[Elecraft] Re: Aspiring

[Justin Croonenberghs]

On 9/19/06, Jeremiah McCarthy <wa2dkg at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Welcome to the fold...You probably got a lot of crank e-mail because you
> added "no more geek code" at the end of your message... That was a mistake,
> ESPECIALLY on this reflector...Think about it...You called anyone who runs
> CW a geek and you don't even have a license yet...

Oh no! That was an entirely different reference...for an explanation,
see http://www.geekcode.com/. Basically, it's a short cryptic code
used to describe the exact nature of one's geekiness...I was, in
effect, calling myself a geek. In fact, this is my precise geek type:

Geek Code Version: 3.12 GCM/CS/IT/MU/S/O d-(++) s++:+ a-- C++(++++)
UL++(+++)>++++$ P+>++++ L+(+++)>++++$ E+@ W+++ N+@ o+ K++ w@ !O
M--(++) ?V PS+@ PE++(+) Y+@ PGP t+ 5++ X-- R@ !tv B+(++++) DI--(+++)
D---- G e+>++++ h* r% y+(--)

This attached to my email signature was beginning to annoy some of my
friends, so I took it off and put "No more Geek Code..." on the bottom
of my e-mail. No offense intended, honest! I'm a computing scientist
by formal training, among other things. The Geek Code is a piece of
Internet history, along with Kibo and other such delights from 1995
and earlier. Been surfing since I was 10!

> The original Elecraft K1's and K2's were "CW only" radios...SSB capability
> came later as an add-on (it is still an add-on) so the Elecraft reflector
> was originally devoted to CW only and has a high number of CW
> enthusiasts...The monthly list of up-coming CW contests should make you
> aware of that...There has been an effort of late to eliminate CW and that
> makes a lot of folks nervous and they react badly...It makes your remark
> unwelcome to some unforgiving folks and they never forget...Unfortunately,
> not all hams are nice guys...
>
> Some of these guys have been running CW for 50 years or more, I myself have
> been doing it for 45 years...We don't want to see CW taken away...There is
> room for all of us and we would do well to avoid generating controversy in
> the interest of presenting a unified front to regulators like the FCC and
> ITU...
>
> If SSB or any other mode is your preference, embrace it and use it, but
> avoid shooting arrows at others...We need all the hams we can get, so stay
> with us, get your ticket, join in the question and answer sessions, and
> contribute to the advancement of the reflector and ham radio...Good luck,
> have fun building (I know you will) and 73...All is forgiven...;^)

Naw, Morse is cool! I saw a video on Jay Leno: SMS text messaging vs
Morse code. Very impressive! And I very much like the idea of
transmitting data around the world, under the worst conditions, using
20 watts of power. How can that possibly be considered bad?


-- 
Justin "C++12" Croonenberghs
No more Geek Code...