Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
So you're suggesting we cull the old timers? I gave a talk recently about SDR with live demonstrations - they were converted. In my talks I always suggest that every club should have a few SoftRocks to lend to potential SWL's. For me 'real radio' is homebrew, but I do admire the fine contest and DX operators. A great hobby with many variations on a theme. Simon HB9DRV -- From: Michael Walker va...@portcredit.net This is a little off topic for this forum, however, the average age of you, the ham operator, is climbing. It needs to be moving the other way. You can make this happen by introducing youth to the hobby and maybe even donating your old rig that is collecting dust to those new operators to use. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
You know, I actually thought about cutting and pasting it into a text file at one time when it was going on but then I decided it wasn't worth it to do that anymore than it was worth it for me to keep arguing with the ignorant misinformed people. I just let it go and then I came over here and vented about it. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I don't know. I don't see any point in rehashing it further. Let them keep their obsolete radios. 73, Michael, W4HIJ On 5/17/2010 12:27 AM, TOM BLACKWELL (nt) wrote: Does anyone have a copy of all or part of the exchange that appeared on the WA5KUB chat screen? (Or is it even possible to copy this to a file, to save it?) I checked in there to see if I could win a prize - - even though I never win anything. Michael Tondee wrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
I do not have a Flex YET. I try to soak up any and all information I can before hand and I have ran into some of the same types as you have. There will always be a group that think unless it has tubes it's not a radio. If it's not CW it's just not right and so forth. I take it with a grain (corn or Rye or something else by Bud, lol) and keep digging. Is it a radio for everyone, not yet but is it the wave to come? I think it is. Don't let the OM's get to ya. Me, I cant stand VoIP or EchoLink, to me that's not radio. At least with a Flex, there is a coax hooked up to it. But that's just me. N0FJP -- From: Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.com Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 09:12 PM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Maybe the young guys are home working DX on their Flex radios!!! :-) Stan (age 70) -- From: k4...@fastmail.fm Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:18 AM To: Flex flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
How did we come to the point in this country...maybe the world, where it is always just us or them and uninformed opinion carries more weight than lived experience or other forms of empirical evidence? I am reading irrational posturing from all sides on this issue. We are in this hobby because it brings us pleasure, but we don't all find that pleasure in the same way(s). Bob K5SM On 5/15/2010 10:06 PM, Drax Felton wrote: I know what I'm about to type is blasphemy to some and I might end up as popular as Kurt Westergaard in Tehran.. but I think hooking a CW key to a Flex Radio is like running wooden spoke wheels on a Ferrari. On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 10:46 PM, Brian Lloydbrian-wb6...@lloyd.comwrote: That is true and it is not new. That is what the old-timers said about CW, SSB, computers doing RTTY, packet radio, and now SDR. I was once accused of trying to ruin amateur radio because I was experimenting with TCP/IP over packet radio. :-) ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ -- 73, Bob K5SM ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Well, Stan Wayne: First, Stan, let me say that I'm 71 plus and I've always felt blessed because I had a mother and grandmother who made sure I had scientific toys. I really do believe that their attitudes make it possible for me to accept not only technology but new directions in it. As I've said many times, whenever I fire up one of my SDR radios I give thanks that I have such a marvelous resource and feel guilty because so many great ham radio operators do not! I don't try to argue the relative merits of SDR vs. knob and button radios. I quickly decided that joining that argument was the same as doing business with relatives or arguing the relative merits of religion or disagreeing actively with the XYL. All are pointless. The first time you mouse those sliders and buttons to pull a signal out of the mud little doubt remains as to where the truth lies! 73 Lee K9WRU - Original Message - From: Stan wa2...@taconic.net To: k4...@fastmail.fm; Flex flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 5:45 AM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! Maybe the young guys are home working DX on their Flex radios!!! :-) Stan (age 70) -- From: k4...@fastmail.fm Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:18 AM To: Flex flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
