Response from KR4WM re: Morally Bankrupt

Op-Ed
Here’s an op-ed piece from the subject of the “VOIP=Morally Bankrupt” thread featured last week – by the subject of the piece, K4WRM. Go ahead Web, the repeater is yours:
OK, after careful consideration, I’ve decided that “morally bankrupt” was an unfortunate selection of words on my part. I take that term pretty lightly, and did not consider that some would take offense to it. I also recanted this statement at QRZ.com.

The fact is, I feel that we do need some term to refer to people who use VOIP to work DX repeaters as a substitute for not upgrading their license and using HF. Whatever the term is, it needs to shame these individuals into upgrading to an HF-privileged license, and it should make them feel inadequate for using VOIP as a substitute for HF. I’m not alone. Thousands of hams feel this way. Many won’t tell you they feel that way to your face. I suggest the term “RF challenged” be used as a descriptive term any time you refer to someone who uses VOIP as a substitute for a real RF contact. I’m not suggesting that shut-ins, people in HOA areas, and others who have no other option besides VOIP be referred to in this manner. I’m referring to the people who are lazy and/or stubborn and have the educational wherewithall to upgrade their license but don’t. I’m also referring to those who feel that government entitlement owes them HF privileges without having to work for them. This is not a no-code/pro-code argument. I don’t mind if the code requirement is lifted. You can’t place blame on someone who accepts privileges that were offered to them without being forced to learn code. But geez- if you have an HF-privileged license, have a rig parked on your desk, and have an antenna you can connect to it, why on earth would you, in good conscience, use VOIP? Is it so you can use a distant repeater to talk with someone who doesn’t have HF privileges? If so, you’re certainly not stimulating them to upgrade their license. By doing this you’ve become an “enabler” which gives them another reason not to upgrade their license! After all, if they can work you on VOIP, why bother to upgrade?

Everyone complains that we’re not using our frequencies. Everyone complains that BPL is going to ruin HF. If you’re using VOIP, you may as well admit to being pro-BPL. After all, couldn’t you just use BPL to complete your “radio” contact? I suppose you’d argue that since you used BPL, that it would count for an HF contact? Let’s just all unplug our antennas and tell the radio manufacturers to install an RJ-45 jack on the rear panel of all new transceivers. They can do away with that pesky notch filtering, DSP, etc. because all contacts will be interference-free. Without RF finals, radios will be much cheaper. Heck, you could probably get a router and plug a handset into it and call it your “new and improved ham radio”, right? And with each new ham on VOIP, that’s one less signal occupying bandwidth on HF. If we ALL convert to VOIP, we could hand over all our HF bandwidth to the BPL guys and everyone will be happy, Q S L?

So- you win. I promise not to call you “morally bankrupt” anymore. From this date forward, you’ll be known by me as “RF challenged”. Kind of like a person who is missing a limb is referred to as “physically challenged”. “Physically challenged” is a politically correct term, so you should have no problem with me calling you “RF challenged”. That is, unless you can come up with a more fitting descriptive term….?

I don’t consider myself to be a “ham radio snob”. People who know me personally will tell you I’m not one. I just think that people in this hobby should make some attempt to advance, not stagnate, and becoming a VOIP operator stifles some of the need to do this.

The “beginner” (technician) license was meant to be that- a license for a beginner. People get into the amateur radio hobby for many reasons, but the main reason (most) people become hams is the romance of working DX, and you can’t do that (well) unless you’re on HF. I’m fully aware of satellite DX and EME, and enjoy VHF DXing, but it’s physically impossible to work Japan direct from the east coast of the U.S. on 2M. But this is easily accomplished with VOIP, which removes a primary reason for upgrading one’s license. And once someone upgrades, you *KNOW* they’re going to put some type of HF station on the air! (If they can.) After all, why invest all the time and effort in a license upgrade and not use it?

So there you have it. You might think this is a story about sneetches (see Dr. Seuss). It’s not. I’d rather see someone upgrade and get on HF than stagnate by discovering VOIP. Are -YOU- “RF challenged”?

