[InHam] Fw: [Ham-Radio-News] Are You a Repeater Cop?

[Dan Evans N9RLA]

Are You a Repeater Cop?  (from the ARRL Web Site)

 There's one on every repeater. We've all heard the know-it-alls, the former
class monitors, the self-appointed repeater cops.
You know the type: The person who's made ham radio his life instead of his
hobby, and--in the process--has made everyone else on the repeater
miserable. Here's a simple quiz to determine if you're a repeater cop. If
you are, don't panic--there's a cure. But first, take the quiz. For each
question, circle A or B:

 1. Someone on the repeater has a noisy signal. Do you:
 A. Tell the person to get a better antenna and a more powerful rig before
using this repeater again?
 B. Say, "Try again, my friend; you're a bit noisy?"

 2. You hear a low-level alternator whine on someone's signal. Do you:
 A. Tell the person to stay off the repeater until that damn alternator
whine  is gone?
 B. Suggest how the ham can cure the frustrating alternator-whine problem?

 3. Someone new on the repeater doesn't wait for the beep before talking. Do
you:
 A. Tell the person in an extremely nasty way to "Wait for the darn beep?"
 B. Explain the purpose of the beep--in a friendly way?

 4. Someone from Fiji is visiting his sick mother in your area and gets on
your local repeater. You then:
 A. Tell the person to join the repeater club and pay club dues before using
the machine and wasting the repeater club's electricity.
 B. Welcome the visiting ham and invite him or her to enjoy the repeater
while visiting the area.

 5. A 10-year-old new ham gets on with an H-T. You:
 A. Refuse to talk to children on the repeater.
 B. Welcome the youngster and congratulate him or her on his or her great
achievement, explain how wonderful ham radio is and what a friendly bunch of
folks we all are on this repeater--except for that one repeater cop, of
course.

 Okay, now it's time to determine if you're a repeater cop. Get ready to
rate yourself. For each A you've circled, give yourself two points. For each
B, subtract two points. Add up your score and rate yourself below:

 (10) You are a nasty SOB and should turn in your ham ticket for a job with
the DMV or the Taliban Vice and Virtue Police.
 (6) You are not as friendly as most correctional officers in Attica or Sing
Sing.
 (2) You're bordering on sociable, but still need a few drinks to be
tolerable--not during mobile hours, however.
 (-2) You're passive-aggressive or aggressive-passive, i.e., you're hard to
figure out. Dogs like you, but cats don't.
 (-6) You're nice enough to take to a mildly violent hockey game.
 (-10) You're the kind of ham who makes ham radio a really fun hobby.
 (0) Er...you're cheating or believe you might, indeed, be a repeater cop;
therefore, you were too afraid to take this quiz.

 Finally, what if you are a repeater cop? There's a simple cure: LIGHTEN UP
ALREADY! GEEEZ, IT'S ONLY A HOBBY.

Dan Evans K9ZF
Scottsburg, IN 47170
{EM78}
K9ZF /R no budget Rover
ex-N9RLA
Check out the Rover Resource Page at:
http://www.qsl.net/n9rla
QRP-l #1269
IN-Ham list administrator

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Thompson - W3LAP" <w3lap@progressivetel.com>