Has Ham Radio become too easy?

[KC5BWY]

Can I weigh in?

I have been licensed for nearly 20 years. I just upgraded from Technician to General this afternoon. (2-23-13) I have been radio in-active for probably the last 15 years.

I (re)learned SOOOO much ham radio theory just by studying the questions that, while I do feel like it was easy to upgrade, I don't feel like I am missing out on critical information at all. As a matter of fact, I think about 30% of the question pool regarding component level electronics should be done away with. This is 2013. Radios are either taken to a repair shop,returned to their factory, or disposed of and new ones bought to replace them.
Instead of having 10 out of the 35 questions be about electronics that are basically irrelevant in 2013, make those other 10 questions about the bands and the license limitations. This would be far more useful information to have than resistors in series.

Anyway.. Enjoy..
73
KC5BWY /AG

Oh.. And I own one of those BaoFengs and I love it. It can't do anything more than my old Heathkit HT could do. I'm sitting here right now listening to county dispatch on 460.325. It's a great time to be a ham!

 

[feets]

I cite the Baofeng as a representative example because they are often sold cheaply at flea markets (around $50) to unlicensed people who then proceed to talk illegally, hoot, holler, jam and otherwise cause problems. I have no disdain for the radios themselves. In fact I've got one right here. But I think it should be illegal to sell ham radios to unlicensed people.

How do you propose to enforce that?

Even more important, how do you propose to pay for that enforcement? A license fee to the FCC?

I can see your point about the cheap cost. To keep troublemakers from disrupting the ham bands, it should be more expensive. Really, poor people shouldn't have radio's if it saves just one annoying transmission from the unlicensed.

 

[kayn1n32008]

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Really, poor people shouldn't have radio's if it saves just one annoying transmission from the unlicensed.

Wow that is just a sad statement. Did you even think before you wrote that? Do you really believe that only poor people cause interference?

 

[petey_racer]

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Wow that is just a sad statement. Did you even think before you wrote that? Do you really believe that only poor people cause interference?

I smell sarcasm.

 

[kayn1n32008]

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Not sarcasm, more anger and Disbelief that someone could write something so completely ignorant.

 

[KD8TZC]

It doesn't matter if the radio's were expensive, you will still get some person who doesn't know any better or who doesn't care and will fire them up.

 

[N4JKD]

How do you propose to enforce that?

Even more important, how do you propose to pay for that enforcement? A license fee to the FCC?

I can see your point about the cheap cost. To keep troublemakers from disrupting the ham bands, it should be more expensive. Really, poor people shouldn't have radio's if it saves just one annoying transmission from the unlicensed.

Um...wow...poor people shouldn't have radios? Really? Not everyone who gets these jams the frequencies. Some get them for emergency personnel use, or they just want a cheap radio to throw in a go bag for "just in case."

Besides, who is to say it is "poor people" doing this? What if it is some millionaire sitting up on snob hill with an expensive radio and antenna farm, doing nothing more than keying up just to jam frequencies?

Just saying, think before you type out stuff like this so you don't get flamed anymore...

Jason Dailey
N4JKD

 

[N4JKD]

Besides, look at things like CB radio...for years the FCC had it, and than lost all control, and now wash their hands of the service. The only time they get involved is if someone's radio is causing massive interference. The FCC says that ANYONE can purchase a ham radio, but you MUST be licensed to transmit on them. I had my first 2 meter radio a month before I had my license. I don't see the FCC changing this at all, as they are mostly worried about emergency services going to digital. The only time the FCC will really get involved is if it comes to terrorist activity I think.

Jason Dailey
N4JKD

 

[petey_racer]

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Not sarcasm, more anger and Disbelief that someone could write something so completely ignorant.

I didn't mean you, I meant Feets. I can only assume he was being sarcastic.

 

[k3cfc]

How do you propose to enforce that?

Even more important, how do you propose to pay for that enforcement? A license fee to the FCC?

