[SOC] Can someone answer this for me?

[Dan W. Dooley]

One of the great questions perplexing me now (yeah I know, I've probably got
too much free time on my hands) is, are people (ok, some hams) really,
really stupid or are they just plain obnoxious?

What would prompt someone to pop up on a DX station's frequency and call?
Not one station, but hundred's of them.  Possible answers:

1.) Doesn't know the DX station is running split.
2.) Forgot he's on the wrong VFO.
3.) Doesn't know he's supposed to be transmitting on the other VFO.
4.) Doesn't know he has another VFO.
5.) Doesn't know what a VFO is.
6.) Doesn't care.
7.) Likes to have other people (all the people listening for the DX station)
hear his voice.

I realize that "mistakes" are inevitable.  Have we all become such duffuses
that mistakes rather than correction practices are the norm rather than the
exception?  That 90% of the actions we take are "mistakes" and only 10% are
proper actions?  Are people so ignorant of their fancy, high tech radios
that they really don't know?  Can it be that they really don't know that the
DX station is operating split?  Do they perchance just happen upon the spot
and hear a guy "calling" stations and not know who or what he's up to, just
jump in with their call?  Do they presume that it being a DX station, he's
probably listening on his calling frequency?  Do they not have a clue WHO a
DX station is?  Do many hams live in a mushroom cave and only come out
during a full moon?

That last may be more to the point.  Within this last week I monitored a guy
on one of the digital modes who had just gotten his Extra and before going
for the test (within the last couple of months) he had never heard that the
code speed had been reduced from 20 to 5 wpm.  Assuming that these guys are
not privy to all of the "news" available on the Internet and apparently not
members of any ham society - or at least never read the magazines - how do
they ever know what's going on around them?  Do they just sort of stumble
around, bumping into walls and hoping that someone will point them where
they need to be going?

This not even touching on the simple jerks who make fools of themselves
QRMing the frequency.

Oh yes, we could complain about the frequency cops, but think, without them,
we'd probably NEVER hear the DX station.

Dan W. Dooley  WB5TKA  Bedford, Texas
    e-mail to: dandooley@pipeline.com
    Web site: http://www.qsl.net/wb9tka
May Goddes love blest ye alle
"Ancient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning."