tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post4955527203848502187..comments2023-10-11T10:31:26.860-05:00Comments on Don Keith N4KC's Technology, Media and Ham Radio Blog: Nobody to talk to?Don Keith N4KChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06333040858271808397noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-66462416562490130632011-09-05T09:14:28.839-05:002011-09-05T09:14:28.839-05:00Roxanne, I'll make you a bet. The first five ...Roxanne, I'll make you a bet. The first five people you talk with on the air will be friendly and welcoming.<br /><br />If not, I owe you a buck!<br /><br />73,<br /><br />Don N4KCDon Keith N4KChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06333040858271808397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-59568450611592600592011-09-04T19:56:51.582-05:002011-09-04T19:56:51.582-05:00Thanks, Don, for the encouragement! I know the int...Thanks, Don, for the encouragement! I know the internet is full of people with prejudices of all sorts. It just seems like nearly all of the old-timers share the opinion that newcomers aren't "real hams." I try to see it as it is, a bunch of people bemoaning the loss of the "good ol' days" in a public forum, but it does bother me.<br /><br />Like anyone venturing into unfamiliar territory, I'm going to be nervous when I finally get on the air. I can only hope that my first contacts will be with the nicer people out there, and not the ones who will treat me with disdain for not having to pass the more strenuous tests to get where I am today. <br /><br />Too bad I can't also take the tests that they did, just to <br />prove that I can. I would be up for that sort of challenge!<br /><br />I'll let you know when I'm finally able to get on the air. My husband is retiring from the military soon, and he doesn't yet have a new job. Once the dust settles, I'll be able to get my radio. Until then, I'm learning CW and shopping for just the rig equipment for my ham shack. :)<br /><br />73,<br /><br />Roxanne, KC7RXNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-25910232354804246952011-09-04T11:23:28.995-05:002011-09-04T11:23:28.995-05:00Oh, Roxanne, please don't judge our hobby by t...Oh, Roxanne, please don't judge our hobby by the people you see posting on eHam and other such sites. The Internet gives anybody with a computer and an ISP the capability of publishing comments to the world, regardless how uninformed, ill-conceived, and prejudiced they may be. I'm sure you see equal vitriol on other sites, too, and they are not representative of the vast majority of the hobby. I wonder if you go to a site devoted to golf you would see posts saying anyone who doesn't use hickory club shafts or who use modern computer technology to improve their swing should be banned from the sport? Bet you do!<br /><br />Still, I am totally in favor in allowing people to express their opinions openly, regardless how goofy they are. I think we all need to learn to cull out the goofy ones and learn from the others.<br /><br />Put that station together and get on the air. There are fascinating experiences awaiting, lots of things to learn, and there are many, many fascinating people out there waiting to meet you and talk to you. I know. I met and talked to a couple of them yesterday on 40-meter SSB. And I'm listening to one on 17 meters right now as I type this. And then I'm going to drop down to one of the PSK31 frequencies and talk to some more.<br /><br />Roxanne, thanks for posting, and I look forward to meeting you on the air someday.<br /><br />73,<br /><br />Don N4KCDon Keith N4KChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06333040858271808397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-59460518998388600132011-09-04T10:26:20.276-05:002011-09-04T10:26:20.276-05:00Hi Don,
I read one of your replies to that awful ...Hi Don,<br /><br />I read one of your replies to that awful "Where is the Spirit of Amateur Radio" article on eham.net, and I wanted to thank you for being so reasonable and respectful.<br /><br />I'm one of the Amateur Extra licensees who doesn't have any on-the-air experience. I studied electronics in college and in the military, and once I was introduced to ham radio last year, I was excited to learn more about it. I studied and passed the exams, and then I went on eham to look at reviews for equipment. <br /><br />What I found there is making me question my desire to get further involved with this hobby. <br /><br />While I'm perfectly capable of soldering a circuit board, I'd rather spend my time putting together a working station, so I can get on the air and talk to people. <br /><br />The FCC didn't require me to learn code, but I want to learn it anyway. Why should I be considered a lower class of radio amateur simply because I wasn't forced to learn code for an exam?<br /><br />It's nice to know that not all hams are as unfriendly as those posting on eham. <br /><br />73,<br /><br />Roxanne, KC7RXNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-30295695606070873322011-07-20T20:12:35.508-05:002011-07-20T20:12:35.508-05:00Absolutely! How many guys call CQ once and give u...Absolutely! How many guys call CQ once and give up? Or make one swipe up the band and decide there's nobody on the air?<br /><br />Hate to tell you, but we were only 94 here today. But the humidity was about 120%! You have to love air you can cut with a knife.<br /><br />73,<br /><br />Don Keith N4KCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775853671332053099.post-81261285844508432422011-07-20T19:29:30.567-05:002011-07-20T19:29:30.567-05:00Hi Don!
As one of your six blog devotees, I, too ...Hi Don!<br /><br />As one of your six blog devotees, I, too take exception to all these Nattering Nabobs of Negativism (thank you, Spiro Agnew). <br /><br />My worldview is that you "make your own movie" for the good or the bad and then experience what your level of expectation is. <br /><br />Too many folks out there want to be "entertained" and seek immediate gratification. You and I are Old School enough to know that ham radio is a hobby with a constant learning curve and infinite possibilities, only if you do the time with butt in desk chair. <br /><br />Yes, I had a couple great Elmers that got me started, but they were not DXers. I had to learn that skill all by myself. And, yes, suffer through a period when it seemed that all the juicy rare DX wanted to talk to everyone but me. Now, I AM the DX when I launch my own IOTA DXpeditions and everybody has to kiss MY ring. What a switcheroo. Hi!<br /><br />Plus, folks have got to build a thicker skin for such so-called rejection. We writers have seen more rejection slips than the day is long.<br /><br />So, I don't get too alarmed about a guy here and there who feels dissed or whatever on the repeater. They simply have to look deeper into what "real" Amateur Radio is.<br /><br />BTW, it was a cool 96F here today north of Milwaukee. For a minute there, I thought I was in Alabama.<br /><br />CUL, my friend!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com