[Elecraft] List <<Tension>>

[Al Lorona]

There's a lot of tension on the list right now. Can we all just step back for a second?


This list, at times, can be downright infuriating to those of us who ask a question in good faith, only to have the thread go off the rails in a matter of minutes. I've been victimized countless times. When it happens I say to myself, "Well, there goes any hope of getting an answer to my question."

This list is no different than any list -- you have your Curmudgeons, your Know-it-Alls, the Complainers, the Alligators, etc., etc.-- and this tends to make people gun-shy or at least very tentative about posting. I can't blame them.

Maybe we need to view each post primarily as a *request for help with a specific problem*, and not really  as an invitation to expound, discuss, and bloviate. Simply this: Let's make sure the Original Poster always gets our best in the most direct and expedient manner.

There are a handful of guys who regularly stick to this rule and my hat's off to them for the dozens of times they've patiently come through for me. I stick around here mainly to pay back by helping others when I can.

Replying off-list is fine. Certainly we're not losing any learning opportunities if we choose to do this for the common questions ("What's the best pair of gym shoes to wear while using my K3?") and I've had some of my best technical exchanges off-list, which I'm sure is true of a lot of us.

If you don't get a satisfactory answer here probably the best thing is to then go contact Elecraft support privately. Ultimately, this list doesn't replace Support.


One more thing, and this is directed to the Original Posters out there: There is nothing in the Elecraft list guidelines that says you *must* post the resolution of a problem to the list, but common courtesy probably dictates that you do so. A single wrap-up message by the original poster would seem sufficient: "My problem was caused by two mourning doves that nested in my balun enclosure."

I was left hanging in the past month by two baffling but fascinating problems that I fear we'll never understand... Whatever happened to that K3 that was hearing broadcast stations by E.S.P.? Was that Wayne's new psychic firmware??

Self-moderation is definitely part of the solution. Here are two guidelines that if followed diligently could benefit us all:
 

1. If your response contains the sentiments, "Me too," or, "Why do you want to do that?" it probably isn't worth sending. Or maybe should be sent off-list.

2. Delay all responses overnight. If the next morning your response still seems needed, go ahead and send it.
 
Finally I would like to add that, if there's a thread not to your liking, kindly spend the few seconds deleting it rather than adding yet another post to an already long thread complaining that the thread is getting too long or too off-topic. It's kinda like yelling, "Quiet!" in a noisy theater-- it doesn't accomplish anything, and it just makes the problem worse.
 
This is all personal opinion and I welcome Elecraft telling me I'm full of beans as they see fit. I'll even post a resolution message reporting how many people told me, off-list, to go take a flying leap of a galloping goose.
 

Al  W6LX