There were many other sad comments on the reflector as well. I suppose degreading others makes one feel better about themselves. Also apparent there are many very lonely men out there (poor Lisa). 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Amen brother Lee! Bob It was a great Dayton Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -Original Message- From: Lee Mushel herbe...@centurytel.net Date: Sun, 16 May 2010 06:53:25 To: Stanwa2...@taconic.net; k4...@fastmail.fm; Flexflexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! Well, Stan Wayne: First, Stan, let me say that I'm 71 plus and I've always felt blessed because I had a mother and grandmother who made sure I had scientific toys. I really do believe that their attitudes make it possible for me to accept not only technology but new directions in it. As I've said many times, whenever I fire up one of my SDR radios I give thanks that I have such a marvelous resource and feel guilty because so many great ham radio operators do not! I don't try to argue the relative merits of SDR vs. knob and button radios. I quickly decided that joining that argument was the same as doing business with relatives or arguing the relative merits of religion or disagreeing actively with the XYL. All are pointless. The first time you mouse those sliders and buttons to pull a signal out of the mud little doubt remains as to where the truth lies! 73 Lee K9WRU - Original Message - From: Stan wa2...@taconic.net To: k4...@fastmail.fm; Flex flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 5:45 AM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! Maybe the young guys are home working DX on their Flex radios!!! :-) Stan (age 70) -- From: k4...@fastmail.fm Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:18 AM To: Flex flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 7:25 PM, racer racer5...@q.com wrote: I do not have a Flex YET. I try to soak up any and all information I can before hand and I have ran into some of the same types as you have. There will always be a group that think unless it has tubes it's not a radio. If it's not CW it's just not right and so forth. I take it with a grain (corn or Rye or something else by Bud, lol) and keep digging. Is it a radio for everyone, not yet but is it the wave to come? I think it is. Don't let the OM's get to ya. Me, I cant stand VoIP or EchoLink, to me that's not radio. At least with a Flex, there is a coax hooked up to it. But that's just me. N0FJP But even Echolink has its place. At our school I have put up a 440 MHz repeater connected to Echolink. The kids get their tech licenses and then are allowed to use an HT to make DX contacts through Echolink. No, it is not real DX but they DO get to talk to someone in another place and the DO learn proper procedures. So even that can be useful to a newbie. And it has been useful to me, trying to keep kids interested even though HF has been dead for most of the last two years. Echolink may not be radio per se but it does serve a useful purpose in a radio environment. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Just one further piece of commentary on this since it was my post below that started the discussion. I have no idea how old the critics of SDR that I ran into yesterday were. Who knows? I don't want to imply that this is some sort of old timers vs. new blood thing. At what point does one become an old timer anyway? I'm 47 and I've been licensed since I was 15. I just think that whatever these folks age were that they were genuinely misinformed about what SDR is. Now whether this was because of ignorance or stubborness and being unwilling to accept new things, I really don't know. I really don't care to argue with folks like that either way. I said my piece about what a great radio I had and then when the criticism started flowing in, I tried to correct some of the misinformation but then quickly gave up because it was pointless. You would not have believed how long after I gave up and said to each their own that they continued to badger and make comments like calling it a flexy screech box and try to get a rise from me and I refused to acknowledge it. That was the childish part of it. Age doesn't necessarily matter, pick any subject and you can have childish immature ignorant people in all age groups. 