QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/digests/policy/940093.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-13 | 22KB

Date: Thu,  3 Mar 94 04:30:17 PST
From: Ham-Policy Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: Ham-Policy Digest V94 #93
To: Ham-Policy


Ham-Policy Digest           Thu,  3 Mar 94       Volume 94 : Issue   93

Today's Topics:
                             CW (3 msgs)
                Have a say about ARRL policy (2 msgs)
                        Help on 2 Meter Freqs.
                          Modes and Testing
                        Morse Whiners (2 msgs)
                        New Canadian prefixes?
                         On the lite side...
                         What?  No comments??

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Ham-Policy Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/ham-policy".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 1 Mar 1994 15:50:23 -0600
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!menudo.uh.edu!uuneo.NeoSoft.com!sugar.NeoSoft.COM![e-mail]
Subject: CW
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>,
Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
>[e-mail] (A great x ray technician!) writes:
>
>> In article <[e-mail]>,
>> Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
>> >[e-mail] (Fred M. Davis) writes:
>> >
>> >> In article <[e-mail]>
>> >> [e-mail] (Muenzler, Kevin) writes:
>> >>
>> >> > I don't know guys, maybe I'm weird.  I have always liked CW.
>> >> > I have my DXCC with CW on 4 bands.  I have found that there are
>> >> > many many times where phone was either difficult or impossible
>> >> > and CW was not a problem.  It is much easier to copy a very
>> >> > weak and noisy CW signal than a weak and noisy phone signal.
>> >> > Don't forget, ham radio began in CW.  I think that CW is the
>> >> > very basis of amateur radio and should always be that way.
>> >>
>> >> Absolutely.  Try working 40 meters phone at night barefoot, if you
>> >> can find a quiet spot.  Then try it with CW, even in QRM'd areas.
>> >> There's nothing like a nice CW QSO with the narrow filter on;
>> >> phone just can't compete.
>> >>
>> >> Fred   VA3FD
>> >
>> >And other modes will beat that. It still does not make testing relevent.
>>
>> And relevant is a euphemism for easy.
>>
>>  --Robert [WA3J]
>
>No Robert, relevent means relevent.
>
>I realize it is a big word for such a SMALL person.

I suggest a consultation with a quality dictonary is in order.
The correct spelling is relevant. Now, what was that about being small?

 --Robert [WA3J]
A know code Extra.

--
"Meeting him, shaking his hand--it was overwhelming. It was better than sex.
 Of course, I haven't had sex before, but I'm sure this was better."

 --A Codeless Technician, after meeting Dan Pickersgill for the first time.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 03:57:36 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!mystis![e-mail]
Subject: CW
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (A great x ray technician!) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>,
> Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
> >[e-mail] (A great x ray technician!) writes:
> >>
> >> And relevant is a euphemism for easy.
> >>
> >>  --Robert [WA3J]
> >
> >No Robert, relevent means relevent.
> >
> >I realize it is a big word for such a SMALL person.
>
> I suggest a consultation with a quality dictonary is in order.
> The correct spelling is relevant. Now, what was that about being small?

Simple, you are a small person. (I would use the term man but that might
offend people.) Proof? You attack a persons spelling, instead of
debating the issue on merit. You might make use of a dictionary, as
MEANINGS seem to continue to elude you.

This has digressed to the absurd. Talk to yourself for a while Robert...

73,

de N8PKV

--
"We are all now safe from crime. The Brady 'Law' has taken effect.
 All can sleep peacefully knowing our paternalistic government will
 take care and protect us! Of course I also believe in Santa Claus,
 The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Great Pumpkin!"

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 1994 06:32:16 -0600
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!gatech!swrinde!menudo.uh.edu!uuneo.NeoSoft.com!sugar.NeoSoft.COM![e-mail]
Subject: CW
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>,
Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
>[e-mail] (A great x ray technician!) writes:
>
>> In article <[e-mail]>,
>> Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
>> >[e-mail] (A great x ray technician!) writes:
>> >>
>> >> And relevant is a euphemism for easy.
>> >>
>> >>  --Robert [WA3J]
>> >
>> >No Robert, relevent means relevent.
>> >
>> >I realize it is a big word for such a SMALL person.
>>
>> I suggest a consultation with a quality dictonary is in order.
>> The correct spelling is relevant. Now, what was that about being small?
>
>Simple, you are a small person. (I would use the term man but that might
>offend people.) Proof? You attack a persons spelling, instead of
>debating the issue on merit. You might make use of a dictionary, as
>MEANINGS seem to continue to elude you.

