[K3CAL] food for thought

[Rich Weaver]

I read a lot of emails and I will put my 2 cents in the bucket as a CARA member.

As a young man, I was always told the world of Ham Radio was like an international Fraternity, and that a group, they stuck together, helped each other out, policed themselves, upstanding, honest group of above intelligence people. I wanted to get into this group and entered the ranks in 1978. I soon found that what I had heard was 100% true. Let me stop here and say that there are still a large number of hams to who still act this way, but there are groups and individuals out there that are not. They use foul language, are non-friendly, resort to calling others names, tune up intentionally over on going conversations/nets, and basically have NO idea of the Gentleman's Code of ham radio.

PLEASE SEE:

http://www.hamradio-operating-ethics.org/files/1-Eth-operating-EN-IARU-R1-V3-CORR-2011.pdf

Beginning on February 14, 1991, demonstration of proficiency in Morse code telegraphy was removed from the Technician license requirements. The fear that Ham Radio would go to hell in a hand basket came with that FCC decision to do away with Morse code. Hams feared that CB’s and non-technical people would infiltrate the ranks and destroy the hobby.

My observation, being licensed for the past 38 years, is that is a basically true statement. The ham license is now a give-a-way. It is not truly earned and no technical abilities required. I define technical abilities as explaining how a receiver works, modulation techniques, Class of amplifiers, transmitter basics, just to name a very few. How many of you can exactly explain how and why de-sensitivity occurs in a repeater and how to resolve it? In the electronic world how many of you know what hysteresis is or heard of eddy currents?  Do you know what the “capture effect” is on an FM signal? That is what we learned and talked about in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.  Today our technical abilities is nothing more that learning how to program a HT or setting up and programing your new base station. 

My final thought about CARA and its members. 

There are old school and new school thought processes taking place as well as changes and understanding in the BY-Laws. Some want to go in one direction and others in another direction.  Rather that tear the club apart, I will make a suggestion. It may seem farfetched but it’s worth a try.

Get a totally impartial person that everyone agrees on from another ham club as a mediator and EVERYONE air out their grievances in an adult manner and get the club back on track. That mediator will control the meeting 100% and their decisions would be final. Be prepared for decisions not go your way but you must live with that decision.  

WW3ZZ

I stand as impartial.
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