Thanks for the piece, KR4WM. Here at Hamsexy we invite all viewpoints, and unlike QRZ.COM other websites we aren’t afraid of publishing contrary viewpoints. If you are interested in having an op-ed piece posted to this site, feel free to e-mail us at op-ed@hamsexy.com. We welcome any and all viewpoints.

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34 Responses to Response from KR4WM re: Morally Bankrupt

  1. n0xmz says:

    “I’m also referring to those who feel that government entitlement owes them HF privileges without having to work for them.”

    The last I checked, one must still pass a written test to get HF access, Morse code or not. I hardly see this as an “etitlement handout”.

  2. tvsjr says:

    Hey Bryan – you attempting to impersonate Slashdot with the dupe posting? 🙂

    And, for WM, you may not consider yourself a ham radio snob, but you are one. We use a VOIP system built by one of our members to connect distant repeaters to our 50+ site UHF linked repeater network. We like going RF wherever we can… but we have members who have moved out of state, and there’s no way we’re ever going to reach them 50-mile-hop at a time. Also, we use VOIP for throwdown emergency packages (had one on the air for Dayton ’05, from our hotel).

    Personally, I look at it the other way – ham radio is stagnating in general and had been long before VOIP became the Next Big Thing. If VOIP gets people active, gets repeaters put on the air, whatever, so much the better. Once people get into the hobby, theoretically they should be “elmered” and will hopefully upgrade their ticket. Unfortunately, this usually doesn’t happen as younger members (like myself) are turned off by the HamFunk.

  3. SixMeterSexy says:

    Well,

    The problems with your fallacious arguments are many and varied. We’ll just hit the high points as not to use this flawed Internet bandwidth too liberally…

    First, the folks you refer to are not “RF Challenged.” They have full use of the amateur spectrum above 50 MHz. That means full legal limit, anytime they want. Challenged? Hardly. Many of these unwashed masses of Techs use their privileges to their fullest extent, operating 6m DX or even 2m weak signal. You should know this – I have heard you operate on 6. Do you not converse with those neophyte Techs?

    Second, your assertion that “[t]he “beginner” (technician) license was meant to be that- a license for a beginner” is simply in error. The Tech license, when it was first introduced, was not a beginner license; it was an upgrade from Tech. The fact that it is now the starting point is an odd twist of fate that should not serve to undermine the qualifications of those who hold the license. Again, many Techs are well-qualified, competent ops who are quite happy doing what they are doing.

    Your claim that “the main reason (most) people become hams is the romance of working DX, and you can’t do that (well) unless you’re on HF” is also baseless. People get their tickets for a plethora of reasons. Many are storm spotters. Some are scouts, or like-minded individuals. Some get it to communicate with friends and family. And, many, like my wife, want to have access to APRS. None of these activities require HF. In fact, use of HF here is silly – much like your argument. And to suggest that HF is the only route to DX is both disingenuous and just plain wrong. You – a VHF enthusiast—know better!

    You know, there are some people who get a license and radio simply to chat. Maybe loneliness or just wanting to be connected with society are at work here. In any event, if those folks feel better about themselves and the world by chatting with someone on VOIP, why is that bad? And, let’s face it, working DX is little more than “59- thank you.”

    There are other problems with your facile rantings, but I’ll spare you. It’s unfortunate that you – or anyone – will make light of people when they are hurting no one and enjoying themselves. Your elitist attitude is obvious, and the more you try to backpeddle, the more obvious it becomes.

    Oh well… See you on 6.

    SMS

  4. n5ksk says:

    It’s good to know that “real” ham radio is making DX contacts, and all else is false.

    WM, the fleet was in harbor, and you missed all the boats.

    I personally have been a tech (+, after grandfathering in), but I know more about HF and HF radios than many Extras. Why haven’t I upgraded? I can’t afford an HF rig, nor do I have a place to put it. So what’s the point? Does that mean I am less of a ham for not mounting a Swan 350 in my car and working mobile HF?

