Old Ham Radio Movie
18/01/14 05:14
All hams might enjoy watching this old 10 minute movie clip from 1939 that showcases ham radio.
http://youtu.be/FB8wLl_g66M
Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/FB8wLl_g66M
Enjoy!
Comments
Jerks in Ham Radio
25/07/13 13:07
Someone, I suspect another ham, sent me an anonymous email message about an error that appears on my website. I checked it out and this anonymous person is correct.
However, his response was very rude and just unbecoming of any rational adult. Honest mistake that I would have been happy to correct right away had this person not been such a jerk. The error is not technical in nature, so I am just going to leave it in there until someone who acts like an adult can respond in an appropriate manner. So happy hunting!
I also decided to implement a new website policy. Anonymous emails will not be read. They'll go directly into the bit-bucket, better known to most computer users as trash.
However, his response was very rude and just unbecoming of any rational adult. Honest mistake that I would have been happy to correct right away had this person not been such a jerk. The error is not technical in nature, so I am just going to leave it in there until someone who acts like an adult can respond in an appropriate manner. So happy hunting!
I also decided to implement a new website policy. Anonymous emails will not be read. They'll go directly into the bit-bucket, better known to most computer users as trash.
It's Hamvention Week!
12/05/13 19:52
Not only is it Mother's Day today, but it is also the start of Hamvention Week!
Can't wait to head up to the greatest ham radio show on Earth.
Rod, WI0T will be coming up from St. Louis, Missouri to join me for this annual expedition to Hamvention.
I'll post a report on the Hamvention early next week so stayed tuned.
Can't wait to head up to the greatest ham radio show on Earth.
Rod, WI0T will be coming up from St. Louis, Missouri to join me for this annual expedition to Hamvention.
I'll post a report on the Hamvention early next week so stayed tuned.
More English Language Abuse
30/05/12 07:22
I found this one on a ham radio group at Yahoo Groups. The person posting this is referring to how long it has taken for a new radio to come to market. This one struck me as very funny.
"Out of patients..... The Icom 208H is well priced and does all the frequencies that the 920 does anyway. End of story…"
If I am reading the above correctly, it seems the guy is a physician because he apparently has run out of patients. I guess he must have cured them all and now has more time for amateur radio.
Maybe next time he'll run out of patience.
;-)
"Out of patients..... The Icom 208H is well priced and does all the frequencies that the 920 does anyway. End of story…"
If I am reading the above correctly, it seems the guy is a physician because he apparently has run out of patients. I guess he must have cured them all and now has more time for amateur radio.
Maybe next time he'll run out of patience.
;-)
More Poor Spelling and English from Hams
30/04/12 09:31
Wow, so a ham sent me a note about the new repeater he had set-up. Very nice of him to send a note.
When I went to QRZ.com to look up his call, here is what he had written on his profile page. I have deleted the information from his post that would have identified him. I used the letter "X" in the following post to show what I modified and I also substituted (name) for their actual names.
"MY SELF WITH XX8XXX (name) AND YY8XXX (name).CO SPONCER A REPETER IN THE NORTHERN KY. CINCINNATI OHIO AERA IT IS A OPEN TO ALL REPETER. THE FREQ.IS XXX.XXX TONE XXX.Xhz IT HAS AN AUTO PATCH AND BACKUP POWER SYSTEM. CALL ANY OF US FOR THE AUTO PATCH CODES. PLEASE FELL FREE TO USE THE SYSTEM ANY TIME."
Here is a better way to write this with spelling and gammar corrections:
"(name) XX8XXX, (name) YY8XXX and I co-sponsor a repeater in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio area. This repeater is open to all amateurs. The frequency is XXX.XXX with a +5 Mhz offset and a XXX.X Hz tone for access. The repeater has an auto-patch and a back-up power system. If you would like to use the auto-patch, please call us for the access codes. Feel free to use the repeater anytime."
Seriously folks, what is the general public going to think about amateur radio and amateur radio operators in general if they read information on our hobby written in horrible English and spelling? Especially when we are talking about the spelling of very basic words such as "area."
I would also like to mention that the use of all caps is the Internet equivalent of yelling. Come on people, learn to use the shift key.
Is the above example representative of the kind of English, spelling and writing skills that they are teaching in our public schools? If so then the future of our country and amateur radio is frightening to me. No wonder the United States is losing its competitive advantage in the world.
CW should not have been the filter. Maybe a test that included the writing of a simple English composition should have been given along with a test on theory and rules.
When I went to QRZ.com to look up his call, here is what he had written on his profile page. I have deleted the information from his post that would have identified him. I used the letter "X" in the following post to show what I modified and I also substituted (name) for their actual names.
"MY SELF WITH XX8XXX (name) AND YY8XXX (name).CO SPONCER A REPETER IN THE NORTHERN KY. CINCINNATI OHIO AERA IT IS A OPEN TO ALL REPETER. THE FREQ.IS XXX.XXX TONE XXX.Xhz IT HAS AN AUTO PATCH AND BACKUP POWER SYSTEM. CALL ANY OF US FOR THE AUTO PATCH CODES. PLEASE FELL FREE TO USE THE SYSTEM ANY TIME."
Here is a better way to write this with spelling and gammar corrections:
"(name) XX8XXX, (name) YY8XXX and I co-sponsor a repeater in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio area. This repeater is open to all amateurs. The frequency is XXX.XXX with a +5 Mhz offset and a XXX.X Hz tone for access. The repeater has an auto-patch and a back-up power system. If you would like to use the auto-patch, please call us for the access codes. Feel free to use the repeater anytime."
