the facts of life. for the new
guys Written
with SE Idaho NEW Hams in mind
and some ideas for old guys that don't own a Money Tree .
This page is here for one purpose, to
enlighten you , not to
run
you off.
We want you new hams to attend our meetings, we want your
ideas, your input, and your friendship.
Please think about attending our meetings.
This page is written by KØIP and reviewed by other
PARC hams. Many guys say I am too hard on the new guys, COULD BE ,
not really ?
If you need help with your new hobby, 99% of the old hams are willing to help
you. HOWEVER BE advised 'not all hams are created equal'.
many may not have the answers you need. Hopefully
they will send you to someone that has the answers.
Also YOUTUBE, yes there are thousands of YouTube Video makers, many,
in fact most don't have any idea what they are talking about.
so, be careful what you watch,
Now New hams:
I dare you to read and watch all links on this page.
I dare you to join
one of the clubs in Pocatello, PARC (Pocatello Amateur Radio
Club) or PV-ARES.
You probably will need to attend more than one club meeting to feel your part of a group, so
start coming to
meetings,
Start mingling with the guys at the meeting , start
learning about Ham Radio. We really want you to be part of our club. We want it
to be your club.
However, IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP, THEN OUR QUEST IS OVER. We
can't help if we don't know you want help..
Watch the 4th video below, overcoming Frustration, He discusses the
same things, you probably won't be 100% accepted
into the group on
your first visit .
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now here is a list of things that seem to be on my pet peeve list !..
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY IS 2 meters DEAD
??
This question seems to be ask by lots of you new guys, the answer is simple,
NO ONE LEAVES THEIR RADIOS ON !
Remember, if your radio is OFF, the band is dead
! In the olden days for 2 meter, somewhere about 20 to 40 years ago,
all the
local guys left their "base" radios ON all the time, maybe even at night,
if you were upside down in a ditch, someone
would probably be listening to the repeater to help you ( life before cell phones)
and
for sure if you wanted a QSO in the daylight hours someone would
be willing to chat..
NOW remember everyone left their radios ON.
Most of those old guys are now dead. its up to you "new guys" to fill the gap.
Solution: turn your radios on, monitor the local
repeater, if someone calls answer answer them , leave your radios on.
Think about this, if everyone's radio is OFF, and you
decide to turn yours on and call CQ , guess what, no one will hear you
Their all switched off !.
the likelihood of two of you switching your radio on at the exact same time is fairly
low.
TURN YOUR RADIOS ON AND LEAVE THEM ON answer calls , talk ,
make friends.
-------------------------------------------------------
And since we were talking
about 2 meters ,, how about CQ on two meters
OK Guys and Girls ,,, for
whatever reason the majority of hams think calling CQ is Verboten,,
Yes Verboten and anyone calling CQ on VHF FM
should be castigated endlessly.. made a fool of and well sent to the
corner with a dunce cap on ???
Yes, its crazy ,, your just supposed to send your call ??? you
keyed your mike and and said your call , you didn't ask for a
conversation, maybe you
were just testing your SWR,, whatever,,, then some
say your monitoring or listening,
again you may not want a conversation (QSO)
But god help you if you were to use the STANDARD, HAM APPROVED way to get a QSO,,
thats to call CQ. Don't make it long,
just cq cq cq and your call, maybe add something like "looking for a
contact" ?? and if some grumpy old guy comes on and raises a
FUSS,
just forget about him being rude.. maybe talk to him, maybe he just needs
some friends on the radio.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heres four pages you
should look at.
New Ham - what do I do now
(ask dave #12)
a must watch Video
I think this video just about sums
it up, join a club, join the ARRL, get on HF radio, life on
two meters is limited.
New Hams - GET AN Elmer - Join a club
New Hams - How to fit in with the grumpy old guys
and why their grumpy, how to make that
first 2 meter contact, and what to do with your old CB radios, and
more
New Hams -
Overcoming 'new ham' Frustration (ask dave #43)
Repeaters: and
programming your 2 meter radio.
It seems like most new hams get on 2 meters, this is OK and you can do
many things using only 2 meter FM. However,
its only one very small segment of ham radio.
anyway,
you've got a license but your lost in a world of confusing terms and strange
sounding do-dads? nothing makes any sense .
and programming that new HT makes even less sense ??
probably the best thing to do is come to our meeting, get an ELMER, he can
help* you.
