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Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Operator?

 
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Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Operator? - 12/28/2007 11:00:43 PM   
sysrkm


Posts: 112
Joined: 2/16/2005
From: Fairchild, TX USA
Status: offline 		Hi folks,

Coming to the forums whenever I have a chance is great for me because I know I'm in a spot were I have common interests with the crowd.

What I'd like to know is, are any of you Amateur Radio Operators, or Hams, as we are known in the states and perhaps other countries.

My callsign is KC5RET and I'm a 5 wpm General - First licensed in 1969, continuously licensed since 1995.
My wife Teri is KE5RMI - Tech
My son Anthony is KE5RMP - Tech
My son John is KI4POQ - Tech

If any of you are Hams, please tell me your callsign and license level and what bands you usually work.

Lately I've only been on 2 meters because I've not been able to get my 10 meter antenna strung back up in the trees.

Thanks for your time folks!

73, Rob, KC5RET
Post #: 1
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/29/2007 8:01:01 AM   
Zap


Posts: 3639
Joined: 12/6/2004
From: LAS VEGAS TAKE A CHANCE
Status: offline 		I'm not but what does the 5wpm General title signify?

_____________________________


(in reply to sysrkm)
Post #: 2
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/30/2007 6:42:38 PM   
sysrkm


Posts: 112
Joined: 2/16/2005
From: Fairchild, TX USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Zap

I'm not but what does the 5wpm General title signify?



Hi Zap,

A long time ago you had to learn morse code at the speed of 13 Word Per Minute (wpm) before you could pass the General Morse code test. Then they lowered it to 5 wpm, a few years ago. When they lowered the requirement to 5wpm, I was grandfathered in because I had passed the 5wpm requirement at the age of 11 on the Novice class license (no longer available, replaced by Technician or Tech class). Then I took the General written test and passed it about 2.5 years ago.

In short, with morse code requirement being removed completely from the Tech and General classes, you have the following types of licensees.

Novice (from the point when the Novice licenses were made NOT to expire after one year)
No code Tech
5 wpm Tech
No code General
5 wpm General
13 wpm General
etc...

Regard,

sysrkm aka Rob

(in reply to Zap)
Post #: 3
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/30/2007 10:34:00 PM   
Doggie


Posts: 3244
Joined: 9/19/2001
From: Under the porch
Status: offline 		I guess I'm old then, because I had to qualify at 15 groups per minute to pass the Army morse code course.  But since hardly anyone uses morse code anymore, I never found much use for it.  Amatuer radio is sort of out of fashion these days, especially when the more powerfull transmittters have a habit of bleeding over into comercial radio and TV frequencies.  If there's a guy with a shortwave in your neighborhood, chances are everybody knows about it.

Over the years, I've become lousy at copying code due to lack of practice, but I can still send it at near 15 GPM.  Bent wire bends best still makes a catchy little tune.  And when you see some guy in a movie reading code aloud word by word without writing it down, that's quite a trick.  Hardly anyone can do that.  You have to concentrate on copying one character at a time.

_____________________________

Visit the New, Improved Mad Dog's Drive Thru

(in reply to sysrkm)
Post #: 4
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 12:53:05 AM   
Veldor


Posts: 1531
Joined: 12/29/2002
From: King's Landing
Status: offline 		The record is 75.2 WPM set back in 1939 in Ashville, NC by a Mr. Ted R. McElroy. It's usefullness to everyday people was confirmed in 1966 when prisoner of war Jeremiah Denton morse-blinked the word "Torture" when he was allowed to appear on Television by his North Vietnamese Captors.

Note to future captors : Supply your prisoners with plenty of Visine so they've no excuse for excessive blinking...

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Post #: 5
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 1:00:49 AM   
Oleg Mastruko


Posts: 4921
Joined: 10/21/2000
Status: offline 		I got my intl. licence back in 1986 in the then Yugoslavia. I think the CW requirement for us then was 70 letters (letters not words) per minute. I know there were different requirements for reception (higher) and transmission (lower) but I can't remember which was which.