I can see your point about the cheap cost. To keep troublemakers from disrupting the ham bands, it should be more expensive. Really, poor people shouldn't have radio's if it saves just one annoying transmission from the unlicensed.

If you lived in my area you could forget about talking on the radio because nobody would talk to you. we help anybody that wants to be a ham no matter fat skinny rich poor black white and the list goes on. we will get a radio from a donation take it to our shop and put it back like new for free and make an antenna and set it up for them. this what being a ham is all about helping. to make a statement like that you must be the pride of your community.

K3CFC

 

[feets]

I didn't mean you, I meant Feets. I can only assume he was being sarcastic.

Yep.

I thought about adding a /sarc/ tag when I wrote it but once in a while I like to see who is reading my posts to get my opinion or who is just picking parts to tear apart.

For everyone else;

I believe my first post in this thread stated that I like the cheap radio because I am poor and it helped me get into ham.

Selling a $50 radio at a swap meet(or Ebay) isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing.

 

[bill4long]

Selling a $50 radio at a swap meet(or Ebay) isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing.

It's a bad thing if it's sold to a person without a license. IMO.

 

[feets]

If you lived in my area you could forget about talking on the radio because nobody would talk to you. we help anybody that wants to be a ham no matter fat skinny rich poor black white and the list goes on. we will get a radio from a donation take it to our shop and put it back like new for free and make an antenna and set it up for them. this what being a ham is all about helping. to make a statement like that you must be the pride of your community.

K3CFC

I do fine with the locals, thanks. Having limited income myself, they are quite helpful. Specifically with having open repeaters they allow me to use. But then, I haven't heard any of them harp about cheap radio's ruining the Ham bands.

 

[feets]

It's a bad thing if it's sold to a person without a license. IMO.

I bought mine without a license. The license came later. And no, I never transmitted with it. I listened for a month or so to determine if it was something I wanted to pursue.

 

[kayn1n32008]

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I do fine with the locals, thanks. Having limited income myself, they are quite helpful. Specifically with having open repeaters they allow me to use. But then, I haven't heard any of them harp about cheap radio's ruining the Ham bands.

Then why would you make such an asinine statement as to say poor people should not be allowed to own radios???

 

[feets]

Um...wow...poor people shouldn't have radios? Really? Not everyone who gets these jams the frequencies. Some get them for emergency personnel use, or they just want a cheap radio to throw in a go bag for "just in case."

Besides, who is to say it is "poor people" doing this? What if it is some millionaire sitting up on snob hill with an expensive radio and antenna farm, doing nothing more than keying up just to jam frequencies?

Just saying, think before you type out stuff like this so you don't get flamed anymore...

Jason Dailey
N4JKD

I agree 100%.

 

[feets]

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Then why would you make such an asinine statement as to say poor people should not be allowed to own radios???

Because it's absurd.

Read the thread. Someone claiming that the cheap radio is going to ruin Ham unless something is done.

Personally, if I wanted to mess with people on the bands, I'd buy a used mobile for $50 with a bit more jamming amplitude than 5 watts. That's just me.

 

[k3cfc]

Because it's absurd.

Read the thread. Someone claiming that the cheap radio is going to ruin Ham unless something is done.

Personally, if I wanted to mess with people on the bands, I'd buy a used mobile for $50 with a bit more jamming amplitude than 5 watts. That's just me.

Spoken like a true cb'er. more power and all knobs to the right.

 

[feets]

Spoken like a true cb'er. more power and all knobs to the right.

So, you agree?

For $50, there are much better options for disruption than a 5 watt HT.

I've never owned a cb and I only transmitted on one once or twice in the 70's. My age was in the single digits. Basic radio theory says more power will have a better chance at jamming another signal. *shrug*

I have a feeling that is what the rule for using only the power needed to make a call that was on the test is for.

 

[LtDoc]

This is turning into a name calling thing and I see no use in continuing with it at all. If anyone thinks differently then by all means you can have my 'seat', I won't need it anymore.
- 'Doc