Try Watching these three videos , they might give you some insight about programmed
your HT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmOfkdhJL1U&t=323s part one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrRLBPhwaus
part two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1PtDM3lI3Q
part three
Repeater list for
Pocatello,
Repeater list for Idaho
*one thing that needs mentioning, just because I've been a ham for 50+ years, doesn't
mean I can figure out how to program your Chinese radio.
IF you need a computer and software to program your radio, I think you
probably
have the WRONG RADIO,
you need to be able to change frequencies and program it via the front
panel buttons, on the fly, any time, any place, night or day, with or
without AC power .
Heres another interesting video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoIMOdWvqyo, really hits home
for me.
Things to watch and listen to
on the internet, youtube, etc,
There's so many different people making all sorts of Ham Radio videos, much of it
is TOTAL BS,
be careful who's giving the advice.
its Jan 2020 I just watched the Ham Nation, OK, too much computer junk,
but a bunch of nice folks trying to be inclusive ..
Dave and K7AGE/Ham Nation seem to have SOME of their facts in order,
ASK- DAVE videos see this
Watch the ones you think pertain to you , or watch them all,
they will broaden your horizons
The same goes for K7AGE videos on youtube.com
since episodes don't appear to come up in any order, scan for ones that might interest you.
This guy did one on installing
Power Poles connectors, it was great..
Power Poles :
I highly recommend using them on all
your radios. PARC stocks these in our "company store" ask at a meeting
Now between you and me,
K7AGE has joined with the "Ham Nation"
video group,
I find Ham Nation a bit long, but it you've got an hour or so, check them
out, the cover lots of ham activities, and lots of HAM topics,
you can see there is lots to ham radio beyond your HT and two meters.
AUDIO ONLY Podcasts , this is great stuff, the ARRL's
"The Doctors IN",
Link to index of audio podcasts
personally , I even find that half of this info is confusing, and overly
complicated, and somewhat slanted to political correctness ....
but like life, there is several ways to accomplish the same problems...
but these pod casts are way better that about 95% of the Bull Sh.. on youtube.
YOUTUBE !! LOOOOOOK OOOOOUT
Now remember, there are LOTS of fools making Videos, if you
stumble on a video with a guys driving down the freeway giving you advice ,
you can assume he's a
NUT, and there's plenty of mixed NUTS to go around !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These guys, see picture , mostly mixed nuts, they
like to see their faces on youtube !!!
especially the two guy's with the hats, (top and bottom middle) they
love to talk, they know a bit, but mostly BS, the guy In the middle, has
hundreds of videos,
most are stupid !! I understand that YouTube
actually pays some video makers ?? so make more videos equals a bigger pay check
????? and for heck sakes
try to avoid the guy on the right, he never has a hat, mostly full
of BS, sometimes seen at the PARC meetings, sometimes seen contesting with
a can of beer in his hand . be careful !!!
YES !! the new face of
Ham Radio,
It's time to tell it like it is, and I hate to be tooo blunt, but
if your learning about HR on youtube,
you are being lead down the
primrose path
YOUTUBE phooey, come to a club
CLUBS
Watching that first video listed above, (ask dave #12) and
reading those links, it looks like the old guys
are stuck in a rut
Joining a Local CLUB and the ARRL. By joining ARRL, you get QST magazine
which is one of the
best ways to learn things,
unlike Playboy magazine, where everyone just 'read the articles' and didn't
look at the pictures, looking at
the pictures in QST and reading the
advertising can add to your knowledge base.
and if you happen to read an article thats even better, ,
ARRL membership/renewal Link
FYI, when you join a club, you need to attend the meetings !
In Pocatello there are two amateur radio groups
One being the page your on now, the Pocatello Amateur Radio Club
(PARC Home Page), and
The Portneuf Valley Amateur Radio Emergency Services group
PV ARES .
PARC is a general interest club, and PV ARES is mostly interested in emergency
communications and parade, race, local event communications.
If Emergency preparedness is why you got a Amateur License you should investigate
them.
However if you got a license to explore all the aspects of HAM radio like DXing,
weak signal vhf , contests, building projects, Just learning new things.
Then PARC is for you, Think about this,
Join both groups, get the best of both
worlds.
