Wilson 1000 on 10 meters.

[Turbo T]

Hopefully you didn't tell mr. mouth that on the Wilson 1k you need to trim the antenna down a little so the SWR (or SWR's lol) isn't so high...perhaps mr. mouth will end up burning up his finals due to excessively high swr due to having too long of an antenna. Then his next question will be "why doesn't my radio transmit anymore?"

 

[2RT307]

If he's a technician, he might have been told the same thing I was... stay away from base loaded magnet mounts because sometimes you can't get a replacement whip to match up correctly (this was in a VHF/UHF application), and you can't just throw a center loaded whip on a mag mount that is loaded in the base. I may be stretching here! Of course most guys know you can run a CB antenna on 10 meters, because most are playing on the freeband. My Predator 10K is real happy between 28.3 and 28.5 :laugh:

73,
RT307

 

[fogdog]

I'm reading this thread, and I have to say quite honestly that I almost regret getting my Ham License. It's something that I always wanted to do, and now that I am retired I took a 10 week class. Every Tuesday for 2 hours. Taught by the 3 most respected Ham operators in this area.

They showed,explained, taught, shared their knowledge, and war stories, and were there for every step of the way. Friends if you will. They were there when we took or exam. You could see how happy they were, and I believe filled with pride, that there students advanced, and were now Technicians. They also knew we would have a good idea of what was going on, and what was to be expected of us.

We all knew how long an antenna was supposed to be with a particular frequency. Basic stuff. We studied. We didn't memorize. We listened. We had conversations with people we respected. Yes a few old Hams were long winded about their chosen Hobby. They were proud of it, and rightfully so. These guys built there own radios.

Progressing forward after the class room, and into the unknown depths of proper radio procedures in Ham radio the real world is unveiled. From what I see and hear, and have to be subjected to by Old Ham operators that are still pissed off because I don't know code, and didn't have to learn it, is they really don't want us newbies on their sacred bands. That's the impression I get. If you don't believe me do a Google search on it.

Jeez! what's up with that. Ya know what? There were a lot of things that people had to go through 60 years ago, that are made easier to accomplish now. You don't see or hear the animosity about that to much. The people have moved on, and realize that even though their Chosen profession and our Hobby, and I will emphasize the word HOBBY has evolved with the times, and also considering population growth ,and the need to educate a lot more people in a timely manner. It's not 1930 anymore. We don't for the most part fix our own radio's. We send them out for repair. Yes I know some of you do, but 90% or more of us don't. Morse Code? I'm glad you learned how to use it. It was very useful in 1944. It will be again when that big EMP Bomb goes off and all the electronic radios are cooked. CW will rise again. I know CW is used for many things. We learned that in class. I respect that. Do I need to know how to do it ? NO!

I (We) new Operators just want to be able to get on the air and talk without being interrogated on every step of the way. We went to the class, we listened, and learned, and we are doing, or did all the requirements that the U.S. Government has required. Help us out gently. Don't talk down to us, or make us feel like we are outsiders. Can you at least do that?

I fought,served,worked, was deployed for month's away from my family, wounded, and decorated for over 20 years in the Military so you can have the right to operate your radio without someone knocking down your door and confiscating it. So maybe next time you talk to a new Ham Radio operator why don't you just tone it down a bit. Coach him or her along instead of belittling them on the air in front of all your Pals.

Oh I almost forgot, any Ham technician that I personally know, can tune a CB antenna to work on ten meters. Up here where I live our dads showed us how to use a SWR Meter when we were 15 and getting our first car, and installing Cb radios. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out. And to think they were just mechanics, carpenters' janitor's, store clerks, etc., who could have gave a rats a$$ about CW.
Get over it!

 

[w9cll]

fogdog - well said!

 

[222DBFL]

Good food for thought fogdog, I am going to be getting my license soon and am looking forward to learning the ways of the wise, but you are 110% correct in saying, don't belittle the new, everyone has to start somewhere right. God bless and hopefully all will work out.

 

[AudioShockwav]

The CW debate is long ago settled, I also took the code test to get on HF and i have no ill will towards anyone in the hobby that has not.
There are other dinosaurs like myself that go on and on about the way the license test is structured now... what a waste of energy.
This hobby has always been about learning and progressing hands on, and that ( now more that ever) is why we as older Hams need to extend a welcoming hand to new op`s entering the hobby.

Do not let a small population of stubborn old farts stuck in a rut put a damper on your excitement about radio.
That is one of the founding reasons this forum is here.


73
Jeff

 

[w9cll]

Do not let a small population of stubborn old farts stuck in a rut put a damper on your excitement about radio.
That is one of the founding reasons this forum is here.


