Snake Eyes said:
I don't know about some of you all, but I recently received my general ticket, and I haven't used privilege 1 of my general class license.
In my area, I have rediscovered 11 meter, and I myself, really enjoy being able to communicate virtually anytime - day or night.
But, that's just me.
The whole idea of ham radio as it is today, just needs to be reworked - or I can just stay on 11 meter, where there's a fairly constant level of activity.
Did you EVER sit down and read the Basis and Purpose of Amateur Radio?
Did you actually read ANY of the theory required to obtain that ticket or did you simply memorize the answers to the questions? It is evident even over on QRZ that this IS the case, even OBVIOUS that Amateur Radio is regarded as just another appliance like a TV and too many "operators" are
appliance operators rather than semi-skilled hobbiests that are students of the radio art.
Taking the time to LEARN HOW to USE the spectrum---even investing small amounts of time gradually will teach one how to USE the resources you apparently have no inkling of because you have never even TRIED to accept the gifts being offered.
Amateur Radio with its vast spectrum opens up unlimited FREQUENCIES, not "channels" and that's the whole idea. Subtly, it is trying to tell you that, by the fact that you aren't limited to "channels", that you are free to ROAM at will thru the spectrum observing the rules of courtesy and band limits.
It is trusting YOU with much freedom that CB doesn't offer.
Your post about "changing" Amatuer shows your CB perspective where you do not want to LEARN or fully explore radio or expend any effort to "earn" these gifts; you want it handed to you with no effort whatever. I hate to think of what you want Amateur Radio to be "changed to"!
Forgive me if I am a bit cynical, but what you seem to be saying is, you want "all those 'channels' from DC to Daylight. You want few, or no, limits on your behavior. You would want a "service" with NO testing of knowledge. You would want to run a 2 Meter handheld at 100 watts (there is no such thing, but did you ever try to find out WHY the largest self-contained handie talkie is 7 watts or less?). I can only guess what you want Amateur Radio to become (shudder)! Um, perhaps an extension of CB? (SKREEEEEEEE, HOOOOOOOWWWLLLLL, ROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!)
Dear Lord in Heaven, spare us from THAT! If THAT is the fate of ham radio, then I'm putting my stuff away. You perhaps, call it "snobs" or "elitist", but Lord, save us from people that SCREAM into the mike! People that ask how come their 2 Meter radio has no "swang". People that think that FM doesn't get out like AM. People that buy HF antennas, slap them on their cars, then short them down 0/0 infinity. Throw away their impedance matching devices. Even set their cars on FIRE, then try to blame somebody ELSE because they didn't READ the dang instructions!!!!! :roll: And SAVE us, LORD, from those that want Amateur Radio to become a Cesspool of noise, a useless hodgepodge of racket and junk!
NOW! I posted that on purpose to jolt us into thinking about WHY do *I* want to be a "ham"!
First of all, Amateur Radio is not supposed to be compared to CB, tho it often IS.
First, FORGET your preconceived notions you brought with you from 11 Meters! Start with a clean slate. READ the rules and WHY they are there. Are you interested in learning WHY your radio signal does what it does? Would you like to MAKE many of your own antennas for PENNIES and KNOW how and WHY they work? Would you like to learn what the effects of elevation on your antenna are? How your antenna will behave at certain heights? Whether it is best to keep it low, or put it higher? (yes, there are sometimes reasons to mount it lower down) Ever heard of NVIS (near vertical incidence)?
There is an EDUCATION available on the internet, from other hams, in the ARRL Handbook if you want it! There is DX the likes of which mere CB will NEVER achieve beyond the noise and hash. There's countries to work, contests to do, projects to build that CB cannot, nor was it EVER designed to, do! Subtle things, small lessons to learn over the years as your hobby builds, things you can recall and use again and again!
CB offers yap, yap, yap,yap, yap, yap, noise, noise, noise,noise, and while there is
some foolishness on the ham bands that is not long tolerated, NONE of the cursing, filthy mouthed, lowlife goings-on you can find on 11M. It doesn't take long to find F*** this and F*** and G-D- this, and G-D- that, That "F" word will getcha popped real quick on 75 Meters. CB is a MESS! OTH, they deplore any ham that might report amateur violations as "rats",but they never stop to think WHY their own "service" is in the mess it is! Why the noise, why the crowding? Why the "stomping 'mudducks'" as if that were some virtue! HA!
THEY MADE THEIR OWN MESS BUT THEIR 'SOLUTION' IS TO MAKE IT WORSE!
Amateur Radio does NOT need changing! It OFFERS something beyond the norm; PRIDE in achievement when your
CB set smokes and you
learn to fix it yourself! Or wire a microphone. It was NEVER meant to be an "appliance". It requires something from the participant. It should be a higher step from the ratchetjaw tradition of CB, not dragged down to the lowest common denominator where NO ability is required for participation (like watching TV).
And hams can communicate "day or night", MORE so than any CB op. The CB op *might* get a DX station tonight, but tomorrow he cannot contact that SAME station the next night on the same frequency. The ham usually CAN--especially on 75 and 40 meters--------again and again, and again, and again! If he can't, the stations can move up or down one or more bands and do it while the CBer is stuck! So the analogy is a fallacy between the two services. Amateur FAR outstrips CB in communications ability!
If I came off harsh, I'm sorry. I just do not agree that Amateur Radio should be continually watered down until it is a mindless muddle of racket! Instead, new hams should try to LEARN HOW to effectively use both the rules AND the radio theory to FURTHER their knowledge of the art, NOT try to equate Amateur Radio with an non-technical appliance hobby that requires NO effort for the reward!
73
CWM
