liking or get out of the
> way!
>
> Carl Hyde
> carl.s.hyde@lmco.com
> Desk: (609) 866-6386
> Fax: (609) 866-6414
>
> POLITICS: From the Latin prefix "Poli" meaning "Many" and the word
> "Tics"
> meaning "blood sucking parasites"
>
>
>
> --
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