73
Jeff

Very true words here. There is a small population of hams that don't want change, they don't like the "no coders". I ran into it when I started in 91. The no code requirement had just been enabled when I got my ticket and I ran into several "hams" and I use that work loosely who were not to happy with the way I got in.

For the most part hams are very welcoming, I know myself just on Saturday I talked to a couple of new hams that just got their tickets a couple of day earlier. Yeah they used some CB lingo but who cares the fact of the matter is they were on the air and talking. About the only "pushing" I did was encouraged them to think about getting their general tickets but I did say play on whf for a while and get the hang of it.

Ham offers a lot of opportunity so don't be put off by some of the lids on the bands.

P.S. Rereading your post again Fogdog I feel I do need to comment on one thing though. As a new ham your have not experienced this yet, or maybe you have but there is a segment of the ham population that really did just memorize the answers to the test. They attended no classes, they really didn't learn much from 11 meters and in some ways give a bad name to the hobby in the way they operate. This fact helps leads to many looking down on the newbies as wrong as that is. Now that being said I totally commend you on taking classes and learning as much as you did before taking the test. You show a very strong interest in the hobby. This is how I did it when I stated even though I already had a First Class Radio Telephone licence, I went to learn the rules and regs which I did not know.

Just as another note there are people on the bands who never taken the test.... they had some sit for it for them... honest it happens.

222 study and take the test.. you will not be sorry.

Remember the best switch on the radio is the on off one or just spin the vfo.

 

[fogdog]

Very true words here. There is a small population of hams that don't want change, they don't like the "no coders". I ran into it when I started in 91. The no code requirement had just been enabled when I got my ticket and I ran into several "hams" and I use that work loosely who were not to happy with the way I got in.

For the most part hams are very welcoming, I know myself just on Saturday I talked to a couple of new hams that just got their tickets a couple of day earlier. Yeah they used some CB lingo but who cares the fact of the matter is they were on the air and talking. About the only "pushing" I did was encouraged them to think about getting their general tickets but I did say play on whf for a while and get the hang of it.

Ham offers a lot of opportunity so don't be put off by some of the lids on the bands.

P.S. Rereading your post again Fogdog I feel I do need to comment on one thing though. As a new ham your have not experienced this yet, or maybe you have but there is a segment of the ham population that really did just memorize the answers to the test. They attended no classes, they really didn't learn much from 11 meters and in some ways give a bad name to the hobby in the way they operate. This fact helps leads to many looking down on the newbies as wrong as that is. Now that being said I totally commend you on taking classes and learning as much as you did before taking the test. You show a very strong interest in the hobby. This is how I did it when I stated even though I already had a First Class Radio Telephone licence, I went to learn the rules and regs which I did not know.

Just as another note there are people on the bands who never taken the test.... they had some sit for it for them... honest it happens.

222 study and take the test.. you will not be sorry.

Remember the best switch on the radio is the on off one or just spin the vfo.

Thank you for understanding my rambling on. Yes I do know from what I have read that there are a whole lot of people who do memorize the Tech, and probably General exam's. I've heard them on the radio. Actually I realized this a couple of days before I took my exam, that if you could remember 300 questions in the back of the book, you could pass the exam. This is how I actually crammed for the exam. I found that out though only after 10 weeks of classes'. Fact is I knew all the answers. It was a good feeling going into the exam room, and feeling confident.

We are all on this forum, because of the love of radio. For me it's all types of radio. I'm fascinated about all the different avenues you can take in this hobby, and I will never even scratch the surface. It sure is fun though.

73, and again thanks for understanding what I was saying.

 

[M0GVZ]

I love the "if you don't know code you're not a real ham" amateurs. They bleat on about how knowing CW makes them superior hams and then 9/10 you'll find they can't do a simple task such as put a PL259 connector onto a length of coax.

We had one at our club. It so happened there was a guy there studying for his foundation license, the UK equivalent of the technician. So we gave Mr. CW a copy of the mock test to do and he failed even though he'd had a full license over 20 years and had passed a CW test. Much hilarity was had at his expense.

 

[fogdog]

What I'm saying is, that just because you have been a Ham operator ,and got your License before the code part was dropped in 2007 I believe, That you shouldn't hold it against those of us who didn't have to go through that extremely difficult part of getting your ticket.

I would be proud of that accomplishment myself. I can't even imagine how difficult that would be. I understand how they feel. There are a lot of them though that can't let go. It's human nature.

I remember when I took my first real hard exam. It was fluid engineering, and design. The first week we had to remember 30 formula's. After that they took away our cheat sheets and we were on our own. The exam consisted of some multiple questions, and they second half of the exam was one question.

You had to use all 30 formulas to to get the right answer. That took almost two hours alone. One wrong decimal point, or a failed conversion, and you failed. We those of us who passed felt a great accomplishment.