But Dan, I *have* debated you on the merit of the issue. Don't you remember?
In a nutshell, here are our positions:

Dan Pickersgill, N8PKV: Supports either the elimination or reduction of the
                        current Morse elements. He claims they are not
                        relevant to amateur radio in 1994, and emphasis
                        on these should be reduced.

Robert Coyle, WA3J: Supports the current licensing structure, including the
                    Morse elements. May be willing to accept reduced emphasis
                    on the Morse elements IF the written elements are
                    substantially beefed up, however after observing the
                    simplicity of the current Codeless Technician, he does
                    not hold much hope in that. Feels that the vast majority
                    of the "No Code" proponents simply want the extended
                    privileges, but are too lazy to work for them.

How's that, Dan? Did I leave anything out?

 --Robert

--
"Meeting him, shaking his hand--it was overwhelming. It was better than sex.
 Of course, I haven't had sex before, but I'm sure this was better."

 --A Codeless Technician, after meeting Dan Pickersgill for the first time.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 02:10:55 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!mystis![e-mail]
Subject: Have a say about ARRL policy
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Ed Hare (KA1CV)) writes:

> You can contact most ARRL HQ staffers by email. I will post a
> list in my next post.
>
> I also suggest that all hams with an opinion or suggestion about a
> policy matter make their views known to their Division Director.
> The Division Directors are listed on page 8 of any recent QST.
> You can also usually find your Division Director at most major hamfests
> or ARRL Conventions.

Ours has even been at the last 3 membership meetings of our club (must
have been that we have had some GREAT presentations lately). Can't beat
that for conviencence, Ed.

(Please do not consider this an endorsement of the ARRL.)   :)

Dan N8PKV


--
"We are all now safe from crime. The Brady 'Law' has taken effect.
 All can sleep peacefully knowing our paternalistic government will
 take care and protect us! Of course I also believe in Santa Claus,
 The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Great Pumpkin!"

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 18:25:28 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!mvb.saic.com!news.cerf.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!sgiblab!wetware!spunky.RedBrick.COM!psinntp!psinntp!arrl.org![e-mail]
Subject: Have a say about ARRL policy
To: [e-mail]

Dan Pickersgill ([e-mail]) wrote:

: [e-mail] (Ed Hare (KA1CV)) writes:

: > I also suggest that all hams with an opinion or suggestion about a
: > policy matter make their views known to their Division Director.
: > The Division Directors are listed on page 8 of any recent QST.
: > You can also usually find your Division Director at most major hamfests
: > or ARRL Conventions.

: Ours has even been at the last 3 membership meetings of our club (must
: have been that we have had some GREAT presentations lately). Can't beat
: that for conviencence, Ed.

Well, it sounds like, at least in your Division, the ARRL Director
is quite accessible. It has been my experience that they all make
themselves quite available to members and the ham community.
On average, I think they give up about half of their weekends to
get out in the real world and attend various events and functions --
a lot more than I give up for the Greater Good of Amateur Radio. :-)

: (Please do not consider this an endorsement of the ARRL.)   :)

Well, I don't consider pointing out a good thing we do to be an
endorsement, nor do I consider pointing out a bad thing to be
a blanket condemnation. An endorsement or condemnation is developed
after evaluating the overall activity and performance of an
organization. I imagine that many people base their choice to be,
or not to be, a member on much the same thing. I will pose an
interesting question, however: what *would* it take for you to
endorse the ARRL? :-).

73 from ARRL HQ, Ed

--

-----
Ed Hare, KA1CV                  [e-mail]
American Radio Relay League

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 1994 16:02:47 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!swrinde!sgiblab!wetware!spunky.RedBrick.COM!psinntp!psinntp!arrl.org![e-mail]
Subject: Help on 2 Meter Freqs.
To: [e-mail]

Daniel T Senie ([e-mail]) wrote:
: In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (James Jones) writes:
: >
: >Would someone out there please pass on to me the limits of the 2 meter
: >band plan? What I really want to know, Is what part of the band is

The entire ARRL Band Plan (complete with permission to copy :)) is available
from the ARRL's Automated Email Information Server.  The file request name
is BANDPLAN.TXT.  It covers all the bands from 160 meters through 10 Ghz in
detail.  To receive this file, send an email message to [e-mail] with
any subject and the following text as the body of your message:

help
index
send bandplan.txt
quit

You will receive a short set of instructions and a complete listing of files
available on the info-server as well as the requested bandplan.  Please use
the quit line in your message to prevent errors from message signatures.