    Stereotyping non-upgraders as “lazy and/or stubborn” is condescension of the worst kind. There may be many motives. Last time I checked, ham radio was about pursuing your interests in radio. For some, that goes to VHF only; you listed EME, and satellite. These are “furthering the radio art”, whereas HF has been well-established as a standard mode for years.

    I suppose next year we will see petitions for mandatory upgrading to each license class within one year, or license revokation.

    Is that what you want? That’s what it sounds like.

    – Tom (not a real ham, but the FCC thinks I am)

  5. va3igd says:

    I don’t see anywhere in the regulations that licence holders are required to upgrade from basic or beginner status to a higher level.
    Some people are satisfied with their current status and do not want to change to a more advanced level or study morse code because some other person decides they should.
    I think there should be a requirement in the regulations for all amateurs to get a sense of humour.

  6. The IVT says:

    “The fact is, I feel that we do need some term to refer to people who use VOIP to work DX repeaters as a substitute for not upgrading their license and using HF”

    I didn’t read all of this thing, but this part stuck out immediately. My response to it is…no we don’t.

    I’ll bring up an old argument here. Ham Radio is a hobby. As long as I’ve been alive, my hobbies have been pursued in a manner in which I wanted to pursue them and not by some outside influence. However, the minute I start pissing on someone else’s enjoyment of the same hobby, that’s where the line is drawn. You shouldn’t do that in ham radio, obviously, and I’m not necessarily talking about jamming but all these attitudes that what someone is doing and wants to do with ham radio is wrong according to some pre-defined rules that influence the overall idea of ham radio.

    You know, maybe it’s because I’m a relatively anti-social loner but I didn’t get my ham license to subscribe to some sort of ham brotherhood. People are people to me. A person is not a ham to me, they’re just another person but a person that shares an interest that I do in a way. I got into this hobby to do what I wanted to it within the boundaries of the rules and in a way that made me enjoy it. I started fooling around with electronics when I was probably about 4-5 years old and while it took me getting older and actually learning more about it on my own, the only rules I had to subscribe to in tinkering were the concepts and theories behind the electronic stuff I was working with and whatever safety precautions I had to take to not electrocute or blow myself up. That aint the way with ham radio and that really bothers me.

    I may have missed the point with this and contradicted myself but what I was doing was giving my opinion, just like the original article was doing (and btw dude, the half-sarcastic half-self depricating shit is pretty lame). Hell, my opinion of how ham radio should be run is like how I think driver’s licenses should be regulated nowadays. Afer you reach a certain age, that ham ticket gets yanked. Either that or after your first major bitchable surgery (bypass, hip, sex change, etc). That way we all can enjoy old phart free air and the kids coming into this hobby won’t sound like indoctrinated clones of their elmer(s).

    But how many people wouldn’t like that?

  7. mrcpu says:

    I think there is a middle ground here:

    1-Anyone logging or QSL carding a DX voip connection should be ashamed of themselves

    2-Using Voip for casual fun or to chat with distant friends or put together a nice repeater network is cool and educational

    3-Relying on VOIP only in an emergency can/will result in bad things happening

    4-Utilizing a working VOIP setup during an emergency with an HF backup in place, tested and ready to go, could be very helpful under the right circumstances.

  8. Administrator says:

    CPU:

    you’re forgeting the goof who was trying to organize an IRLP “contest”… that falls under the “shameful” category.

  9. mrcpu says:

    CPU:

    you’re forgeting the goof who was trying to organize an IRLP “contest”… that falls under the “shameful” category.

    Here here!

  10. kg4foy says:

    sounds like another code/no-code arguement to me regardless of how he tries to hide it….Also sounds like its afraid of advancing technology, who is this guy Ted Kaczynski Jr……what a dousche bag

  11. vk2qq says:

    “The “beginner” (technician) license was meant to be that- a license for a beginner. People get into the amateur radio hobby for many reasons, but the main reason (most) people become hams is the romance of working DX, and you can’t do that (well) unless you’re on HF.”

    What a load of parochial claptrap. You repeatedly insult Techs as beginners and insist they need to upgrade. This is a USAcentric argument.