I was never really into amateur radio after I got the licence though. I remember some guys from my club were fanatically doing CW every night getting DX cards and stuff. It seemed to me like just a different way of doing philately (the stamp collecting), really quite repetitive work, not much fun, not much "techy-ing" and certainly not much what I would call "exploration" (exploration is what got me into amateur radio training course at the first place).

Paradoxically, amateur radio interests me lately, but I wonder what, if anything, are the advantages of the amateur radio in the era of Internet?


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Post #: 6
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 1:56:20 AM   
Veldor


Posts: 1531
Joined: 12/29/2002
From: King's Landing
Status: offline 		Why play with dots and dashes when you can play with ones and zeroes?

Dot and Dashes may make letters and words but ones and zeroes made everything you see before you...

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Post #: 7
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 5:28:32 AM   
LarryP


Posts: 3783
Joined: 5/15/2005
From: Carson City, NV
Status: offline 		NW7B - 20 wpm CW back in 1985. Also was a VE but I am inactive with that now. I lost interest in Ham Radio when the worthless QST pushed the no-code licensing through. I am currently off the air.

73, Larry.

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Post #: 8
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 4:57:46 PM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4605
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko
Paradoxically, amateur radio interests me lately, but I wonder what, if anything, are the advantages of the amateur radio in the era of Internet?


You can have people phone in and make it multi-player ?

<ducks & runs>

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx


(in reply to Oleg Mastruko)
Post #: 9
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 5:16:20 PM   
oldspec4

 

Posts: 746
Joined: 11/1/2004
Status: offline 		Morse code has pretty much gone the way of letter writing.  I had a radio operator MOS in the Army (Viet Nam era).  I remember well humpin' the PR*C*-25 but never was too good at the morse code thing.

(in reply to sterckxe)
Post #: 10
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 5:51:04 PM   
LarryP


Posts: 3783
Joined: 5/15/2005
From: Carson City, NV
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: oldspec4

Morse code has pretty much gone the way of letter writing.


Only because the military and the FCC has made a stupid decision, and people have gotten lazy. It's the same thing with calculators. Should we stop teaching kids how to do math? Not an exact comparison I know, but it gets the point across I hope.

When conditions are rotten and voice, AMTOR, RTTY, and all other digital modes won't get through, a simple QRP (low power) code signal can. In an emergency situation that could mean life or death. You can make a CW transmitter with a tuna can and a few parts connected to a 9v battery. That same tuna can with correct conditions can reach where all other modes can't. Even in perfect conditions, operators have done comparisons by turning down the power for all modes until they could no longer get through to the test location. The last mode that DID get through was CW, or Morse code. That same amount of power could be turned down much further still and the CW still got through.

Amateur Radio is still founded upon emergency communications. The FCC allows us to use the allocated frequencies because of this. We as Hams are supposed to be always ready to lend our station and expertise to help in disasters and emergencies of any kind. Then they take away the requirement for CW in testing because the magazine QST needs more subscriptions, and the FCC granted such. Stupid decision. Simplified reason, but through the years I watched it happen as such.

Now the Ham bands are filling up with CB'ers that want more bandwidth and power. They don't have to take the code tests like they used to.

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Post #: 11
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 12/31/2007 8:12:43 PM   
LarryP


Posts: 3783
Joined: 5/15/2005
From: Carson City, NV
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: oldspec4

I had a radio operator MOS in the Army (Viet Nam era). I remember well humpin' the PR*C*-25 but never was too good at the morse code thing.


By the way, thank you for your service to our country!

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Post #: 12
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/1/2008 1:24:53 AM   
oldspec4

 

Posts: 746
Joined: 11/1/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: LarryP

quote:

ORIGINAL: oldspec4

I had a radio operator MOS in the Army (Viet Nam era). I remember well humpin' the PR*C*-25 but never was too good at the morse code thing.


By the way, thank you for your service to our country!


Thank you sir....beacoup other Vets experienced far greater hardship than myself.

