Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 23:12:01 GMT
From: pschleck@cwis.unomaha.edu (Paul W Schleck KD3FU)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Ham Radio Operators Running Rampant!
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 587, Message 6 of 11

In a response to a post by Cliff Stoll (whose views I support), our
esteemed Moderator (whom I otherwise admire) blithers the following:

> [Moderator's Note: Well Cliff, the Internet community had a lot of
> trust between people for many years until the BBS'er/malicious hacker
> type person found out about it and began abusing the trust. It reminds
> me of how ham radio *used* to be until the CB'ers started moving in.  PAT]
        ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^

Well, I guess it had to happen.  Pat's insulted just about every other
loyal sub-culture of Digest readers, now he goes after us (I wonder if
Pat realized the irony in the fact that Cliff is also a ham, K7TA).
Since "P Towson" isn't in the callbook, I wonder where you've gotten
this second or third-hand knowledge of how much the hobby has
"deterioriated" particularly due to the invasion of "CB operators."

While I'm not going to say something stupid like, "you owe the net an
apology," your non-specific attacks are ignorant at best, and
insulting at worst.

Amateur radio may have its problems, among them:

 - gradual aging of the ham population

 - anachronistic Morse Code requirements (only recently remedied)

 - loss of interest among younger techie-types in favor of other
   distractions like computers

we are clearly far from dead yet.  The contributions of people like
Phil Karn, KA9Q (NOS TCP/IP software package), those in the Amateur
Satellite Corporation, and the ham astronauts who flew in recent SAREX
(Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment) missions, are testimony to this.

In the two metropolitan communities I have lived in (Washington, DC
and Omaha, Nebraska), the amateur radio operators I have met (and the
organizations they are members of) have been enthusiastic proponents
of the hobby, leading by their excellent examples.  Everyone involved
in the hobby that I know of has been extremely friendly, helpful, and
technically competent.  If "CB'ers" have overrun the hobby, then more
power to them, because the subtle peer pressure of the ham community
has molded them into model amateurs. (Maybe they were chased off of CB
due to their distaste for the radio anarchy that can be found in that
service.).

Perhaps Mr. Towson would like to step out from behind his moderated
enclave and more specifically enumerate what he dislikes about our
hobby.


Paul W. Schleck, KD3FU  pschleck@unomaha.edu


[Moderator's Note: Your message really amazes me. You must have read
it as well as you read my name in each issue ... Towson, indeed. If I
were to say "I really used to like going to the forest until the
lumber company cut down a lot of the trees and careless campers set
fire to the rest ..." would you ask me what I have against nature and
the beauty of the forest?  I have nothing against ham radio operators.
Nothing at all. They are intelligent people and good citizens. What I
do dislike is the way some parts of the the ham radio spectrum have
been usurped by unlicensed, uncaring people who (judging from their
conversations, tone of voice and phraseology) were CB 'enthusiasts' in
the past. I mean, I do listen to my radios. I hear them here in
Chicago doing foolish and inconsiderate things: going up into 40
meters and sitting there tuning up. They haven't even the courtesy to
use a dummy load. They sit there keyed up, playing music and acting
like jackasses. My complaints are with the people who cut down the
trees and burned the forest.  NOW do you understand?  Geeze, of all
the letters I get ... :(   PAT]