73, Michael, W4HIJ On 5/15/2010 11:24 PM, Michael Tondee wrote: Hi HiI'm sure you guys know I meant kill ham radio and not koll it! I definitely take it with a grain of salt and consider the source. I mean some of them are so misinformed it's not even funny. They really have no inkling of what SDR really is nor what it can do for you. I heard the new Icom rig is going to come in around $4k bare bones. Now I may darn well have that in my Flex when all is said and done but it won't be bare bones and I won't have a radio that is already going obsolete a week after I walk out of the store with it either. Hams used to pride themselves on being on the forefront of technology. If SDR isn't the forefront, I don't know what is. A lot seem to actually shy away from technology now. I was all set to buy a Kenwood TS-2000X when we had the money. I had one before and liked it and wanted another because I like sat ops and HF too. The more I read though, the more the Flex made sense. I may well have to wait a year or more before I can afford to put the V/U module in mine, I could have had that plus 1.2 GHz with the Kenwood today for less money but I'm willing to wait for the V/U capability because the Flex is so far superior to the Kenwood. I've had more fun in the last month than I've had in years with ham radio. Even configuring mine and solving problems has been fun for me. I'm sorry but those guys are just idiots. Michael, W4HIJ On 5/15/2010 10:46 PM, Brian Lloyd wrote: On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.com mailto:mat...@netcommander.com wrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. That is true and it is not new. That is what the old-timers said about CW, SSB, computers doing RTTY, packet radio, and now SDR. I was once accused of trying to ruin amateur radio because I was experimenting with TCP/IP over packet radio. :-) You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. The interesting thing is, it hasn't really started yet. The first inkling was CW-skimmer. It will get really interesting when there is better integration between the IF DSP, the modems, and the CODECs. But, yeah, we are on the leading edge. I know that I find using traditional radios annoying now. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
On Sun, May 16, 2010 at 10:29 AM, Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.comwrote: Just one further piece of commentary on this since it was my post below that started the discussion. I have no idea how old the critics of SDR that I ran into yesterday were. Who knows? I don't want to imply that this is some sort of old timers vs. new blood thing. At what point does one become an old timer anyway? I'm 47 and I've been licensed since I was 15. I just think that whatever these folks age were that they were genuinely misinformed about what SDR is. I think you have hit the nail on the head. Perceptions include: 1. It uses the computer so it has something to do with the Internet. 2. It uses the computer so it must be difficult. 3. It doesn't have any knobs so how will I tune across the band? 4. It doesn't look like other radios so it must be totally different. And since my ordinary radio works pretty well, this new thing, being so different, must not work too well. Now whether this was because of ignorance or stubborness and being unwilling to accept new things, I really don't know. I really don't care to argue with folks like that either way. I said my piece about what a great radio I had and then when the criticism started flowing in, I tried to correct some of the misinformation but then quickly gave up because it was pointless. You would not have believed how long after I gave up and said to each their own that they continued to badger and make comments like calling it a flexy screech box and try to get a rise from me and I refused to acknowledge it. That was the childish part of it. Age doesn't necessarily matter, pick any subject and you can have childish immature ignorant people in all age groups. There is that part too. That part is not subject to education. Most of the ham community is interested but overwhelmed so that takes repeated exposure to get them to make the leap and understand. I think that a series of presentations to ham clubs would be the way to go. I wish I was going to be doing Field Day with the local club this year. I would set up two Flex stations and teach people to use them. As it is, I may get to operate Field Day in Dominica so I will operate the F3K in that case. (For those of you wishing to see where I will be, use Google Earth to see 15° 16.9'N, 61° 21.4'W.) But getting back to the topic at hand, one of my advantages is that I am teaching kids. This presents me with two key advantages: 1. they have no preconceived notions about how things *should* work; 2. they have no background at all so I get to start from scratch. It is interesting that, when presented with the Flex and the K2, it takes about 30 seconds for them to gravitate to the Flex. Being able to see the spectrum and identify the types of signals visually is a *HUGE* advantage. Now instead of incessantly tuning back and forth, fruitlessly hunting for someone calling CQ, we can just click on a signal. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