(in reply to LarryP)
Post #: 13
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/1/2008 7:05:14 AM   
Raverdave


Posts: 6520
Joined: 2/8/2002
From: Melb. Australia
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Doggie

I guess I'm old then, because I had to qualify at 15 groups per minute to pass the Army morse code course. But since hardly anyone uses morse code anymore, I never found much use for it.



Well thats not quite correct. You never know when we will be invaded by aliens and will need people with skills like yours, to co-ordinate a counter strike.


_____________________________




Never argue with an idiot, he will only drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

(in reply to Doggie)
Post #: 14
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/1/2008 12:54:42 PM   
Oleg Mastruko


Posts: 4921
Joined: 10/21/2000
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Raverdave

Well thats not quite correct. You never know when we will be invaded by aliens and will need people with skills like yours, to co-ordinate a counter strike.



LOL! We need a game about that.... (full with morse code tapping part)

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Post #: 15
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 3:17:20 AM   
Doggie


Posts: 3244
Joined: 9/19/2001
From: Under the porch
Status: offline 		You're right, Raverdave.  I can also do math in my head and use a slide rule for the really complicated stuff.  I can change my own tire and make fire without a lighter, too.  On the day when society collapses, you young punks will beg people like me to keep you alive.  We will rule over you like Pharohs, and you will drop to your knees and thank us for it.

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Visit the New, Improved Mad Dog's Drive Thru

(in reply to Oleg Mastruko)
Post #: 16
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 3:21:41 AM   
Oleg Mastruko


Posts: 4921
Joined: 10/21/2000
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Doggie

You're right, Raverdave.  I can also do math in my head and use a slide rule for the really complicated stuff.  I can change my own tire and make fire without a lighter, too.  On the day when society collapses, you young punks will beg people like me to keep you alive.  We will rule over you like Pharohs, and you will drop to your knees and thank us for it.


He specifically mentioned aliens as the reason for "society collapse" - now how does your Pharaoh scenario fit into that?

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Post #: 17
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 2:08:01 PM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4605
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Doggie
You're right, Raverdave.  I can also do math in my head and use a slide rule for the really complicated stuff.  I can change my own tire and make fire without a lighter, too.  On the day when society collapses, you young punks will beg people like me to keep you alive.  We will rule over you like Pharohs, and you will drop to your knees and thank us for it.


... or we will use you as slaves, for all the menial work

When you're a bit older you start to realize that knowing how to do something is the one sure way to get stuck with actually having to do it.

Boss : hey, do you know Cobol ?
Me: Co-what ?
Boss : never mind.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

(in reply to Doggie)
Post #: 18
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 2:09:17 PM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4605
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

quote:

ORIGINAL: Doggie

You're right, Raverdave.  I can also do math in my head and use a slide rule for the really complicated stuff.  I can change my own tire and make fire without a lighter, too.  On the day when society collapses, you young punks will beg people like me to keep you alive.  We will rule over you like Pharohs, and you will drop to your knees and thank us for it.


He specifically mentioned aliens as the reason for "society collapse" - now how does your Pharaoh scenario fit into that?


Stargate SG1 ?

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx


(in reply to Oleg Mastruko)
Post #: 19
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 4:44:04 PM   
Doggie


Posts: 3244
Joined: 9/19/2001
From: Under the porch
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

When you're a bit older....




In dog years, I'm dead, junior. Back when I was your age we didn't have digital watches; we had to learn how to read a clock.


_____________________________

Visit the New, Improved Mad Dog's Drive Thru

(in reply to sterckxe)
Post #: 20
RE: Common Interests - Anyone here an Amateur Radio Ope... - 1/2/2008 5:58:50 PM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4605
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Doggie

quote:

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

When you're a bit older....




In dog years, I'm dead, junior. Back when I was your age we didn't have digital watches; we had to learn how to read a clock.


Right - so when digital clocks don't function anymore and we only have old folks who know how to read a mechanical clock, who do you think will be bothered a dozen times a day by "grandpa, what's the time ?" questions ?

Ignorance is bliss

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

(in reply to Doggie)
Post #: 21
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