If you don't live in Pocatello see this
Other Ham Clubs
in our area
Handy Talky (HT)
buyers guide: This is my advice to you as an Elmer:
DONT spend a small fortune on a two meter radio, however, I DON'T recommend
those really cheap Chinese radios, they are hard (almost impossible) to program
without a computer
I DO
recommend a
single band 2 meter radio, that has a BNC antenna connector, like mentioned in
those videos,
forgot all the "bells and whistles" . most of that "stuff" IS USELESS.
Your a beginner, buy a simple radio, who knows 6 months from now
you might not even be
interested in 2 meters anymore.
There's got to be some FM only , plain Jane, FM HT for say less than
$100. Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, Alinco pick one.
simple and cheap, not Chinese, with a BNC antenna connector if possible.
forget D-Star or Fusion, GPS, APRS , etc etc ,
The radio manufactures what to sell you the most expensive thing
they can grind out,
TOOO many options, TOOO much memory, TOOO much BS.
simple is better.
See this link about how much memory is too much
Ozzy Osburne it might be a joke but
its mostly
true.
There are a few D-Star, Fusion, DMR repeaters popping up here and there in Idaho,
Now let me say , it seems that Twin Falls has joined the digital radio world,
I still feel wasting money on 4 different types of 2 meter radios is a waste of
time and money !! see just below.
THE REAL FACT IS:
There's almost NO activity on the any type of repeaters, DEAD AIR,
so be warned. , see above "why is two meters dead"
heres a few examples of simple HT radios(as of 2017) , alinco DJ-100T DJ-500T
Kenwood TH-K20A, Yaesu FT65R, and ICOM V80 sport,
which
is the best in my opinion,
it has a BNC, and a AA battery pack, which means you can run it on Standard AA
batteries in an emergency.
this also means for daily use you will
need to buy some rechargeable batteries and the correct charger for your
batteries, I still use NiCad's in my HT.
Speaking of FM,, as discussed above,
the three digital audio modes DMR - Dstar - Fusion are all
INCOMPATIBLE with each other. The
people that spend a ton of money putting up these specialized repeaters will
tell you how great the audio is, Hi Def audio, Similar to
Quadraphonic (remember, the absolute "end all" to your stereo system in the
70's), oh' you weren't born, well you missed it, Quad is dead and gone.
Anyway the hams will tell you how great
digital is,
and how you can't live without it !
What they are
doing in fact is, SEGMENTING 2 meter voice into 4 groups, all
incompatible with each other.
Answer, Buy 4 kinds of radios, ??? NOT,
at least for a starter, stick with what's now called "analog FM" ,,
its not HiFi, but it works good !
NOW,
some of these digital systems are all linked to other
similar repeaters systems around the world, Just a push a button, and VIA the internet.your talking
to London or India, Thailand, Australia.. and it works, but does Internet
linked communications really provide anything of lasting enjoyment.? thats for
you to decide.
Outside antennas,
OK you want to be heard, then you need an outside antenna, for 2 meters a
cheap J-Pole or 1/4 wave ground plane will do the trick, but its got to be outside your house,
connected
with good coax, Like RG8U or RG213 type coax ( see coax below) . The Higher you can mount the
antenna the better , up on your roof somewhere. if you ever
need to talk
simplex, (what a novel idea, simplex) your rubber duck isn't going to work very well.
There is a host of other vertical outside antennas for 2 meters, most are
somewhat
expensive considering what your getting, however, they are
factory antennas that tend to last forever.
HF antennas for the beginner,
A DIPOLE or a
ONE Band Vertical. You don't have to invest a fortune on an
antenna, prices on new Trapped Verticals
are ridicules. As are multi band Store Bought dipoles, MAKE YOUR OWN
ANTENNA it will be almost free... and you don't need a PhD to
install them.
Which Band, Well ???? (as
of 2020) 10, 12, 15 meter bands are almost USELESS for the next 4 or
5 years, No SunSpots. So my 2 cents worth
is either 20 or 40 meters. maybe 80 meters. These bands show lots of life, dipoles are really easy to
build and the club can help you get one up if you need or want the help.
See the Q&A button for measurements.
resonant dipole PDF...
Vertical Antenna, a 20 meter
Vertical
antenna is only 16 feet tall, if you can mount it on your roof you will
only need a few radials, four is more than enough..
On the ground you need lots of radials, not impossible, but a bit more
work. 40 Meters is 32 feet tall, harder to put on
your roof, but not impossible.
