Guest post, part six: summary

This is the sixth and final post in the series written by a highly experienced anonymous operator, covering a wide variety of topics and geared for newcomers to the hobby. Thanks again to our guest writer for all of his hard work and positive attitude, and I hope that he will contribute to this blog further. -KD0TLS
part one 
part two 
part three 
part four 
part five 

SITUATIONS TO AVOID REGARDING CW

This section is likely to irritate some longtime CW ops but here it comes anyway.

CW is a mode they can be used on any band your license allows you to operate. But here is where some will disagree with me, that don’t mean that you should use CW in these areas.

Case in point, there are sections of the bands set aside according to modes. This isn’t carved in stone nor are they a regulation. The term “gentlemen’s agreement” is used here. There are sections of the bands are set aside for digital modes. These cover everything from RTTY to the new JT modes. The band plan shows you have every right to work CW in these areas (same holds true for sending CW in the phone bands). But that doesn’t mean you should. Operating CW in the digital portions of the bands disrupts QSO’s already in progress using mostly weak signal digital modes. You are not permitted to interfere with another QSO just because you don’t use the mode that they use. One day you may be working someone on CW and someone will send digital transmissions on top of the station you are trying to work. You surely will not be happy then. As mentioned earlier, be considerate.

NETS

Unless specifically allowed, never send CW on a phone net. You’ll find emails in your inbox and post in forums calling you a LID. There are some allowances to this, many hams have lost their voice due to health issues and are allowed to operate CW on the nets. Note that this is always agreed upon in advance.

GENERAL OPERATING WARNINGS

You are in one of the finest hobbies in the world. Many innovative people around the globe are amateur radio ops. Many are very fine ops, but you will always find some who are cut from a different cloth.

One thing to watch for is the frequency squatters. These are the same kind of people who have “their pews” at church, “their parking places” at the ball games, their... well, you get the point. These folks act as if the QRG they use is the only place their rig and/or antenna will operate. If that were true, then I’d get a new rig, send it in for repairs, etc. If it was the antenna then fix it or replace it. Enough said? These squatters refuse to give up a QRG no matter what is going on. One enterprising fellow keeps a voice keyer running on a QRG to keep anyone from using it. Stay away from these situations; there are way too many frequencies available to you (regardless of your license classification) for you to get into a battle on the air with these ops. Never lower yourself down to their level, because that’s exactly where they want to drag you.

Listening is the best ‘trick’ you can learn on ham radio. Resist the urge to jump into a QSO too quickly. Todd, KD0TLS found out the hard way that some ops can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. He made a call to an op who proceeded to thoroughly chastise Todd for supposedly interfering in his QSO. This situation didn’t speak poorly about Todd, KD0TLS as much as it did about the lack of skills of the other operator.

Had the other operator simply replied TLS QRX then Todd, KD0TLS would have known the op was in QSO and the other op wanted him to stand by. Many, many operators assume that because they don’t hear BOTH sides of a QSO that the person they are trying to contact isn’t in QSO. Or ignoring them. By the same token, if you are the op and someone drops their call into your QSO then have the courtesy to respond with something like QRX or even just standby will work. Dressing another ham down on the air and email lists does little for the hobby, even less for your operating skills.

Be careful when subscribing to amateur radio email lists or social media groups. These online forums really bring out the “experts” in the hobby and many a flame war has been started by these same experts.

Don’t participate into on-the-air arguments. No one ever wins them and you have better things to do with your on-the-air time than to argue with an idiot. Listening is a skill that requires a good deal of practice but will help you enjoy the hobby tremendously. Have fun with ham radio.

That does it for this session KD0TLS asked me for a blog post and I wound up nearly writing an e-book. Sorry Todd! There are more qualified people to write about them than me and I will be the first to admit it. Maybe some of those who are more qualified or are better writers will take the time to do so. Newcomers to the hobby need orientation not accusation. Or as one of my older Elmers put it: help out or get out.

73