Amen Colin and Martin from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2012 11:11 PM
Subject: Re: Perversity of Life; was Moderating you off the list!


> nice post martin.
> I always shake my head a little when those who obtain an amateur radio
> license exclaim in high dudgon that they didn't get into this hobby to be 
> a
> technician or an electronics wizard.
> I guess the fact that one of the license classes in the US is called a
> technicians class license doesn't equate to 1 plus 1 equals 2 for some
> people.
> It's fair that not everyone is going to be right into all the electronics
> and theory and math and everything else, but you do need some basic
> knowledge of radio systems, including antennas and all the different 
> fascits
> of how to get on the air in order to call yourself a ham operator.
> If you just hit the PTT and talk, and could care less about the rest of 
> it,
> your simply an appliance operator and not a ham.
> There is a certain amount of responsibility to being a licensed amateur
> radio operator, and I see far far too many people shirking that
> responsibility.  Part of that responsibility is to gain at least a basic
> understanding of how stuff works as it relates to radio and
> sending/receiving radio signals.  I say gain that knowledge...your not 
> going
> to get it over night, but you have to pursue it.
> There is something to be said about the original, or at least, older
> licensing scheme...where you absolutely had to learn the technical side of
> it to even get beyond your novice license.
> Now it's almost as if you can memorize a bunch of answers that mean 
> nothing
> to you, write the test, and if you happen to pass, you can grab an HT and 
> be
> a ham operator.
> We've got a responsibility to our communities and neighbors and fellow 
> human
> beings to know what we're doing if we get that license.  If you can't be
> bothered to know what you are doing and how to do it, then you shouldn't
> have a license.  harsh perhaps, but that's my opinion.
> Part of that is learning from other hams.  We go easy on new hams because
> obviously they don't know as much.  But I have far less patients for those
> who obtain their license and  do nothing to try to expand their knowledge
> base
> You don't have to be a certified electronics technician to learn about
> radios and tuners, and antennas, and modes and how propigation works, and
> antenna theory, and ohms law, and a little bit of algebra to figure out LC
> circuits and how caps and coils and resisters all work together.
> Learn about an osciloscope and how it works...even if you never use that
> knowledge, at least you've tried to expand your knowledge base a little 
> bit
> to deserve to have that license.
> Whatever it is, one must keep learning, or one might as well throw your
> license and callsign away and go golfing, or sit in front of the computer
> playing cards all day...whatever lol.
>
> just my quarters worth hi.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX