elmering vs. "the behaviour police"
Sonwatcher said:
I think that with the context of the article in the first post by the ARRL those that didn't think that dropping the code would bring in more people are a little overwhelmed by how many are coming in by the reports of the VE's. I think they need to get a plan on helping and renew their commitment to elmering. Some didn't think there would be that many because When code for Tech was dropped they didn't see the #'s some thought would get their ticket. I think there were many that wanted to but their desire was to talk HF and the code was still in place for that area. So instead of getting a ticket to just mostly use repeaters they just didn't get a ticket. But now you have all those people, years worth, that now can do this and I think that is where a lot are coming from coupled with all the NCT's that will be eager to upgrade. I think Elmering can be renewed in a big way if people would just take this opportunity instead of standing by in fear. Yes there will be many that make mistakes but patience and a kind word would work volumes. Amateur lingo will have to be learned just as CB lingo was. I'm already hearing people on CB SSB asking what different Ham jargon means so they can understand more of what is being said and they are attempting to use it in there SSB communications with each other. If the long time Hams could look at this as a teaching opportunity "Elmering" I think it could be a great thing for both sides. It could put the Hobby back in the limelight. There is going to be a lot of excited people eager to work the world ! Let's help them and help nurture that excitement.
( After writing all this I feel I need to ID ! LOL )
well, i emailed a small VEC group in southern pennsylvania to get a slot for the exams the day after the new rules go into effect--mostly because i'm hoping they do electronic filing and not snailmail filing.
i agree that the reason the numbers probably weren't there for the NCT's was because--even though the Technician technical test is very simple--people didn't simply want to get a license to talk on repeaters. i'm not putting down 2m at all...but the main draw for many people that want to get into amateur radio is the ability to do vox dx...and the NCT really didn't offer a whole lot...10m has, for nearly the entirety of the NCT availability, been a dead band.
on elmering...i have really, really mixed feelings about this concept. i'm the type of person that listens before he speaks...and i tend to pick up things rather quickly. although i have a background in military communications, i also know that i'm by no means an expert when it comes to amateur radio...not even close. so, my guess is that i'm not going to have many problems fitting in. there's a ton of stuff i'm going to have to either re-learn, or newly learn...and *that* is where i think elmers can really excel.
my concerns about the concept of "elmering" are a few-fold. first, i can totally see some--especially some that are already rather upset that the code was dropped--totally hanging up their keys and mics the first time they hear someone that's obviously new to the hobby. ham radio as a hobby is *already* a fractured society--if the internet forums are any indication. there's a LOT of open wounds that have not yet scabbed-over from the "code vs. no-code" debate...and a huge surge of new beginners in the bands is probably not going to encourage the OM's to step-up and gently guide this group of newbies. i *do* think that new people that come in willing to learn, willing to listen before they talk, and give the respect due to the elder statesmen of the hobby will probably not have a problem getting the "elmering" they need.
secondly, there is--at least in my mind--more to "elmering" than being the behaviour police. the indications, from what i've read on a couple forums, is that there are a great many on the bands that have absolutely no problems with totally shunning people that make even the slightest faux pas on the air. if *this* is what is meant by elmering, then, no--i don't want any part of it. that being said, those that are new MUST do their part to conform to the behavioural norms already established...which is why i posted before about not wanting to hear all the cb jargon creep into the ham bands any more than it already has. my personal view is that there's going to be a surge early-on...and some of those people are going to get totally shut-out because they come to the table with the wrong mentality...and rightly so.
the bottom line is that people that act the fool, in my mind, ought to be treated as such. that being said, it would be a great loss, in my opinion, to lump all the new people into the same group. there *are* going be be people that take this opportunity to get their amateur tickets that *do* have a great deal to offer the community if they are properly groomed and mentored to the extent they need it. *these* people are, in a very real sense, the future of amateur radio...not the "flash-in-the-pan" people that get their tickets and pollute the bands with crap for the first few months.
the proof is in the pudding...and i have a great deal of confidence in the OM's ability to recognize and differentiate between the two.