This is a little off topic for this forum, however, the average age of you, the ham operator, is climbing. It needs to be moving the other way. You can make this happen by introducing youth to the hobby and maybe even donating your old rig that is collecting dust to those new operators to use. MikeVA3MW k4...@fastmail.fm wrote: I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Each time I check, my average age (over time) is increasing by 1/2 year every year. Average over number (N=1) is 1 year per year. Some folks say that age leads to wisdom. Others say, OFdom. Hams have been complaining about OF's taking over since ~1915. You can read about it in the old QSTs. They even complained that nobody was building their own equipment any more in those years. Plus ça change... Me, I like computers *and* boxes with knobs. 73 Martin AA6E On Sun, May 16, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Michael Walker va...@portcredit.netwrote: This is a little off topic for this forum, however, the average age of you, the ham operator, is climbing. It needs to be moving the other way. You can make this happen by introducing youth to the hobby and maybe even donating your old rig that is collecting dust to those new operators to use. MikeVA3MW k4...@fastmail.fm wrote: I was struck by two things at the show yesterday. 1. The average age of the attendees. Most looked like they were around retirement age. - not so good for ham radio's future. Some attitudes never change. 2. How busy the Flex booth was. - very good for Flex. Nice to meet you Tim. 73 Wayne K4ELO Flexer, old timer, and senior citizen. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ -- Martin S. Ewing, AA6E Member IEEE, URSI, AAS, ARRL Branford, Connecticut ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Does anyone have a copy of all or part of the exchange that appeared on the WA5KUB chat screen? (Or is it even possible to copy this to a file, to save it?) I checked in there to see if I could win a prize - - even though I never win anything. Michael Tondee wrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ -- Regards, TOM BLACKWELL, PO Box 25403, Dallas, Texas 75225 http://N5GAR.Org ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Golly. Next thing you'll hear is a movement to abolish spark Ya just never know 73, Tom N4TAB Wake Forest, NC ~~ On 5/15/2010 10:12 PM, Michael Tondee wrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
There's a legion of hams mired in the past. The world for them ended in 1978. (When the Wikipedia says Collins went solid state hehe) And judging from some of the vendors I met in the Dayton flea market .. there are some true whackers among us. On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 10:12 PM, Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.comwrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.comwrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. That is true and it is not new. That is what the old-timers said about CW, SSB, computers doing RTTY, packet radio, and now SDR. I was once accused of trying to ruin amateur radio because I was experimenting with TCP/IP over packet radio. :-) You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. The interesting thing is, it hasn't really started yet. The first inkling was CW-skimmer. It will get really interesting when there is better integration between the IF DSP, the modems, and the CODECs. But, yeah, we are on the leading edge. I know that I find using traditional radios annoying now. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
I run in the Panafall mode. I now find a radio without this is not pleasant to use. It's not informative enough and I run at 48k. I have to resist the urge to tell people how badly they are splattering and buckshotting. On 05/15/2010 07:46 PM, Brian Lloyd wrote: The interesting thing is, it hasn't really started yet. The first inkling was CW-skimmer. It will get really interesting when there is better integration between the IF DSP, the modems, and the CODECs. But, yeah, we are on the leading edge. I know that I find using traditional radios annoying now. -- Regards de KC6KGE Skype flamebait Monitoring at least one of the following Frequencies if the radio is on and I am not on a net or using the digital modes; 3975, 14.329. I am always listening for fellow Flexers. ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
What pray tell is real ham radio?? CW only Emcomm Public service bicycle chasers Shack on a belt Extra heavy..really hate that one and I am No lids, no kids, no space cadets..if you're old enough to remember I wonder how many of the anti-sdr crowd are running firmware defined radios with multiple processors and can't wait for the next Super-expert III version to fix the problems with their current radio. Give me the latest SVN revision and I can fix my own ;) Thanks Flex!! No flame wars please, all hate mail direct... Ron K0IDT - Original Message - From: Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.com To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 9:12 PM Subject: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR! I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. 73, Michael, W4HIJ ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.819 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2875 - Release Date: 05/15/10 01:26:00 ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 7:59 PM, Ron Kolarik rkola...