meaningless jibber jabber

[WRKW566]

My extended family had some operators in it. Uncles, even a aunt! All through my life I have had to deal with pressure from people to perform. Scouts, sports, school, pressure from people to do the things they are excited about. SCUBA, ultralight backpacking, pilot training, car racing and actually winning awards for my custom car. All great things,some of which I actually jumped through the hoops to meet the challenge. Some not so much. As a child it was never a question of what I wanted to do, it was always a thing about what people in control wanted me to do. Life progressed and school became a "why don't you get your degree?" and even still it's "you have time now, go back to school" and you should dig that car out of your garage and show it again. These things all come from people trying to impress their wants or desires onto me. The amateur radio thing is the same thing. Even now the first reply to any post I make is, <paraphrased> 'I have my <whatever> it's easy, you should go do it too!' Or, what you have said is not aligned with my thinking therefore you need to go tutelage under my preferred discipline to educate yourself to my thinking (politics at it's root!). I get it that people seek confirmation that their choices are good. I'm not challenging anyone for their choices but I'm done with being asked "why are you not doing the thing I like to do myself". This Forum is interesting and sometimes a drag. It might be time for me to move on.

Edited October 23 by WRKW566
spelling

[LeeBo]

14 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I’m genuinely interested in why or how the “peer group method of qualifying for a license” bothers you.  FYI, I’m a Volunteer Examiner, and I would be happy to help explain how the process has no character judging and no political influence.

Take the "peer group" out of the equation.  You pick up a "study guide" that has the actual test questions and read at your leisure. That's not studying, that's memorizing.

When I took all my CompTIA, Micro$oft and Cisco certifications, you had to know the material. The study questions were just that, to study. They weren't actual test questions. You had to know the material in order to pass the exam.

Just my $0.02.

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, WRKW566 said:

My extended family had some operators in it. Uncles, even an aunt! All through my life I have had to deal with pressure from people to perform. Scouts, sports, school, pressure form people to do the things they are excited about. SCUBA, ultralight backpacking, pilot training, car racing and actually winning awards for my custom car. All great things,some of which I actually jumped through the hoops to meet the challenge. Some not so much. As a child it was never a question of what I wanted to do, it was always a thing about what people in control wanted me to do. Life progressed and school became a "why don't you get your degree?" and even still it's "you have time now, go back to school" and you should dig that car out of your garage and show it again. These things all come from people trying to impress their wants or desires onto me. The amateur radio thing is the same thing. Even now the first reply to any post I make is, <paraphrased> 'I have my <whatever> it's easy, you should go do it too!' Or, what you have said is not aligned with my thinking therefore you need to go tutelage under my preferred discipline to educate yourself to my thinking (politics at it's root!). I get it that people seek confirmation that their choices are good. I'm not challenging anyone for their choices but I'm done with being asked "why are you not doing the thing I like to do myself". This Forum is interesting and sometimes a drag. It might be time for me to move on.

 I hope you don’t move on.  I mentioned that I was a VE simply because I wanted you to know my background, not to imply that you should get your license also.  It’s strictly your decision whether to get a ham license.  I enjoy it and I wish I had done it earlier in my life, but that’s the story I have written for myself.

I’m the guy who goofed off in college but continued being enrolled, even went through the graduation line even though incompletes in a few courses stood between me and my degree.  I didn’t return to college until I truly wanted to and when I did it was right for me.  

I hope you find whatever makes you happy.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, LeeBo said:

Take the "peer group" out of the equation.  You pick up a "study guide" that has the actual test questions and read at your leisure. That's not studying, that's memorizing.

When I took all my CompTIA, Micro$oft and Cisco certifications, you had to know the material. The study questions were just that, to study. They weren't actual test questions. You had to know the material in order to pass the exam.

Just my $0.02.

Still pissed that these young whippersnappers don’t have to visit the local FCC field office and build a spark gap transmitter like you did?

[WRHS218]

5 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Still pissed that these young whippersnappers don’t have to visit the local FCC field office and build a spark gap transmitter like you did?

It is amazing and sad that this attitude is still alive and well. I know it isn't every HAM, but enough to be a discouragement to some folks.There is nothing new under the sun... 

[LeeBo]

Still pissed that these young whippersnappers don’t have to visit the local FCC field office and build a spark gap transmitter like you did?

Not at all. I’m one of those who “studied” for the test. Been licensed a whopping 3 month.

But in my defense I took the practice tests before actually “studying” and passed with a 90% average.

All I’m saying is it shouldn’t be a memorization test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SteveShannon]

30 minutes ago, LeeBo said:

Not at all. I’m one of those who “studied” for the test. Been licensed a whopping 3 month.

But in my defense I took the practice tests before actually “studying” and passed with a 90% average.

All I’m saying is it shouldn’t be a memorization test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I disagreed with you even before you wrote that. Here's a link to a post from yesterday:

 

[WRKC935]

What Steve said tongue and cheek is actually right and why we are going to see a ham test for at LEAST the next 10 years even if the requirements are relaxed by the FCC.  I am 53 and got licensed when I was 22.  Not long after the creation of the "No Code Tech" license.  We only had allocation for voice above 50Mhz so we couldn't do too much damage.  But others will tell you we were lepers, the bane of ham radio.  We were going to bring about the end of ham radio and the hobby would be gone.  That was the Fud's opinion of it anyway. 

The ARRL isn't going to be able to allow a test-less ham license because the old guys that are now older and much more opinionated will raise 9 kinds of hell at them for even thinking about it.  Nut that mentality will fade as those guys shuffle off their mortal coil and begin fertilizing the flowers at the local cemetery. 

But I will say this.  The test ain't that hard.  And there are some here that if you put 1/10 the effort into studying for the test that they do in winding people up in here and beating dead horses, you would have your license in no time.

 

 

[Jaay]

On 10/23/2024 at 11:10 AM, WRKW566 said:

My too-late night post was more about the helpless banter between people on a dead subject than about the actual repeater linking. I'm not a fan of linking repeaters in GMRS. As to the dual license status, my only and continuing issue with the "ham" license is the peer group method of qualifying for a license. I'm too old to bother being judged for my enthusiasm and too hardened against marketing in general to go through the qualification process. Besides, after years of commercial exposure to radio equipment, there is not much "out there" for me to explore (exception; meshtastic). For me, GMRS was a possible alternative communication method that has proven to be not-so-usable in my area.

Gotcha ! I'm not one of those Dusty old Curmudgeon guys ! ... Maybe Dusty fits tho...

[CentralFloridaGMRS]

I'm getting my Ham License once I find the time to take it 

[WQAI363]

On 10/25/2024 at 2:47 PM, CentralFloridaGMRS said:

I'm getting my Ham License once I find the time to take it 

Taking an FCC exam for an Amateur Radio License is fine and dandy, but like everything, you want to do for right reasons. Of course, when you do take your exam, your family will have no choice but take an exam for their own license, since your license will only cover the individual who's name on that license. I won't discourage any individual from taken an FCC exam for an Amateur Radio License. But on the same note, I can't force someone to take the exam.  I will offer a piece of advice, talk with your family friends and co-workers, see if they have any interest in getting into Amateur Radio, because it's kind of fun to have folks you want stay in contact with on the same page when the SHTF.

You take Care!