yes!
-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Tillinghast
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 10:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fw: [westerndistrictnet] In praise of reliability
From: Marion=20
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 1:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [westerndistrictnet] In praise of reliability
Very thoughtful of you Gary. Can I pass this on to our Newsletter =
Editor?
Marion
----- Original Message -----=20
From: [log in to unmask]
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;=20
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 11:13 PM
Subject: [westerndistrictnet] In praise of reliability
=20
Hi all, Thought some may enjoy the following article. It is a well =
written article by Pat Tice WA0 TDA. This was taken from last =
week=E2=80=99s Handiham world. 73. KB2YAA
In praise of reliability
Today I want to give a shout out to a very special class of people: =
those in the amateur radio community who provide services for the rest =
of us to use and who do so consistently and reliably year after year =
after year. These are the people who operate repeater systems that the =
rest of us use. Think about it; how many times have you used your mobile =
radio or handheld radio without much of a thought as to the technology =
that supports it: the repeater system? That's the reason for the photo =
of the ICOM IC 706 Mark 2G showing the 145.45 MHz frequency on the =
display. Don Rice, N0BVE, operates the wide-area N0BVE repeater system =
on that frequency here in the Twin Cities that is one of our best =
resources for consistent, reliable VHF communications year in and year =
out. Don volunteers with us and supports the VoIP connectivity that =
makes the daily Handiham net possible. More to the point, Don keeps his =
equipment in good working order so that it does remain in service and is =
ready to use when any of us pushes that push to talk button on the =
microphone. That's why I think we need to give Don and repeater owners =
like him a big thank you. You guys are keeping us connected!=20
Of course there are plenty of other people maintaining amateur radio =
infrastructure. These days, we are talking about the Internet =
connectivity we enjoy through Echolink, IRLP, WIRES, and other VoIP =
systems. Often times the effort and resources that go into maintaining =
such services may go unnoticed and unheralded, simply because their =
seamless integration into the interconnected repeater systems lies =
somewhat beneath the surface. Nonetheless, behind all of this stuff =
there are dedicated amateur radio operators working tirelessly to =
advance the science and art of Amateur Radio. Be assured that we =
appreciate and thank all of you!=20
Make the best use of your repeater system=20
One of the things that we can do to promote best practices in amateur =
radio is to lead by showing good example. There are few areas of =
operating that are more public than using our local repeater systems. =
Anyone who might be listening on frequency will hear us when we key up =
the repeater, so think about how important it is to operate correctly. =
These days, with repeater systems interconnected through systems like =
Echolink and IRLP, that line from Shakespeare, "all the world's a =
stage", certainly does ring true. When you say something on a local =
repeater system, you might actually be heard worldwide, thanks to VoIP =
over the Internet. Doesn't it make sense to be the best operator one can =
be when you have what is potentially a really big audience?=20
I think so. One of the best ways to ensure that when we step onto that =
world stage of interconnected repeater systems that we put in a good =
performance is to build good operating habits. If you are a fan of =
Shakespeare, you know that the phrase "All the world's a stage" comes =
from the play As You like It, in which the character Jaques is comparing =
the entire world to a big stage and life itself to a play. He talks =
about the seven ages in a man's life from infant to old age. I'll bet we =
could find seven good operating habits to promote so that we are ready =
when we step out on that world stage of interconnected repeater systems. =
The Seven Good Operating Habits=20
a.. Always listen before talking.=20
b.. Identify your station using your callsign.=20
c.. Allow enough time for stations that might be connected through =
the Internet to come back to your call.=20
d.. When in conversation on a repeater system, keep transmissions =
well within the allowed timer limit so that you don't time out the =
repeater.=20
e.. Pause before keying the transmitter to allow interconnected =
systems to handshake with each other.=20
f.. If there is a net control station, listen for and follow the =
instructions you are given.=20
g.. Give up the repeater system immediately if there is an emergency =
call.=20
Of course there are always going to be other good operating practices =
that we can recommend, but these seven are really pretty basic. If any =
of them are ignored on an interconnected VoIP repeater system, chaos can =
result. The thing about good operating practice is that it does take =
practice. When you do things correctly over and over again you build =
neural pathways in your brain, commonly referred to as "good habits". =
When something is a good habit, you can more or less operate on =
autopilot and still do things correctly. Alas, if you have allowed =
yourself to develop bad habits associated with sloppy operating =
technique, it is going to be just as easy to get on the air and mess up =
a net or make a fool of yourself on the repeater system before you even =
realize what you have done!=20
At first it can be a very deliberate process to operate correctly. The =
reason for this is that you have not developed habits yet and you have =
to actually think about what you are doing and whether it is good =
operating practice or not. The whole idea behind practicing for anything =
is that we want to build those neural pathways in our brains and train =
our muscles =E2=80=93 which are connected to our brains after all =
=E2=80=93 to respond correctly when we are getting on the air. It is =
pretty much the same when building any skill. You start out more slowly =
at first and with practice get better and better and better. Eventually =
you come to a point where getting on the air and operating correctly, =
following best practices in virtually every case, is effortless. You =
really don't have to waste too much time thinking about how to identify =
your station or leave pauses between transmissions because you have =
developed good operating skills through practice.=20
Have you ever wondered how poor operators got that way? One of the =
grandmas in our family had a saying about child rearing. She observed =
that you never had to teach a child to be naughty because that seemed to =
come naturally! None of us is immune from at least a little bit of =
selfishness and that can lead to some rather childish behaviors that =
sometimes mess things up on a repeater system. For example, a childish =
behavior is to shout out and not want to take turns. All of us have =
heard this kind of behavior on the air, and we know that it certainly =
doesn't do anything to improve communication on a repeater system. Just =
as we learn as children to behave in ways that promote polite =
conversation and respectful listening, we learn early on in our radio =
careers that we need to apply the same politeness and respect when =
getting on the air. If a person does not have good communication skills =
that include politeness and respect before they get an amateur radio =
license, it is pretty likely that they will not suddenly develop such =
skills when getting on the repeater. For them, it will be a learning =
process. We can lead by giving good example. If you happen to be in the =
exalted position of being a net control station and having to manage the =
flow of the net while juggling operators with different skill levels, it =
may fall to you to patiently explain what is expected. To pull this off =
effectively you need to have plenty of tact and patience, and since =
every situation is different you will need to be able to think on your =
feet. It can be very satisfying to move a newcomer with some poor =
operating habits into the realm of good, confident, efficient =
communications by helping them to develop good habits. Keep things =
simple and straightforward and respectful. Be patient. Always lead by =
giving good example and developing good operating skills habits =
yourself. =20
Repeater owners everywhere appreciate good operating practices on =
their systems! And let me leave you with this final thought on the =
subject: In an emergency, things can happen quickly and you can get =
stressed out trying to figure out what to do. Good operating habits, =
drilled into your subconscious so deeply that they come to you without a =
thought, will carry you through emergency communications. That is why =
emergency responders practice so often. They want to be able to save =
lives without having to stop and think about what to do when time is =
short and lives hang in the balance. As potential emergency =
communicators ourselves we should also be ready, with good =
communications habits already wired right into our very beings!
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Courage Kenny Handiham Coordinator
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