[Fists] Hello?

[W1EOF]

Ken,

I know what you mean by feeling like a newcomer. I've been licensed since
1971 and I'm still in awe of some of the old timers I have the priviledge of
spending time with.

I got started at age 15. I had a couple of walkie talkies and told my
parents that I wanted a "real CB" for Christmas. My Dad was a ham who was
licensed in 1930 but had been inactive since WW2. He said no way and instead
I got a KnightKit Code Practice Oscillator. I put the kit together and
started learning the code. Maybe it was genetics but I took to code like a
duck to water. It was not an obstacle for me, but literally was like hearing
music for the first time.

Over the following 34 years I probably had a total of 34 phone QSOs. Once in
a great while I'd say hi to a buddy on 2M. Most often I'd flip it on, listen
for a bit and hearing nothing that interested me I'd flip it off. Over the
years I never lost the thrill of just having a nice ragchew with someone on
CW. Meeting someone. Finding out what they do, where they live, getting to
know them a bit.

Last year I started to get active in ARES in a serious way. Much of what
they do is done on VHF/UHF and 75phone/40M phone. I had to go digging in
some boxes to find the microphone for my HF rig. So after 35 years I'm
learning a new skill... talking on the microphone, using phonetics, etc. I
am doing it because I need to in order to get something done (emergency
communications) but it sure seems boring and empty.

So I totally get your "pointless and unchallenging" feeling. I understand
that to some it IS what ham radio is all about. To me it's as you
say...pointless and unchallenging.

Best of luck learning the bug. Last summer I bought a nice straight key (an
old Brit key, see it here: www.hamnutz.com/w1eof/key). I've been having a
blast using it with the Straight Key Century Club members, many of who are
also FISTS members. I still love my paddles/keyer but there is something
very simple and nice about using a stright key. It took a little
re-learning. Especially since with it's high knob this key reqires the
European position. Like using a Regen receiver and a simple homebrew
transmitter there is a special feeling doing things the simple way.

Most of all get on the air with CW. Share the fun.

73,

Mark W1EOF

> -----Original Message-----
> From: K Allen [mailto:moses at frontier.net]
> Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 6:54 PM
> To: Fists at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [Fists] Hello?

> I've been licensed since 1979 and by the measure of some of the
> real talent out there I am still a relative newcomer.  My
> comments will not be brilliant or particularly unique but I feel
> compelled to respond because every time I hear about the ARRL
> and/or the FCC trying to dumb-down amateur radio it makes me mad.
>
> However, I sometimes have to quietly applaud ARRL's occasionally
> peculiar efforts to help keep interest in amateur radio growing
> or at least alive in the Instant Message, Cell Phone generation
> who want everything now and they want it to be easy.
>
> That being said, I personally never cared much for "phone."
> (Does anyone still use that term instead of "voice"?  On "phone"
> I ran out of things to talk about real quickly and it just seemed
> so pointless and unchallenging.  So I have stayed with cw since
> my Novice days and do not intent to change.  I may not have much
> to say but it is so much more fun to say it with my key.
>
> Ken - N0VA
> (Now being weaned from years of dependancy on an iambic keyer by
> trying to learn to use a bug.)

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