Topband: EP6T and outside world

[Gary Smith]

I still think for the most part that 160 is the most gentlemen's band 
of all of the HF bands. I think the one thing that makes a barrier to 
the masses are the antenna requirements. I believe there are a lot of 
gentlemen and gentle women on 160. I still hear people holding back 
when giving their calls in trying to reach DX, to allow another to 
make the call who is trying. I know I do for the most part and I try 
not to transmit over someone else trying to reach the DX.

I guess the only exception to this that I can think of is during a 
contest and even then if I hear the DX coming back to somebody else, 
I stop transmitting as I don't want to steal their Q from them any 
more than I would want them to steal one from me. But a contest 
requires a little more dignified aggression than you would use at any 
other time, call it the ham radio contest version of Queensbury rules 
for boxing.

When I have the hardest time wrapping my head around is the mentality 
behind the people who are intentionally QRMing. For them to have the 
equipment to do so means they put a lot of time and effort into 
establishing their station, only to use it to harass and interfere 
with others. The behavior is very sociopathic and is a mental 
illness; it's a thug and gang related mentality and those kind of 
people aren't gentlemen and they will never fit well in ham radio and 
especially not on the gentlemen's band.

73,

Gary
KA1J


>  Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ lamented:
> 
> 160 stopped becoming the "Gentleman's Band" ever since mainstream
> manufacturers started incoroporating a spot marked "160" on the front of
> their rigs & linears...
> 
> 
> 
> I think you are right, Eddy.  However, I can remember as recently as the
> 70's and maybe into the 80's being in a "gentleman's pileup" for a DX
> station on 160 and finding it completely different.  First of all, no one
> called zero beat with the DX.  With signal levels on top band, it is the
> height of stupidity and simply bad manners to do that!  Secondly, believe
> it or not, if there were three or four stations calling...they generally
> took their turn, giving the other guys in the "pile-up" a clear shot.
> Calls tended to be quite short and you didn't call unless you heard the
> DX.  Those types of behavior seem to be long gone from top band.
> 
> I used to refer to the "gentlemen's band" at the breakfast table when I was
> telling my XYL about interesting DX and QSOs that I had had on top band the
> night before.  I don't remember exactly when, but at some point I started
> calling it "Marconi's band."  She asked about Marconi and I explained his
> role in the development of "DXing."  She then wanted to know why I had
> changed from working on the "gentlemen's band" and moved to "Marconi's
> band."  My answer was that " it was the same place, but things have
> changed."
> 
> 73,
> 
> -- 
> Ken - K4XL
> BoatAnchor Manual Archive
> BAMA - http://bama.edebris.com
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> 




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