Outsider's View Re: [Lowfer] Lowfer Survey...

Fri, 25 Oct 2002 21:56:23 -0500

Hi Don,
Whatever questions you have about Lowfers and the software and hardware,
please ask and I as well as many others will make sure you get the answers
you need to achieve whatever you are thinking or doing. There is never a bad
question nor is any discussion so wrapped up that another guy can't comment
on. Always ask questions and be persistent with the screwballs that we all
can be at times. We are a very personal group of professionals and rookies
and everything in between that usually bends over backwards to help out the
person that needs to know something or needs a hand at a project or repair.
I said "usually" as there is always bad hair days and look out as we are
normal humans. Ask again if you need to. You need a program; I'll find it
and email it direct to you. No links to get lost in. I started out last
winter without a clue to what a Lowfer signal was or how to hear or see one.
I had lousy antennas and the typical general coverage amateur receiver to
listen with. With the help of these guys, I now can copy the east coast
signals, hear the locals by my ear, send a signal that can be seen over 500
miles, get pissed off, laugh and have a good time, run up a phone bill
yakking on the phone with these guys and I still can't thank all of them
enough for their great help and generosity. I don't know how long ago that
you were asking for help, but please try again and I should hope that these
people would find you a solution that you can work with.
73's,
Mike>WE0H
http://www.we0h.us/lf.html

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Don Davis
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 1:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Outsider's View Re: [Lowfer] Lowfer Survey...

Just my 2 cents worth on Bill's lack of response about QRSS interest in
other groups and the nature of posts to this list.

I DX longwave beacons (have done so since the '60s), and have only mild
interest in the Lowfer beacon side of things, but do read the mail once in a
while to see if it could get me interested.  My experience with digital
modes, in general, has been very bad.  When I ask for help, I get comments
like (and I'm not joking or exagerating) "...just get on the web and use the
freeware - it's really simple..."  or  "...configure your sound card to
process xyz, and connect the output....".  When it comes time to actually
try this stuff out, the freeware is 10 years old, it doesn't work, it's not
documented, and when I ask for more help, I get nothing useful.  The
documentation for my computer is even worse - there is no documentation.
Have tried RTTY, WXFAX, SSTV, and a dozen other modes with no luck.  Have
tried Kantronics, MFJ, RigBlaster, and others with zero luck.  The ARRL
books all seem out of date, and any of the NGs seem to require a very high
level of knowledge - so much so that the beginner is left out.  I thought
that this NG would be a help in that regard, but the discussions seem to be
several levels above where I am, and are in context only to those who are
already intimately involved.

The discussion of wheat vs chaff on this NG hit home with me.  It seems (to
me at least) that there are 10 to 15 very active members who have a great,
close working relationship with each other.  It seems that they know exactly
what they are talking about, and can express a world of thought with a
couple of breezy lines of wit.  I understand some of it, but it clearly is a
closed society that does not lend itself to discussion placed in context for
the "outsider".  There was a protracted thread a week or so ago about
"buying" frequencies (or something like it?).  I figured out it was
tongue-in-cheek after the first dozen or so replies, but then it continued
for days, as if this were not a NG, but a general purpose chat room.  I'm
sure it has relevance for the active guys, but what does it do to further
the interests of the other 300 or so members?

So, I guess I'm not terribly surprised that a discussion of QRSS on a
general purpose Icom R75 group would receive no attention.  Since I didn't
read his post I have no idea of it's style or content, but, if it's anything
like the typical post on the Lowfer NG it's probably right over their heads.
To an experienced Lowfer, I'm sure that the term "QRSS" means something, and
has an instant attraction.  What does it mean to the average guy who turns
on his radio twice a week to chat?  Why should he care?  My experience on
the radio leads me to believe that most ops have 1 or 2 main modes of
activity and don't stray very far afield unless enticed pretty hard.  After
trying a number of digital modes with no success, the equipment sits in a
nice, expensive pile and gathers dust while I work my normal CW and phone.

I'm not criticizing anyone, nor am I looking for any arguments / flames etc.
I won't respond to them.  Just giving an opinion from an "outsider's" point
of view.

Best 73s,

Don  AD6PB