[FADCA] All The Above

[Chuck Hast]

On 7/11/05, bud thompson <budt at cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> Subject changed from
> Re: [FADCA] Anyone want to take exception to this?
> 
> NICK KF4BTA SAID:
> "As probably the youngest ham on here at 24 and after about a two year
> absence from  amateur radio and packet, the biggest draw for me IS the
> ability to help out in an emergency, followed by the fun of just playing
> with new technology and ideas.  Like the coolness factor of tracking on APRS
> or the idea future high speed digital links, if it wasn't for some of these
> new technologies and services being brought online then I don't think I
> would have gotten back involved in amateur radio.  Sure, I look forward to
> upgrading and doing some CW work and operating the existing modes, but at
> least for people my age, just being able to talk over a radio to someone
> across the country or typing at a command prompt isn't going to raise much
> excitement. "
> 
> First, I want to thank Nick for his youthful insight.  Nick has got
> to be the youngest among us and is quite perceptive - also has a lot to
> offer us as food for thought.

Amen, that was very good. We need more, Nick can we clone you? Naww
we got to go out and get some more.

> 
> All the reasons espoused by several for our problems are contributory -
> 
> Not everyone is in love with Winlink
> No one using BBS except to be sure the links are working
> Politics
> Egos
> Bickering and infighting
> Demeaning a technology or application of technology
> Aging Ham Population
> Fighting over 30 to 90 year old technologies instead of keeping up with the
> times....
> Leadership/lack thereof
> Interest/lack thereof in ARES- "no darn indians"
> Relatively low percentage of active hams vs. licensees
> 
> Therefore "All the above" applies.
> 
> The one thing that is far more apparent to me but is seems some refuse to
> recognize-
> 
> I just don't know where all these packet users are that don't like WL2K and
> therefore are not using it.
> 
There are a few but they will get over it.

> I just don't know where all these packet users are that are or not using BBS
> and may be against WL2K or ARES - or for or againist anything - for what
> ever reason.
> 
I think that most of them are on the internet for whatever reason. We just need
to offer more fun!

> I just don't know where all these packet users are that are calling CQ on
> distant nodes for entertainment.
> 
They quite when no one answered... Answering CQ was never a forte for 
packet people... Most of them were more conference types

> There is not a huge packet user base out there to do anything or to not do
> anything!  Is there anyone who doesn't understand that - or am I missing
> something?
> 
Exactly, they are off doing other stuff and once the novelty wore off that was
it. We have to make do with what we have, ergo tools like WinLink...


> While my main interest is EMCOMMs, I don't give a damn what the users do
> on/with the network as long as it is legal;  it is an open system - the more
> users the merrier.  The more users there are the greater the number of
> people will support EMCOMMs, though certainly not all of them. The converse
> is also true - I've said it before - if/when we have a mad rush by ARES
> folks to packet for E-mail using WL2K that will not guarantee a large number
> of packet users in the same sense as the 1990s.  I hope it does - more
> fun and more people to bitch when a link is down so we can keep the links up
> with less downtime.

That is it Bud, that is why we have tried to make the network as open as
possible, this is part of the basis of moving the switches  to Linux, it allows
for more options with regards to network facilities. More complicated? Yes,
More options? Yes, so in order to get those options you will have a more
complicated system, but it fits with our view of things.

By allowing a open network we hope this encourages more people to play
with it and introduce changes that make for a faster more efficient system.

> 
> Bill West said:
> " The average Amateur looks to Amateur Radio for
> ENTERTAINMENT.  APRS is entertaining.  BBSing and
> roundtables is entertaining. Calling CQ on a distant
> node is entertaining. . . ."
> 
> I ask this: How many hams in Florida have called CQ on a distant node in the
> past five years on vhf/uhf?  (Don't even answer this unless you have 50-
> that's only 10/year!)
> 
> In most of our areas, the active LANS can't link to more than two or three
> LANS away because we still have holes in the network.  Maybe I'm missing
> something, but in the time I've been in Volusia County (almost 8 years) I
> don't think I've known of more than a total of 20 hams who have been on vhf
> packet (non APRS) in the five counties around me - and not all of those over
> the same period of months - they come and go.
> 
> I took my FBB BBS down two years ago this December and no one has
> complained.  The N4GMU BBS has been down for more than 18 months and I've
> not heard of anyone complaining.

And you have directed that energy at other issues which are more productive,
that is what we all have to do. I came back to it because I saw that the Linux
based switch would provide additional gains that the older stuff did not, and
opened the door for higher speeds and the use of IP over the network more
in tune with the way the real world does things.
> 
> This is why I say- "If you build it they will come" - so I keep promoting
> refurbishing/expanding the network.  You may say 'BS" they will not come,
> and that may be true.
> 
I believe they will, it may take some real fancy bells and whistles
but I believe
that they will do so.


> But there is a more certain proposition:
> If you don't build it , they certainly will not come - there will be no
> activity at all.

Agreed, if there is nothing they will not do a thing, or they will go down some
other path.
> 
> So, I suggest this thread be closed down soon and we find more positive ways
> to get things moving along for more packet operation throughout the state -
> what ever the users' purpose.
>
Agreed, let us get on with all of the bits and pieces, whatever you like let us
try and make it a part of the system. Put your turtle shell on as
there will always
be someone to take a whack at you, but just keep on pushing and don't pay
attention to the whackers, many times they are just that, and bring nothing to
the table.

By way, the TD is now TS Emily.... So we have something that now has a name
and headed more or less this direction... Let us get those toys up and running
just in case...


Chuck Hast 
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going
out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn
and twisted metal."