If you check 'the Doctors IN' topics, ( see above) they
have discussed all sorts of antennas , the Plusses and minuses of all
different types .... Dipoles are the way to go, simple and they work,
COAX, don't drink the
LMR-400 coolaid (
you can join the crew at JimJones-coolaid.com)
Look guys, for years and years RG-8U was the standard
for coax, Now in the 2020's it seems RG-8u has lost it favor,
now the band wagon buzz is LMR-400
this 'STUFF' is great, BUT, it costs a fortune and the shipping will kill
you. Lots of older hams have old RG-8 or RG-213 (same stuff)
laying around in the garage, they will probably sell
it to you cheap,, and there's no shipping.. Yes there is
a BIT of a difference in various coax types, but not much.
Does Coax go bad ???, I've been a ham for 55+ years and have never seen, unless its got a big cut
in the rubber covering, again I've never seen bad coax. Really I don't think
old age hurts it ,,
NOW, for 2m/70cm , where you need a length more thats maybe 20 feet or
more between your radio and the antenna, I do recommend RG-8 , ETC
ETC type coax
(check the PARC forsale page) LMR-400 is great too, but not
necessary, .5 db really doesn't mater,
NOW for HF, if your making a dipole for say 20 meters down (
20, 40, 80, 160,) and your running 100 watts, RG-58 or RG-8 Mini is going
to work good,
If your antenna is 200 feet out in the 'south 40' ,, you probably want RG-8
size coax.
If your running a 1000+ watts RG-8 is necessary, ALL this
about coax is way complicated subject , I suggest you get an Elmer ,
and tap his brain !!!!!!!
also Cable TV Coax, RG-6 and RG-59 , this is 75 ohm coax , and in fact
will work OK in most instances , BUT it's generally not copper, and the steel is
impossible to solder to,
making it hard to use, ..... use it if you want,
but for my bet get some ""used"" copper coax..
HI
FI AUDIO. on HF . (fools are easily separated from
their money)
HIFI
I ask WHY. There are several manufactures that sell audio enhancement
devices, my question why ?
ANSWER: if you make it, some fool will eventually buy it, and tell you how
great it is.
if you tune around 14.188mHz and listen, eventually you will hear a bunch of
these HIFI audio guys all discussing how great they all sound,
now , tune slightly off their signal a bit and hear the strange artifact, kind of a
"wow wow" sound. Its terrible.
Generally their bandwidth is wider than a normal SSB signal, all the extra
"base" might sound a bit better, but its totally stupid.
SO just don’t get sucked into the stupidity. Just say NO.
MICROPHONES
(oh.... did I say fools are easily separated from their money)
YOU Ask ,
Do I need a special microphone ?? answer NO
The microphone supplied with your radio was made for your radio.
if you really want to improve your operating position, buy a fairly good
HEADSET, like
Heil or
Radio Sport,
you’ll need a foot switch too. DON’T buy the Heil foot switch, a total rip
off. Too thick , too hard to press down, TOO expensive...
EBAY footswitch, see what pops up.
buy something FLAT to get your foot on. I use a foot switch made for a old
Dictaphone machine.
I almost always use headphones, I can hear better, the boom mike is attached, I
don’t need to lean up to the desk to talk,
I can use my hands to do my electronic logging,
I also say PHOOEY to that Rush Limbaugh golden microphone suspended with springs
on a boom device, PHOOEY
Heil sells a lot of this "stuff" , its not worth what it costs,,
What not to do:
spend a king
ransom on a microphone.
Lets see, some manufactures, especially Yaesu, make WAY EXPENSIVE microphones.
The top Yaesu mike, the “M-1 special addition” priced at
$690, WHAT,
CRAZY (do you have money to burn ??)
is so let me burn it with you ,, HI HI
Heil sells a lot of mikes and booms
and other “stuff” that only extracts money from your pocket. and really doesn't improve
your signal !
So what did I ask, do you really think you need a FOUR HUNDRED
DOLLAR microphone ???
NO ,
Those dollars are WAY better spend that on an Antenna, or a headset.... The mike
supplied with your radio should work just fine,
.
I'm a real fan of Headsets and foot switches.
A note about HEADSETS: Heil
isn't cheap, but good, and Radio Sport seems way too expensive .