    I have an “advanced” licence and use Voip connected repeaters to chat to friends when I am not at home and not able to access my HF station. I have spoken to many other hams here and overseas with advanced or extra or “full” licences.

    Using Voip connected repeater systems is in no way inferior to the quality of this communication.

    From all the anti-Voip comments that I have read in past few years, one thing has been common in them all…. the complainant has been an HF operator, with big antennas, big amps and lots of space. How very fortunate for them, but how very unkind of them to insult other hams for having fun in their own way.

    You are a damn snob.

    Brad VK2QQ

  12. va3igd says:

    I think we should let the individual amateur operators decide what they want to do and where they want to go in amateur radio.
    If existing amateurs stopped bitching and complaining about others, then maybe a few more people will enter the hobby with the expectation of being treated with the respect we all deserve.
    Perhaps that is why many stay away from this hobby or is it a bitchfest!

  13. grinthock says:

    HAm Radio is whatever the individual operator wants to do, and every Amateur technology has a use!

    When i’m in CALGARY and want to talk to Toronto, and all i’ve got with me is a 5W VHF/UHF handhelf, then IRLP is the correct application to get the job done.

    Just like you wouldn’t use HF to talk across the street (ok you could but you wouldn’t), there are APPLICATIONS for every technology.

    Yes some people use it in ways that are kinda stupid, example, people in Toronto who will remain nameless using 110W spectras running full power to get into TWR from the corner of king and dufferin.

    Bottom line is, each technology has an appropriate use.

  14. KR4WM says:

    n0xmz: The last I checked, one must still pass a written test to get HF access, Morse code or not. I hardly see this as an “etitlement handout”.

    kr4wm: Yes, but there are a lot of people who, instead of taking the current test, are sitting on their hands and wait for a legislated license upgrade without having to take a test.

    tvsjr: We use a VOIP system built by one of our members to connect distant repeaters to our 50+ site UHF linked repeater network. We like going RF wherever we can… but we have members who have moved out of state, and there’s no way we’re ever going to reach them 50-mile-hop at a time.

    kr4wm: You actually tie up 50 repeaters at one time? Pretty wasteful of our spectrum, but that’s just my opinion. Or are you saying that you can bring up a single repeater from any other repeater in a 50+ repeater system? A single HF frequency would do it all, and get you your 50 mile hop at the same time. It’s called 75 meters.

    tvsjr: Once people get into the hobby, theoretically they should be “elmered” and will hopefully upgrade their ticket.

    kr4wm: Nothing wrong with that. I’ve put on classes at my home for prospective hams to get an NCT license. If anyone asks me, I’d be happy to elmer them up to general. I’ve put on a few show-and-tells at our local club. At last night’s meeting- it was how to solder and install a PL-259. But- there’s also nothing wrong with buying a few books and showing some personal initiative. I bought books and learned how to rebuild car motors, repair air conditioners, do TV repair, plumbing, carpentry, and furniture building. Been there, done all of it. I never had anyone to lead me by the hand and show me how. I’m not bragging, I’m just telling you that if you want to do something and nobody is around to show you how, get a book on the subject and read it.

    SMS: Many of these unwashed masses of Techs use their privileges to their fullest extent, operating 6m DX or even 2m weak signal. You should know this – I have heard you operate on 6. Do you not converse with those neophyte Techs?

    KR4WM: I don’t call them unwashed- that seems much more derogatory than “RF challenged”. I don’t have a problem speaking with NCT’s, I just wish they’d take some incentive and upgrade. The more on HF, the merrier. But I’ll make a bet with you- you’re welcome to use my station- a 10 element yagi on 2M at 60 feet with 500 watts and a mast-mounted preamp. Work a JA from my QTH. Can’t be done. That’s what HF is for. You -might- do it on 6 from my place under perfect conditions, but I’ve been on 6 for a few years now, and haven’t worked Europe yet. I know it’s possible, I just haven’t been home when the band’s open to there. But I can go on HF and work them just about any time. VHF/DX is what I currently find challenging. And challenging it is, unlike a VOIP contact which is almost as easy as dialing a phone, which is why I consider it the “lazy” hams mode.