PLEASE NOTE!:  This is an automated system not capable of handling written
requests.  Any technical questions should be directed to [e-mail], the
League's Technical Information Service.  Any questions on the info-server or
the content of any of its files should be directed to me at [e-mail].

ALSO NOTE!: Do *NOT* reply to messages sent from [e-mail] - the reply
address is redirected to keep bounced messages from endlessly looping.
Write a new message to [e-mail] instead (you can, however, include
additional requests in a single message by adding more "send filename"
lines).

Best Regards, Michael Tracy, KC1SX, ARRL Technical Information Services

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 1994 17:29:42 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!asuvax!pitstop.mcd.mot.com!mcdphx!schbbs!waters.corp.mot.com.corp.mot.com![e-mail]
Subject: Modes and Testing
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Jeffrey D. Angus) wrote:


>  WA6FWI, ex-WN6FWI and a member of the QCWA.

Hmm I suppose I should join QCWA, I have been eligable for nearly 10 years
now :-)

>  (Who can still remember hearing assholes on the air before there was any of
>  this codeless stuff. Let's see a show of hands for those of you that have
>  heard W6AOA on the air at one time or another.)

I rather liked the W2 who would call "CQ A1 operators oly - no kids no lids
no school bus riders etc."  Used to do it for most of the day too, of
course if anyone called him they were told they were in one of the "bad"
classes.  We set him up one day by having someone call him who wasn't any
of the things on his list, but he just added a new category :-)

--
Phooey on it all - I'm going sailing for a year or two!!!

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 94 17:44:55 GMT
From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!nyx10![e-mail]
Subject: Morse Whiners
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>,
Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
>Ed, they think everyone memorizes the questions, because that is how
>they passed the test.

If you think I think that way, you are wrong. 100% wrong. I passed my Extra in
1977, before there were published question pools. I also refused to use the
Dick Bash method on philosophical grounds.

Back then, too, tests were real tests, men were real men, women were real
women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry
creatures from Alpha Centauri...
--
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
[e-mail]      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
"The difference between baseball and politics is that, in baseball, if you
               get caught stealing, you're out!" -- Ed Shanks

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 03:54:29 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!mystis![e-mail]
Subject: Morse Whiners
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Jay Maynard) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>,
> Dan Pickersgill <[e-mail]> wrote:
> >Ed, they think everyone memorizes the questions, because that is how
> >they passed the test.
>
> If you think I think that way, you are wrong. 100% wrong. I passed my Extra i
> 1977, before there were published question pools. I also refused to use the
> Dick Bash method on philosophical grounds.
>
> Back then, too, tests were real tests, men were real men, women were real
> women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry
> creatures from Alpha Centauri...

Jay, what are small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri now?

73,

Dan N8PKV

--
"We are all now safe from crime. The Brady 'Law' has taken effect.
 All can sleep peacefully knowing our paternalistic government will
 take care and protect us! Of course I also believe in Santa Claus,
 The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Great Pumpkin!"

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 94 17:48:03 GMT
From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!nyx10![e-mail]
Subject: New Canadian prefixes?
To: [e-mail]

In article <2ktla9$[e-mail]>, Fred M. Davis <[e-mail]> wrote:
>Fred   VA3FD

I must not have been paying attention. What's a VA3?
--
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
[e-mail]      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
"The difference between baseball and politics is that, in baseball, if you
               get caught stealing, you're out!" -- Ed Shanks

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 02:17:50 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!mystis![e-mail]
Subject: On the lite side...
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Daniel D. Todd) writes:

> : And we have every bit a s nice a climate as Jeff does :-)
> Miles and miles of beach but no ocean, which really sucks for all us SCUBA
> divers.

Ah, but they have several rivers/lakes. Just a short (in AZ terms) drive
away.

Dan N8PKV


--
"We are all now safe from crime. The Brady 'Law' has taken effect.
 All can sleep peacefully knowing our paternalistic government will
 take care and protect us! Of course I also believe in Santa Claus,
 The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Great Pumpkin!"