I actually use a
strange looking Telex headset. I'm not even sure where I got it, I had
to add a one transistor amplifier so it would work with my Icom radio.
and yes, its not the totally comfortable leather coated expensive headset,
however I get great audio reports . years ago a friend of mine bought
a cheap headset advertised in QST,, from Warren Gregoire LLC in California,
I gave him a ration of BS about those cheap things, but I
operated for a few hours in a contest from his shack, and actually think those
cheap things were OK, good audio, not too tough on the ears..
they cost $59 dollars now see
www.superheadsets.com. There are also a lot of people using
cheap Computer headsets, if I ever
find a good article about this I will put info here.
computer headsets do work quite well. I guess what I'm
saying , you don't have to spend a fortune on headsets either. so shop around
LOGGING your contacts
OK guys, way back in the olden' days, not so
many years ago, it was an FCC rule that every transmission
should be logged, yes
every transmission, if you called CQ, you logged it, even if no one
answered you. seems extreme doesn't it ,
lucky we don't need
to do that any more, however, keeping a log is important,
(ok OK !! not so important for 2 meter FM)..
Some day , you might decide to get some "wall paper" , like the
ARRL's
Worked All States WAS award. without a log it
"ain't" going to happen !!
Ok it isn't going to happen. Paper logs
are OK, BUT, not really ,
hey its the 21 Century and we have computers, FYI your shack
computer
doesn't need to be a I 7 processor
with 16g's of memory, and a 10 trillion gig hard drive.
I use XP on an older machine,
it runs all the software I need and
really works well in my shack.
There
are many logging programs for not too much money, I use N3FJP,
his product is
relatively inexpensive , for me it does the job I want.
Some software is
just TOOOOO complex, If your spending $100+ its probably "bloat ware".
I don't need a wall covered with 32 inch monitors to keep track of the "gray
line"..
as with many things, most of the time "simple is better" !!
LOG ALL YOUR HF Contacts as
well as your Weak Signal VHF contacts, is there a
VUCC in your future ??
it's NOT going to happen without a LOG..
Log on your computer and then use LoTW, for awards, you might
want to have some QSL cards on hand too....
Log even if you have NO intention of getting a VUCC or WAS , WHY ?,
because the other guy REALLY needed
IDAHO on 6 METERS,
and you were that important contact,, he's depending on you to CONFIRM
that "hard to get contact" .. and it that being LoTW costs nothing
Heres a screen shot of what I have uploaded to LoTW, to decode this, I
have uploaded 52,595 QSO's and have CONFIRMED (QSL) 19,377
Confirmed means both my log and the other fellows log Match ,
time , date, call sign, ETC..
just to make sure we all understand, Logbook of The World (LoTW)
is NOT a logging program, its a database for awards.
QSL CARDS
Yes, a time tested way to confirm a contact, IF YOUR
active on HF, you need some printed QSL card,
If your working DX the cards will arrive at the incoming BURO for your
call district..
PARC gets cards all the time via the BURO...
Get a few QSL cards printed, or print your own, 100 should be more than
enough to start.
sign
up for LoTW the ARRL electronic awards database.
Don't get fooled by eQSL and
QRZ's Logbook or similar internet sites. ARRL and CQ
magazine awards are where it's at.
QSL cards should be 'post card' size 5 by 3 1/2
inches, card stock.
The prefer card has all the info on one side, but it's
not necessary. Pictures are always nice, but not necessary either
Learn about SASE's ,, check out your incoming QSL buro,
you need to have envelopes at the buro.
http://www.arrl.org/incoming-qsl-service will have contact
info.
To use the outgoing buro, you must be an ARRL member.
Don't hide in your
closet:
Something I think is important, is being able to Email hams and have
other hams be able to contact me, is important
QRZ.com,
It's a defacto STANDARD in call sign lookups
Now don't send them any money,
The guy's probably a multi
millionaire, without your help. QRZ is a great ham asset for
finding contact info .
There is absolutely NO
reason to send him (qrz.com) money. I've used the site for years, (free) there is a
limited amount of lookups you
can do every 24 hours, like a 100, why/when would I want to look up
more ???
That being said its a great web. Now what do I think is stupid, several
years ago , the owner made it mandatory to LOG IN, to get access to
most of the info about stations,
I don't like it, BUT, I have never suspected him of misusing my email
address... SO get signed up, then you can manage your page and
see all the info about other folks.
. you can post a picture of yourself, PLEASE
not your radio, I know
what a Yaesu looks like !! SO.. How about you and your radio ??
