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CONTEST STATION TVI/PHONEI SOLUTION

Subject: CONTEST STATION TVI/PHONEI SOLUTION
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
>** Reply to note from w7ni@teleport.com 02/07/96 01:39am -0800
>
>> I am glad you were able to solve this telephone interference problem, but
>> you solution is do a disservice to the rest of us.  Think of the poor guy
>> who lives a stone's throw from 100 appartments, all with bad phones.  At $80
>> a crack, it will cost him $8000 to implement your solution!
>> 
>> You may not think so, but you are helping to set a very UNDESIRABLE
>> precedent.  You TOLD your neighbors it was not your responsibility to fix
>> their phone (you are correct, of course).  But then you ACTED like it WAS
>> your responsibility by buying them a phone.  ACTIONS speak louder than
>> WORDS.  Any of their friends who have a similar problem will now expect a
>> similar solution, ie: a free phone paid for by the poor ham involved.
>> 
>>
>aw, comon Stan, lighten up!
>
>How close is the closest neighbor you YOUR house?

House to house is about 50 feet, but I have my 20 meter tower between the
houses so the ends of my elements are just about right on the property line
which would put them about 20 feet (horizontal distance) from the neighbor's
house.  Fortunately, it is up 107 feet which helps reduce the RFI problem a lot.

>My closest neighbors house is no less that 10 feet from the end of my
tribander >element tips... I have to live with these people and would like
to have pleasant 
>neighbors.

In my case, the closest neighbors are very friendly.  The next house over,
not so.

>Bill did exactly the right thing by letting them know he did not HAVE to fix  
>their phones, but was doing so in order to be a good neighbor.
>And your neighbor has no idea if you paid $2 or $200 for the phone that
fixed >his problem.

Oh yes he does!  I made certain they knew the only reason I was giving them
a phone is because I got it so cheap.  It replaced an expensive GE phone
with memory, redial, speaker, and other features.  I was not about to buy
them all those goodies.

>I have had MUCH BETTER results in working with my neighbors and fixing their  
>problems. That allows me to stay on uninterrupted during a contest without
that 
>familiar not-too-nice knock at the front door.

You are lucky that you have not had a real tough case yet.  Where possible,
I work with my neighbors, too.  I just won't pay $50 (or more) for the
privilege.

>How do think our friends in Japan feel? Many of them can't even operate
because 
>of these issues.

Rotten, I am sure!  A great reason not to live in Tokyo.

>I think a lack of cooperation is more likely to harm our hobby than drawing a  
>line in the sand.

It is impossible to say, isn't it, what will really harm or protect our
hobby in the long run.  You are certainly entitled to your opinion.
However, I think you judge me too harshly by assuming I don't cooperate with
my nieghbors.  I just draw the line at spending more than about $5 or $10 on
each one of them.  

>Now of course I recognize that many times neighbors simply refuse to deal
with  
>the issue, and will not cooperate in any way. Those are the ones that you
send  
>the registered letter to and don't help at all.

That is my neighbor two doors away.

>To date, I have provided 11 K-com filters and 6 Ameco TV hi-pass filters to
my  
>various neighbors. None have been back.

>73,
>Brian
>
>
>*****************************
>* Brian McGinness WA3WJD    *
>* Potomac Valley Radio Club *
>* wa3wjd@wirelessinc.com    *
>*****************************

Again, you obviously have not had a real tough case.  I  hope you continue
to be so lucky.  If you can buy your way out with simple store-bought
filters, you have it easy.  They don't always work.  What then . . . ?

Stan  W7NI@teleport.com



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