Yeah that's not so new actually.  There used to be a group on 3.999 called
the 99ers who pretty much insisted you join them with an amp.  Different
strokes for different folks I guess hi hi.  


 
-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Phil Scovell
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 8:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New Ham Creed?

I think I discovered a new ham's creed listening to a big group of W5 =
stations this week that I wanted to run by you just for fun.  From =
Colorado, I copy no fewer than a dozen, normally quite large, with big =
signals, of W5 stations from 36 30 up to almost 4.0 MHz any given night = of
the week.  Few of them are less than S9 and most are 20 over S9 and =
occasionally, some are 40 over S9 but that doesn't happen often on my S =
meter even with local Denver Stations.  I always enjoy listening to = these
open round tables because often, during the joking and = reminiscing, I
learn a lot about DX activity, amplifiers, and especially = antennas.
Before I tell you what I learned must be a new ham creed, let = me give you
an example.  I was told by my Elmer 46 years ago, or longer, = that when
working CW, if you called CQ at 30 WPM, or regardless of how = fast, if the
calling station is running even 5 words per minute, you = drop your speed to
match his.  For example, I was just below 3600 the = other night and I
called CQ at about 25 WPM.  A W7 3 letter call, which = normally would mean
someone older than I and more experienced, called me = at not much more than
5 Words Per Minute.  So, as I have for decades, I = dropped to his speed and
replied.  We talked for about 45 minutes at = that speed.  come to find out,
he was in his sixties and retired and had = just gotten his first ticket 3
years ago.  He was trying to get his = speed up.  thus the slow 5 WPM.  Once
he upgraded, he applied for this 1 = by 3 callsign and got it.  Yes, I enjoy
CW even at 5 WPM and sometimes = lower if the guy is really green.  After my
brother in law, for example, = passed his novice, I moved to western
Colorado to be an assistant pastor = in a small town church.  the town was
about 800 people in population and = the church had about 60 people.  I had
weekly schedules with my brother = in law and until he got his phone
license, we each had a list a mile = long from our wives, who are sisters,
for which they wanted questions = answered.  Once he got his phone license,
we began weekly sideband = schedules but guess who did all the talking?
Yep, the two sisters.  = Anyhow, Bob, my brother in law, was so nervous in a
crowded 40 meter = novice band that I had to literally send 2 and 3 WPM for
him to get = everything I was saying.  In the clear, of course, he probably
could = have done better than 5 WPM because he'd passed the test, but I
didn't = mind sending 2 words per minute.  After all, I'd done it for others
and = dozens of times over the years.  So, I'm just explaining that this was
= how I was taught.  furthermore, if you heard someone splattering up and =
down the band on sideband, you politely broke in, told him about it, and =
generally the man thanked you for letting him know and made adjustments = to
fix the problem.  Don't ever do that now in today's ham world unless = you
know the person as well as your own kin.  I'm not joking.  So, now = to the
new ham's creed.

I was listening to a group, I believe this was on 3930 but I listen to = so
many round tables when tuning the bands, some on a nightly bases, it = could
have been elsewhere on the band.  Anyhow, a half a dozen guys were = 20 to
30 over.  big signals on my gage because on 80 meters, I have a = steady S9
line noise so anything under 5 over S9, I can't copy well.  = these boys
were loud, in other words, and often such stations are = running pretty big
amplifiers which put out a lot more than the legal = limit, if you get my
meaning, than the 1500 watts we are allowed.  If a = signal is clean, I
could care less how much power he is running but I'm = funny about that than
, no, I have never run more than about 1.2 KW = output with the modified
SB220 I had years ago.  For my first 300 DX CC = countries, I had an amp
that only put out 700 watts.  Now I run 500 = watts.  So, as I was saying,
or suggesting, these W5 big round tables, = everybody normally running vox
so that's why I call them open round = tables, are generally pretty friendly
to new comers but you have to be = loud or they forget you are there and
this brings me to what I heard one = of the big signals say just this week
to another ham on his frequency.  = That wasn't a typo.  These guys have
often commanded a particular = frequency for literally decades and they
ain't going to move for = anybody.  I've seen them literally move off
frequency, tell the station = too close to their quiet channel to move, and
if he does?  They all move = down on top of him and talk as if he isn't
there.  Yes, the offending = station, who didn't know he was intruding on to
someone private = frequency, ends up moving just to get away from them.
When he does, the = original group just goes back to their private channel
once again.  they = generally require at least 3 KHz above and below them to
consider their = channel to be quiet and called a clear channel.  I've also
seen traffic = nets start up, the net control to be breaking in and asking
them to move = for 30 minutes while they conduct their net, and most of the
time, the = big guns refuse to me because they were there first.

A guy would must have been just over S9, and was also a W5, but not =
running his amplifier and was a new comer to this group, got the big = guns
riled up a little because they claimed they could not hear him well = due to
his pour signal strength.  He was 20 to 30 DB weaker but as I = said, if I
could hear him, he had to be above S9 but not much more than = that.
Anyhow, they got to ragging on him because he wouldn't turn on = his amp, if
he even had one, which he claimed he did, but he said, if = you are copying
me now, what do I need all that extra power for.  Well, = shoot, the old boy
does have a point because, if I'm not mistaken, the = FCC rules and regs do
say to use the least amount of power necessary to = maintain communications.
Nobody I know, in all my hears as a ham, ever = has practice that rule and
it is sort of a silly one anyhow.  Because, = unless you are running 30 or
40 or 50 KW, whose going to be able to tell = how much power you are putting
out.  Even the FCC doesn't bother with = that rule unless someone is grossly
misusing it and causing loads of = interference but I digress.  So, the low
power guy, weaker station, and = the big guns kept arguing that he should
crank up the power because, = these guys, running 2 holer amps, with 3 and 4
K output, 100 to 180 foot = towers, and inverted vees hanging from the tops
of their towers, claimed = they couldn't copy this weaker guy better.  I'm
using a G5RV at 35 feet = with an S9 noise level and I'm copying every
freaking word the guy says. =  Sure, he was weaker, way weaker, than the big
boys, but the old guy, as = I said, had a point.  Plus, I thought it was
sort of funny he was = pissing off the big boys with his weaker signal.  I
believe he was doing = it on purpose, not turning on his amp, because he was
trying to prove = that these guys only like talking to new people if they
have big = signals.  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out
the old = boy, the weaker station, was yanking their chain just a might.
Well, = here is what a big gun on that frequency said to the weaker station.
He = finally gave his call, something often forgotten in these larger round
= tables that are open ended, and he told the little station the =
following.  "It is true," he said, "one does not need to be the owner of =
an amplifier.  If, on the other hand, you break in to talk to a bunch of =
guys, all running big amps, and putting out big signals, it is easier to =
communicate with the larger group, with bigger signals, if you also have = a
loud signal."  that's what he said.  Does he have a point?  Of course = but
the weaker guy still got his point across.  This is one reason why I = would
never break into a big loud group like I have described.  You will = soon
discover they have forgotten you are even there.

Phil.
K0NX