I don't know what you look like !!
OK then post some kind of BIO about yourself,
and your EMAIL info. maybe
your phone number,
Remember ITS FREE
Be ready for an
emergency, if you want, join in with the ""emergency
guys"", like PV-ARES,
you'll probably get some good training, and some new friends on the radio..
BUT when the ""big one"" hits, HF long haul communications is probably going to save the day when "" all
else fails "" AT least for health and welfare traffic.
,
what exactly is the " big one" ??
floods, tornados, earthquakes, a 2 meter HT's is great for "parade duty" or bicycle race, maybe at the
local shelter
during a snow storm. However, when the lines are
down for hundreds of miles you need HF, or maybe a satellite phone.
You might need to communicate
with guys with HT's around town, so have a two meter base radio & outside antenna, and emergency power
like a Generator !! ,
it doesn't take much power to run a the modern HF/2 meter station.
Question: how are you going to power your radio, that HT battery won't last forever, have backup power for your
radios,
BE READY, get savvy enough to repair
/ troubleshoot problems with antennas , cables, learn how your equipment works, , etc IF you
don't you may be part of the emergency ??
A note about outside antennas, if you are really going to be able to
help in an emergency, where you might be operating from HOME of out of
your CAR, you need
more than a rubber duck antenna, for mobile, if you just cant
bring yourself to mount an NMO antenna ( as in drill a hole in your car) get a
magnetic mount stick it on the top of your roof.
you might want to invest in a regular 30 to 60 watt mobile radio, the
antenna and a better radio will improve you chance of being helpful in an
emergency.
DON"T RELY ON REPEATERS, they fail too. and they might fail
when you need them
WHAT about you home ,, get an outside antenna , on your roof,
a J-pole will work, want something tried and true, look at the
cushcraft Ringo Ranger antennas,
these small antennas can be mounted on a piece of PVC pipe, just
slid it down into one of your plumbing vents on your roof..
use some good coax,, 200 feet of RG8X is NOT optimal
RG-8 RG-213, LMR400 size stuff is much better,
IF YOUR RELYING ON ONE RADIO ,
YOUR CHINESE HT AND ITS RUBBER DUCK, YOU ARE NOT READY FOR AN
EMERGENCY.
WHO PAYS FOR
REPEATERS.
it isn't the federal government or the city, its
the hams that own the repeater. most repeaters are operated by clubs,
there are a few
repeaters that individuals have on the air and the owners foot the bill.
It costs money to keep these radios on the air. This year alone, PARC
had to replace 10 year old batteries at Scout Mt. and the lighting
protector on the
solar panels failed, just getting there take a toll on 4 wheel
vehicles, again, WHO pays ????
Club members do !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you use repeaters , any repeater, you should join the club that
supports those repeaters, you dues keep these radio systems
running.
Pick a club, and join, even if you never attend a meeting, join. However, Be
advised, most clubs want you to attend meetings (PLEASE) ,
your
dues help with repeater expenses.
Operating only on the
ZERO's
yes, the newest trend, to always set your
radio on lets say 14, 244.000
or 28.450.000 the ZERO's
yes the new radios are very accurate , BUT ham radio is not channelized ,
we can be anywhere in the band that our license class allows.
So make sure your VFO settings are not in 1 kHz steps, thats crazy,
when you come on someone calling CQ , don't look at your frequencies
just tune them in so they sound human, or sound understandable,
NOT on .000 ...... ok pull you heads out of the sand,
most older radios did NOT
or COULD NOT , be exactly on the zeros.. There is nothing in
the ham code or FCC rules that say ZEROS.
and for god sake, if you tune to a station calling CQ, Tune him so
he sounds good, DONT look at your dial, TUNE HIM IN.
and if you are tooo stupid to figure out how to do this, DON'T tell him
he's off frequency, HE's ON HIS FREQUENCY,, not your.
your off frequency ... got it ??? probably not.
OK you guys, want to express your ideas,
do you have any ideas, think I'm too harsh, or want to tell me to drop
dead, get a life, etc etc, drink more beer , etc , email john.wilson.k0ip((at))gmail.com
so far , not once, has anyone sent me anything, I'm waiting,
I don't tweet, I don't text, email is king ,, send me something ,
hate mail is OK, I have a delete button ,,, HI HI ?????????????????
Now what Have I forgot ?????????