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 02:03:57 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!mystis![e-mail]
Subject: What?  No comments??
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Steve Popovich) writes:

> IMHO, the people who are natural experimenters will experiment,
> whether they are "encouraged" to do so or not -- it's in their blood.
> Also, the people who are not natural experimenters will not
> experiment, whether we :-) are "encouraged" to do so or not -- we're
> lazy.  "Advancing the state of the radio art" is only one of the five
> principles of the Amateur Radio Service, not a sine qua non.

Yes, and more and more I see that a lot of guys that got their license
about 3 years ago are either not around or joining the experimenters.

> "Move to higher frequencies" works at VHF and UHF frequencies, because
> at those frequencies basically all the bands have line-of-sight
> propagation characteristics.  It's just more difficult, and more
> expensive, to work at microwave frequencies and above.  At VHF and
> above, the serious experiementers go to the higher frequencies, where
> they are not bothered by the common crowd, while those who just want
> to chat on the local repeater or log into the local packet BBS hang
> out on the lower frequencies, like 2m and 440.  (220 has been largely
> passed over, probably because of the feeling of impending doom a few
> years ago when we lost part of the band to UPS, which didn't even use
> the thing in the end.  Sigh.)

And opening the UHF and beyond is a good idea in amateur radio.

> At HF, though, there are no other frequencies available to move to,
> that have the same desirable propagation characteristics.  The whole
> purpose of HF is long-distance communication between stations not
> connected by any particular "network" infrastructure.  It comes in
> handy when something like an earthquake or a hurricane has wiped out
> the infrastructure in an area. :-) Putting more people on HF would
> just overload the bands even more than they are now.  You might have a
> point with "develop[ing] more technically advanced HF forms of
> modulation",

When it NEEDS to be done, we never do it. When it _HAS_ to be done, we
find a way.

> except that IMHO, we really can't get much narrower and
> keep anything like the forms of communication that we have now.  I
> just don't see it happening.  Someone more knowledgeable than I can
> post the theoretical lower bounds on bandwidths for passing, say,
> voice and various rates of data (I dimly recall studying such things
> at one time, but it's not the sort of knowledge that I use every day),
> but whatever they may be exactly, we're very close to them as it is.
> With the HF bands being as narrow as they are, there are only so many
> bits of information that you can pack into their limited bandwidth.

Then maybe we should get WIDER. There are always alternatives.

> Admittedly, the current data modes are rather inefficient because
> they're based on old modem technology (and museum-piece teleprinter
> technology, in some cases :-), but you're not going to get an
> order-of-magnitude compression out of something like an SSB or CW
> signal.  Maybe you'll get a factor of 2 or 3, but that's not worth all
> that much.  Besides, in a hobby where some people are still using full
> DSB AM, how quickly can you expect everybody to move to your new,
> lower-bandwidth forms of modulation?  There's a lot of old equipment
> out there, and hams are cheap b***ards. :-) Many of them aren't going
> to buy your wonderful new equipment until it's been on the used market
> for a number of years.  Ain't ham radio wonderful?
>     -Steve, WB3I

Steve, this is a poor comentary of HF operators. Maybe fresh blood is
needed if the current users can't use it effectively.

73,

Dan N8PKV


--
"We are all now safe from crime. The Brady 'Law' has taken effect.
 All can sleep peacefully knowing our paternalistic government will
 take care and protect us! Of course I also believe in Santa Claus,
 The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Great Pumpkin!"

------------------------------

Date: 1 Mar 1994 21:30:50 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!agate!msuinfo![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <2ktla9$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Subject : Re: New Canadian prefixes?

On Tue, 1 Mar 94 17:48:03 GMT, strange alien beings caused Jay Maynard ([e-mail]) to write:
> In article <2ktla9$[e-mail]>, Fred M. Davis <[e-mail]> wrote:
> >Fred   VA3FD

> I must not have been paying attention. What's a VA3?

As I understand from a friend of mine in Toronto (now VA3PI), they
were running out of VE# callsigns in Canada, so they picked up VA#
from somewhere. Boy, won't this make QSL'ing interesting? (Especially
if people change from VE# to VA# calls).

/Matthew N9VWG

--
Matthew Cravit, N9VWG               | All opinions expressed here are
Michigan State University           | my own. I don't speak for MSU
E-Mail: [e-mail]         | and they don't speak for me.
GO/CS -d+@ -p+ c++ !l u+(++) e+(*) s/+ n+(---) h+ f+ !g w+(+++) t++@ r(+) y?

------------------------------

End of Ham-Policy Digest V94 #93
******************************