    n5ksk: Why haven’t I upgraded? I can’t afford an HF rig, nor do I have a place to put it.

    kr4wm: OK, you’re exempt as far as I’m concerned. Can’t afford it doesn’t really cut the mustard, because if you can afford internet access, you can afford a $200 cheapie/used HF rig. But if you’ve got no place to put it- I’ll buy that argument.

    n5ksk: I suppose next year we will see petitions for mandatory upgrading to each license class within one year, or license revokation.

    kr4wm: It used to be that way, although I’m not old enough to remember it. The beginner license at the time was Novice. They had one year to upgrade to tech or face retesting to keep their license. There’s nothing wrong with that. I think after two years as novice, if they hadn’t upgraded to tech, they lost their license? Anyone here old enough to remember that can fill us in? The current beginner license is technician. I wish they’d bring the old rule back and give techs one year to upgrade to general. I don’t care if they drop the code, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit. I have some good friends who just can’t pass it that I’d dearly love to hear on HF. The general written test is not that hard.

    TO: mrcpu and administrator: you’re both hit the nail right on the head! No argument from here!

    kg4foy: Also sounds like its afraid of advancing technology, who is this guy Ted Kaczynski Jr.

    kr4wm: Who is Ted Kaczynski Jr.???? Guess I need to find a book and read up .

    vk2qq: This is a USAcentric argument.

    kr4wm: Precisely. So please explain to me, why it is you feel the need to concern yourself?

    grinthock: When i’m in CALGARY and want to talk to Toronto, and all i’ve got with me is a 5W VHF/UHF handhelf, then IRLP is the correct application to get the job done.

    kr4wm: That’s fine if that’s what you want to do. I just feel that you should have an HF license to use VOIP for distances exceeding 150 miles. VOIP is not necessarily “bad”. I just think it holds people back from reaching their full potential. Would you still use VOIP if you and the person you wanted to contact in Toronto both had an HF-privileged license? I normally carry a small portable HF rig with me everywhere I go. It’s either a Yaesu FT-100D or an Elecraft K2/100 that I built. One of them, a Radio Shack switching power supply, a short length of coax, a tuner, and a wire dipole, and I’m on the air in no time without having to rely on the public infrastructure (the internet).

    kg4rrn: June 2005 Net Check-in, on 440-VIOP, and FAN:)

    kr4wm: Is that FAN DIPOLE???

    Y’all don’t take my criticism so seriously- lighten up! I invite each and every one of you to my house- even the Aussie who cussed at me. We’ll sit down in my shack and share some great time on the radio- from DC to daylight, and probably a few of my nice hoppy homebrewskis. I just threw a keg of Yeungling in the kegerator too- going to tap it this weekend. If you’re nice I might even get my wife to make some of her homemade egg rolls for ya! Just be prepared to NOT find a microphone hooked up to my ‘puter, ’cause it ain’t no radio!!! After the third beer, if you still think I’m a snob….. then you’re entitled to your opinion.

    73 all, -KR4WM

  15. Rapture says:

    Y’all don’t take my criticism so seriously- lighten up! I invite each and every one of you to my house- even the Aussie who cussed at me.
    ……………………………………

    Now who do you think would want to Drink with a proven ‘HAMSNOB OF THE YEAR ‘ winner.

  16. vk2qq says:

    vk2qq: This is a USAcentric argument.

    kr4wm: Precisely. So please explain to me, why it is you feel the need to concern yourself?

    I concern myself because of your apparent generalisation that all Voip users need to upgrade. I have the highest grade licence available in this country – including CW.

    I concern myself because of your apparent belief that all Voip users are NCT HF Wannabees yet nothing could be further from the truth.

    I concern myself because this is an international forum, Voip is an international system and your argument fails miserably when applied internationally.

    75m eh?
    1. We don’t have 75m. So your suggestion fails.
    2. 75m/80m doesn’t have adequate coverage by day. So your suggestion fails.
    3. Go to http://www.ips.gov.au Look for the HAP charts and find any time of day on any frequency when I could adequately communicate, simplex, with more than three capital cities in my country. Your suggestion fails.