Seriously folks, what is the general public going to think about amateur radio and amateur radio operators in general if they read information on our hobby written in horrible English and spelling? Especially when we are talking about the spelling of very basic words such as "area."
I would also like to mention that the use of all caps is the Internet equivalent of yelling. Come on people, learn to use the shift key.
Is the above example representative of the kind of English, spelling and writing skills that they are teaching in our public schools? If so then the future of our country and amateur radio is frightening to me. No wonder the United States is losing its competitive advantage in the world.
CW should not have been the filter. Maybe a test that included the writing of a simple English composition should have been given along with a test on theory and rules.
Hams need a course in English
06/03/12 08:20
I remember the now settled discussion about CW testing to get a license for amateur radio. Seems many thought that removing CW meant the dumbing down of amateur radio. I'm here to tell you that the CW test requirement had nothing to do with dumbing down amateur radio. Seems it was already here.
Anyone who reads the forum postings on QRZ, eHam, Yahoo Groups and the like should be a bit shocked at the butchering of the English language. People do not seem to know how to spell or the correct usage of words such as "their", "they're" and "there." Some use "and" when they meant "an." One of the latest violations are from people who use "prolly" when they meant to use "probably." I have even read where people use "know" for "now" and vice-versa. I could go on and on.
Seems that the dumbing down occurred long before the dropping of the CW test since many of these posts are from hams that have been licensed for more than 10 years.
What prompted this little rant today was the post I read from a ham who wrote this: "Is it because it's and ICOM pattend?" First, I cannot even figure out what he means by "pattend." The rest of the poor excuse for a sentence is just mess of the English language. So elimination of the CW testing is not dumbing down amateur radio. I think it is our crumbling public school system.
Then there are those who do not know how to use the "Shift" key on the keyboard. They type in all caps which is the Internet equivalent of screaming. Simply put, if you do not know how to properly type, then please don't make postings on the bulletin boards.
Come on hams, we can do better!
Anyone who reads the forum postings on QRZ, eHam, Yahoo Groups and the like should be a bit shocked at the butchering of the English language. People do not seem to know how to spell or the correct usage of words such as "their", "they're" and "there." Some use "and" when they meant "an." One of the latest violations are from people who use "prolly" when they meant to use "probably." I have even read where people use "know" for "now" and vice-versa. I could go on and on.
Seems that the dumbing down occurred long before the dropping of the CW test since many of these posts are from hams that have been licensed for more than 10 years.
What prompted this little rant today was the post I read from a ham who wrote this: "Is it because it's and ICOM pattend?" First, I cannot even figure out what he means by "pattend." The rest of the poor excuse for a sentence is just mess of the English language. So elimination of the CW testing is not dumbing down amateur radio. I think it is our crumbling public school system.
Then there are those who do not know how to use the "Shift" key on the keyboard. They type in all caps which is the Internet equivalent of screaming. Simply put, if you do not know how to properly type, then please don't make postings on the bulletin boards.
Come on hams, we can do better!
Why buy radios if you are not going to use them?
22/02/11 09:21
Each and every year I attend the Dayton Hamvention. I don't think I have missed a year in the past 20 years. I watch people buying new handheld radios like they are going to stop manufacturing them any day now.
Then, when Dayton is all over, the repeaters are relatively silent. What are you people doing with these radios? Just listening to nothing? I don't get it.
Hams are in this hobby to communicate. So why aren't we talking on the repeaters anymore?
Not to mention, when I go to the meetings of my local ham radio club, the room is usually filled with 50 or more people, and you're lucky if you hear even 10 of those people on any of the club repeaters at any time during the week.
Come on people, get on the radio. Talk and make friends. Learn something interesting about others. Communicate something interesting about you. If you are going to be a ham, then act like a ham and use the flipping radios!
Then, when Dayton is all over, the repeaters are relatively silent. What are you people doing with these radios? Just listening to nothing? I don't get it.
Hams are in this hobby to communicate. So why aren't we talking on the repeaters anymore?
Not to mention, when I go to the meetings of my local ham radio club, the room is usually filled with 50 or more people, and you're lucky if you hear even 10 of those people on any of the club repeaters at any time during the week.
Come on people, get on the radio. Talk and make friends. Learn something interesting about others. Communicate something interesting about you. If you are going to be a ham, then act like a ham and use the flipping radios!
SunSpots - Are they back?
19/02/11 09:20
I am not on the HF radio every day, but Russ (WB8ZCC) sent out an email yesterday that 10 meters was open. So I turned on the radio and did hear a number of Western Europeans on the air being worked by countless U.S. hams obviously starved for a DX contact.
Maybe after a prolonged wait, Mr. Sun is finally starting to cooperate with us patiently waiting hams. Now I can start working on my endorsement for 200 countries confirmed. Right now as I recall, I am at 118. So with a little help from the Sun, I might be able to get it this cycle.
Maybe after a prolonged wait, Mr. Sun is finally starting to cooperate with us patiently waiting hams. Now I can start working on my endorsement for 200 countries confirmed. Right now as I recall, I am at 118. So with a little help from the Sun, I might be able to get it this cycle.
The New Site - Hope you like it!
31/01/11 17:37
I have again updated the WB8NUT website and used a website development program called RapidWeaver. It runs on the Apple Mac. I just bought the Mac in December, 2010 and found this excellent application to create websites. It makes it much easier to maintain and add content in the future. So you can count on the site growing in the future.
Also, some of the Photo Albums are empty right now, but I plan on adding photos to those soon as time permits.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you visit again soon.
Also, some of the Photo Albums are empty right now, but I plan on adding photos to those soon as time permits.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you visit again soon.