[Milsurplus] QRMing the MilRadio Net

[Mike Morrow]

I wrote:

> Unfortunately for AM operators today, AM does not compete well
> against SSB.  The battle is unequal due to the technical inferiority
> of the AM mode, except for its novelty in a vintage radio setting.

Todd wrote:

>Must be you haven't heard of the Class E group, Mike. These guys are
>building multi-fet transmitters that sound as good as any commercial
>broadcast transmitter. Novelty? Technical inferiority? AM is no more
>inferior than SSB in today's digital world.

I have heard about it.  Still, in terms of putting out a decent intelligible signal, with no fancy frills or hi-fi, with maximum sideband power, etc., any form of AM phone suffers in comparison to SSB.  Otherwise, I would expect the military and commercial communications organizations (like ARINC) to be flocking to any voice mode demonstrated to be the equal to or better of SSB.  That's surely happening in the digital realm, but for analog AM it's not happening, and won't.

There is today negligible serious purpose to ham activity, so there should be no justification for self-appointed mode vigilantes to rankle and react when they hear the older modes on their precious bands.  AM should be perfectly OK anywhere (outside the rapidly shrinking Morse sub-bands, of course).  For that matter, I'd like a small *legal* sub-band on 21 MHz for wide FM from such famous old gear like the SCR-508, SCR-609, or RT-66/GRC.  I'd even like a special (but limited) time and band window allocated for damped-wave Morse (spark).  The demonstration on a limited basis of these old historical modes would certainly be less disrupting than BPL.

>Also, AM activity is way up in the last ten years, especially the last
>1-2. It likely shows the most growth in activity and interest overall.
>Many folks getting on with their new Yaecomwood riceboxes, even. We
>may enjoy the vintage/military angle more, but AM certainly isn't
>confined to only that area. You should get on the air more. (o:

I listen to 3885 kHz two or three time a week.  On the roundtables that I hear, strength and intellegibility of the various stations usually vary wildly in comparison to SSB nets whose members are equally spread out.  That's just expected with the less efficient AM mode.  I enjoy hearing the hams on AM discuss their vintage gear, especially if it is military.  But I don't see much point in using modern gear on AM.  Too anachronistic.

>... they often complain if you're not using a keyer.
>Nothing is more laughable than the "highly-skilled" keyer-jockey who
>needs a computer program to read the code for him.

I've always though so too, but I've never found anyone who was actually using a reader on the air.  Even today the best such reader is grossly, monumentally, profoundly inferior to the human mind for decoding Morse in real situations.  One who attempts much machine-copied Morse soon quits in frustration, or improves his own mental skill and drops the reader.  Sending is another issue.  It's far more difficult at decent speeds to send Morse well than to receive well.  I don't fault anyone for their keyer or keyboard.

>But I do get a kick out of the guy who is apparently still in a lather
>over the phone band expansion, and makes his annoyance known by
>sending pissweak V's or strings of dits into our conversations.

Certainly there's no excuse for that.  There's still plenty of Morse sub-band to go around, given the small percentage of hams who operate Morse.  I'm more concerned about all that digital junk moving farther down below the new Morse sub-band boundary.

>I prefer the AM group for actual hands-on technical experience,
>advice, and the lack of a perception of some pompous superiority over
>others. 

Yes, there seem to be some great fellows on the vintage AM nets.  I'm uncomfortable with the "talk without break for the next ten minutes" custom, but that's the way it was in the old days too.

>Some are broadcast or electronics engineers, many are IEEE
>members.

I've been in the IEEE for 37 years.  I'd find the old IRE more interesting today, were it still around.

>Just listen in to the military net some weekend morning on AM.

I do.  Maybe someday I'll fire up the old Elmac AF-67 that I used for my Novice rig 38 years ago.  I don't mind it all that much when old ham gear pops a tube or cap, or burns a resistor.

Mike / KK5F