    I was able to have a chat this morning with a WB2 station. 20m , long path. It required a 5 el mono at 85ft at his end to make it possible. Several hours later, there is NO propagation to the USA.

    HF is NOT the be all and end all to Ham radio QSO’s. It is just one possible method, just as Voip is one method.

  17. CGIWN2 says:

    kr4wm: Nice Avatar!!!

    word!!

  18. SixMeterSexy says:

    KR4WM: “…a VOIP contact which is almost as easy as dialing a phone, which is why I consider it the “lazy” hams [sic] mode.”

    Me: See? There you go again. You just can’t help yourself, can you? “Open mouth, insert foot.” First, they were “morally bankrupt.” Then, it was “RF Challenged.” Now? “Lazy.”

    You just can’t it through your elitist head that perhaps – just perhaps – these lazy NCTs (your term, not mine. And, don’t think the “No-Code” issue escaped us, despite your protests that this wasn’t about Code) aren’t concerned with “working” JA or Europe in the traditional ham sense. The “romance,” as you call it, may be lost on them.

    But, all this is window dressing. Your basic premise is irreparably flawed. I am an Extra. If I were to use Echolink, do I qualify as lazy by your standards? If VOIP is the last refuge of the unmotivated or addled, how do you explain that those with HF privileges might occasionally use it?

    KR4WM: “Work a JA from my QTH [on the VHF bands]. Can’t be done. That’s what HF is for….”

    Me: Of course it can be done. It’s just very, very hard. Working JA on HF is much, much easier. But, if one takes your arguments to the point of absurdity, you have taken the easy way out? Are you not, then, “lazy,” under your own arguments? Hmmmmm…

    Now, on one point, I must agree with you. The concept of VOIP contests and/or awards is a bit silly. OK, a lot silly. But, just because something ain’t my cup-o-tea doesn’t invite me to point fingers or name-call. I try to remain above that, though, I sometimes fail like everyone else. But, this doesn’t mean that the marriage of RF and VOIP isn’t a fun exercise for some.

    You are free, like any other ham, to engage in the parts of the hobby that are interesting to you. We all truly and sincerely encourage you to do so. If RF/VOIP bothers you, don’t use it. But, to sit in judgment of those who don’t share your opinion is both closed-minded and, frankly, perplexing. Why would you be so hard on those who are enjoying a hobby while following the law and bothering no one? I just don’t get it.

    SMS

  19. vk2qq says:

    “Y’all don’t take my criticism so seriously- lighten up! I invite each and every one of you to my house- even the Aussie who cussed at me.”

    I cussed at YOU?

    Dammit, you called me and every other ham in the world who likes to use Voip connected repeater systems “Morally bankrupt”, “RF Challenged” and “Lazy” and now you have the audacity to try to downplay this?

    sheesh

  20. vk2qq says:

    From KR4WM’s bio on QRZ.com-

    “I absolutely despise Echolink, and will go to great lengths to avoid talking to anyone who uses it.”

    And he says he’s not a snob. It’s a pity he can’t tell the difference between Echo, IRLP and VoIP. But lets not let a good rant get in the way of facts, shall we?

  21. vk2qq says:

    “I invite each and every one of you to my house- even the Aussie who cussed at me. We’ll sit down in my shack and share some great time on the radio- from DC to daylight,”

    Better still – let’s have a chat on HF. MAKE A SKED!

  22. n9xcr says:

    K4WRM, the term you used, morally bankrupt, is highly appropriate…for you. You really discredit yourself when you state that “we do need some term to refer to people who use VOIP to work DX repeaters as a substitute for not upgrading their license and using HF. Whatever the term is, it needs to shame these individuals into upgrading to an HF-privileged license, and it should make them feel inadequate for using VOIP as a substitute for HF.”

