Fellow hams, as a newbie that has been tagged with the label "Extra
Lite" after 40 years of serious trying to be a ham (CW was my BIG
bottleneck... I'm an engineer so the theory wasn't scary) I'm quite
frankly really taken back with what is occurring lately.
Course training and professional ethics demand that we ALL operate our
stations in a safe and legal manner and also demands that do so in a
friendly cooperative way. Read the "Code of Conduct".
With the vulgar language sometimes heard and conduct that makes one
wonder... What's going on?
EVERYONE has an off day and friendly assistance is ALWAYS welcomed but
to tear people apart should not in my opinion be considered a part of
Professional operation as an Amateur operator.
Yes, courtesy is vital since we are all sharing limited frequency
allotment and doing things like quickly asking if the frequency is clear
(after listening for awhile) a couple of times before throwing out a CQ
is just plain being courteous.
Things have changed tremendously in my 40+ years of listening and
wishing... This past weekend for example, I heard someone broadcasting
music on a 20m frequency (for quite a while) as an attempt to jam a QSO
in progress.
Isn't this supposed to be a FUN hobby that allows us the great joy of
making new friends, learning a lot about the hobby (technically and
otherwise), getting reacquainted with geography and with what other
countries have to offer etc.
Nothing beats the rush of making a DX contact with minimal equipment
(barefoot) and because of space limitations a not exactly ideal antenna.
Just a suggestion, why don't we all lighten up and have fun! Helping
people out also qualifies!
This newbie has definitely "messed up" and probably will in the
future... BUT I'm trying to run my station according to all the
conventions and proper etiquette and yes, sometimes the brain goes
elsewhere and an apology is in order and then I move on again!
W1LSO (Whiskey One Lima Sierra Oscar --- Sonny to some)
BTW --- I believe during contesting, the rules should be adhered to as
much as possible so as to allow our fellow hams to rack up as many
points as possible.
|