@neb.rr.com wrote: What pray tell is real ham radio?? CW only Emcomm Public service bicycle chasers Shack on a belt Extra heavy..really hate that one and I am No lids, no kids, no space cadets..if you're old enough to remember I wonder how many of the anti-sdr crowd are running firmware defined radios with multiple processors and can't wait for the next Super-expert III version to fix the problems with their current radio. Give me the latest SVN revision and I can fix my own ;) Thanks Flex!! No flame wars please, all hate mail direct... I don't think you are likely to get a fight here. We already voted ... with our wallets. I have an F5K with all the trimmings. I just got a used F3K for our school. I plan to get the V/U module for the F5K and I keep licking my lips every time I look at the F1500. :-) And I have to admit, I am hooked on the panafall display too. It sure makes it easy to find the few other people doing Olivia, Contestia, DominoEX, Thor, etc. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
I know what I'm about to type is blasphemy to some and I might end up as popular as Kurt Westergaard in Tehran.. but I think hooking a CW key to a Flex Radio is like running wooden spoke wheels on a Ferrari. On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 10:46 PM, Brian Lloyd brian-wb6...@lloyd.comwrote: That is true and it is not new. That is what the old-timers said about CW, SSB, computers doing RTTY, packet radio, and now SDR. I was once accused of trying to ruin amateur radio because I was experimenting with TCP/IP over packet radio. :-) ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
Hi HiI'm sure you guys know I meant kill ham radio and not koll it! I definitely take it with a grain of salt and consider the source. I mean some of them are so misinformed it's not even funny. They really have no inkling of what SDR really is nor what it can do for you. I heard the new Icom rig is going to come in around $4k bare bones. Now I may darn well have that in my Flex when all is said and done but it won't be bare bones and I won't have a radio that is already going obsolete a week after I walk out of the store with it either. Hams used to pride themselves on being on the forefront of technology. If SDR isn't the forefront, I don't know what is. A lot seem to actually shy away from technology now. I was all set to buy a Kenwood TS-2000X when we had the money. I had one before and liked it and wanted another because I like sat ops and HF too. The more I read though, the more the Flex made sense. I may well have to wait a year or more before I can afford to put the V/U module in mine, I could have had that plus 1.2 GHz with the Kenwood today for less money but I'm willing to wait for the V/U capability because the Flex is so far superior to the Kenwood. I've had more fun in the last month than I've had in years with ham radio. Even configuring mine and solving problems has been fun for me. I'm sorry but those guys are just idiots. Michael, W4HIJ On 5/15/2010 10:46 PM, Brian Lloyd wrote: On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Michael Tondee mat...@netcommander.com mailto:mat...@netcommander.com wrote: I was over in the chat that goes along with WA5KUB's helmet cam at Dayton today and could not believe some of the attitudes I encountered upon mentioning I had recently purchased a Flex 5000A. I was told I didn't have a real ham radio. That using my Flex was no better than being on CQ100 or a cell phone or the internet and other such nonsense! Some of the folks there were downright childish about it. I mean, I know that kind of idiocy is out there but being confronted with it first hand was just unbelievable! Of course, there were those that had some common sense there too but what amazed me was that some of the critics were really very misinformed about what SDR even was. That is true and it is not new. That is what the old-timers said about CW, SSB, computers doing RTTY, packet radio, and now SDR. I was once accused of trying to ruin amateur radio because I was experimenting with TCP/IP over packet radio. :-) You guys know we are going to koll ham radio as we know it right? :-) It was comical but it was really sad in a way too. The interesting thing is, it hasn't really started yet. The first inkling was CW-skimmer. It will get really interesting when there is better integration between the IF DSP, the modems, and the CODECs. But, yeah, we are on the leading edge. I know that I find using traditional radios annoying now. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Man I can't believe some attitudes towards SDR!
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 8:06 PM, Drax Felton draxfel...@gmail.com wrote: I know what I'm about to type is blasphemy to some and I might end up as popular as Kurt Westergaard in Tehran.. but I think hooking a CW key to a Flex Radio is like running wooden spoke wheels on a Ferrari. Hey, I think CW is still cool. There is a place for doing CW, SSB, digital modes, etc. It's all good. And that it is the real point: IT'S ALL GOOD. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