Now the students in that same class get to keep ther cheat sheet throughout the class and during the exam. So I know how the old guys feel. I learned that most people can't keep that kind of stuff in your head very long, and in the real world there going to go to the book to find the formula they need. I think that's a good idea.

 

[222DBFL]

W9cll, I plan on it sir, I am a cell site tech and have been since 1998, and although I have a great passion for the work I do, I enjoy the hobby and have always had a passion for electronics in general. I should have had my license by now, but with 4 kids, priorities have to be put into order first. I will get it done though, as I really enjoy the hobby the older I get. Thanks for all the input and kind advise. God bless.

 

[w9cll]

222 and fogdog I look forward to chatting on the air someday soon... 73's guys

 

[Beetle]

I can (almost ) accept the fact that code is no longer required for a ham ticket. On the other hand, I do have a problem with vanity call signs. Every newly-minted ham just has to jump in and get some old-timey call so as to disguise himself and make others think he's been licensed for several decades, when his actual licensed time is more easily measured in minutes.

Then they cry when they find out that just about all of the 1x2s and 2x1s are gone for the foreseeable future. Makes my 50+ year-old 1x3 (K7KBN) even sweeter!

I could see allowing Extras with at least two years' experience as Generals to seek a vanity call. For Technicians, they get the next sequential call from their call area's pool, with a "T" added - for example KK9TABC. After at least six months, TABC could apply to upgrade to General. If he passes, he loses the T and becomes KK9ABC. Then, after two years, he could go for Extra and might be afforded the luxury of selecting his own call.

That's similar to the way Novice licenses were issued in the 1950-1960 era. I was KN7KBN in December 1959, then dropped that first N when I got my Conditional (General by mail and VE) license in 1960. The 2x4 format is exactly the way countries such as Australia handle their "Foundation" licensees: VK3FABC is/was a perfectly legal call sign. When he made it to the next licensing level, he became VK3ABC.

OK, since neither the code nor my dream for getting entry- and mid- level hams to have more actual knowledge and experience than they have now, my rant is //off.

 

[w9cll]

I can (almost ) accept the fact that code is no longer required for a ham ticket. On the other hand, I do have a problem with vanity call signs. Every newly-minted ham just has to jump in and get some old-timey call so as to disguise himself and make others think he's been licensed for several decades, when his actual licensed time is more easily measured in minutes.

Then they cry when they find out that just about all of the 1x2s and 2x1s are gone for the foreseeable future. Makes my 50+ year-old 1x3 (K7KBN) even sweeter!

I could see allowing Extras with at least two years' experience as Generals to seek a vanity call. For Technicians, they get the next sequential call from their call area's pool, with a "T" added - for example KK9TABC. After at least six months, TABC could apply to upgrade to General. If he passes, he loses the T and becomes KK9ABC. Then, after two years, he could go for Extra and might be afforded the luxury of selecting his own call.

That's similar to the way Novice licenses were issued in the 1950-1960 era. I was KN7KBN in December 1959, then dropped that first N when I got my Conditional (General by mail and VE) license in 1960. The 2x4 format is exactly the way countries such as Australia handle their "Foundation" licensees: VK3FABC is/was a perfectly legal call sign. When he made it to the next licensing level, he became VK3ABC.

OK, since neither the code nor my dream for getting entry- and mid- level hams to have more actual knowledge and experience than they have now, my rant is //off.

Pat I agree with you, there should be a waiting period for the vanity calls. That being said, my call is a vanity one. I was originally N9MQY. My reason for change? Vanity!.... I first was trying to get my grandfathers call but it wasn't available so I settled on my initials. I tried to get a N, K, A call but none were available so I "settled" on a W and yes I have had people think I have been in this game a long time not the short 23 years that I have.

 

[roadrage]

I'm reading this thread, and I have to say quite honestly that I almost regret getting my Ham License. It's something that I always wanted to do, and now that I am retired I took a 10 week class. Every Tuesday for 2 hours. Taught by the 3 most respected Ham operators in this area................

I don't know if this was directed at me. If it is, than I must explain. I was asked a question and answered it. I pointed out that a license is required. I let him know because I didn't think he had his license. I was right, by the way.

He responded by calling me stupid, first of all. Then he went on to say that he didn't have his license and didn't care he didn't have it. He was just going to transmit anyway. Then proceeded with a paragraph of obscenely harsh ridicule of HAMs and how arrogant "WE" are. My point of the thread was how rude and ridiculous he was. There is no "WE" because I am not a licensed amateur. I just happen to have respect for proper educate. I don't get into the HAM vs. CB debate. I have class and the debate is classless. If you don't have a license to operate on frequencies that require one, than you shouldn't operate there. That is all. I didn't think I deserved the response I got for answering the question, as well as I could. And then trying to look out for him AND amateur operators, by advising him about the required license.