    Shaming people for using a mode you don’t agree with is reprehensible. Ham Radio isn’t about shaming others, it’s about encouraging others. You’re just as bad as the assholes who shame no-code techs on the air. I don’t care if people you know say that you’re not a ham radio snob. It sounds to me like you can be one. Most people I know will say I’m a nice guy and a handful will say that I’m an asshole. Who’s right? Well, I’m usually a pretty good guy, but I can be an asshole if you get on my bad side. It’s all in how you demonstrate yourself as a person, and the statement you made above doesn’t do you any justice.

    I’m not saying you don’t make a good argument, but some of your points only apply to individuals who can put up an antenna and afford or already have equipment at the present time.

  23. Rapture says:

    Smile your on Candid Camera ! ASSHOLE ? BIG TIME .

    http://w4gs.org/pictures/Beachfest%202005/BF2005010.jpg

  24. Rapture says:

    ERR ? Yes ,his *HAND* is down his CROTCH .

  25. KE9GK says:

    Where to start? Lets see…I have been a licensed “HAM” for 10 yrs. since I was 14. In that time I have upgraded once, from Tech no code to Tech plus. I received my HF privileges (granted not many, but I have ’em) and I have done absolutely NOTHING with them. Yeah its true I did at one time have the “stimulating” drive, but it has been beaten out of me by what’s left of the amateur community, the 100 or so 85 year old people with the sticks up their a**. It almost seems that it was a waste of my time, other than the fact I can have the bragging rights. I have purchased many a HF rig in my day, had ample antenna space, but all the radio did was just sit there on my desk. I couldn’t stand chatting on HF..it was always the same thing! What’s my RST, QTH, ..and how is the WX by you? Oh yeah, don’t even get me started on the “contests” on HF that constantly blocked my calling “CQ” just for the sake of chatting. There are reasons that our hobby is dying, and it stems from people just like K4WRM that oppose new technology such as IRLP. Guess what, I am guilty of using it!! There I said it! Was I trying to make an entry in my “contact list” without using HF?

  26. KR4WM says:

    Rapture: ERR ? Yes ,his *HAND* is down his CROTCH

    Err… no, it’s not. Here in this part of the country, we have pockets in our pants. Perhaps it’s your desire to place YOUR hand down my crotch that is putting your mind in the gutter? DOH! -KR4WM

  27. KR4WM says:

    VK2QQ: Better still – let’s have a chat on HF. MAKE A SKED!

    I’ve been busy- wedding in the famly, visitors from overseas staying with us, not much time to ham or mess with the PC. They leave in a few more days. I’d be happy to chat with you on HF. Give me another week or so… Nov. 29th or 30th? (The next day I’m off from work and no visitors here.)

  28. vk2qq says:

    I’m waiting. How about 30m phone?

  29. KR4WM says:

    Sorry, the US has no phone privileges on 30M, only CW and/or data. Perhaps PSK-31? RTTY? Another band- possibly 20M? -KR4WM

  30. vk2qq says:

    20m is fine. RTTY is fine, PSK31 more so. Olivia is better.

  31. KR4WM says:

    Olivia? Never heard of it- but did a search and found the software. Took the 50 cent tour of the docs. COOL!!! I’m at work now- and work overnight tomorrow night too. I should be able to get on the air all day on the 29th and/or 30th. I’ll install Olivia tomorrow when I get home from work and work out the bugs. Assuming the 29th is OK with you, time in UTC? Frequency? -KR4WM

  32. vk2qq says:

    Olivia 16/500, 7158Khz centre frequency. 0800UTC 29/11/05 should be open to USA Long path.

    Otherwise 20m, 32/1000Hz, centre frequency 14109.5KHz, 1930UTC, also should be open to USA long path.

    Brad.

  33. KR4WM says:

    VK2QQ: Sorry I missed our sked- I’ve been ill. Bad news at Duke Medical University. I now have appointments at a half-dozen doctors over the next few weeks. Trust me, life becomes a bitch when your kidneys decide to take a shitter on top of an “orphan disease” form of bone marrow cancer. I’ll be glad to set something up with you via direct e-mail. I’m home for a few days, then going to docs out of town for awhile. 12/12/05 0040UTC [email protected]

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