WHY DO the HAMS always take over cb posts ?

Mustang & W5IT
Darn I think you guys got me beat on interest & collections of old radios but I still have one hobby that may be older then that form of communication. I still raise homing pigeons, LOL.

 

Moon
Im not even going to ask where you plug the coax in on a homing pigeon. LOL.

 

Growing up putting "Heathkit" kits together and building stuff was my way to relax. Not to mention one heck of a way to learn "What makes it tick".

Tube stuff was the mainstay then. So tube stuff brings back memories.

There is nothing that sounds sweeter than a well assembled and operated tube transmitters and receivers.

 

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You want to know about us hams is because we are the ones who know electronics , FCC Regulations, Radio Theory etc.. also there is another Phrase Good Engineering Pratice ( GEP ) .

to Start learning Ohms Law is simple math and at Extra gets into Algerabra, Trig, maybe some Calculus sprinkled here and there.

I am more advanced BTW im in the Information Technology Program, Electronics can be fun, if you can solder a wire why not join us in the Ham Radio Community ?

in computer code 1001001

 

I went from CB to Ham radio because I wanted to learn something. I built my first 2 meter antenna just after I passed my tech test. No license yet, But used the math I learned to get my license to make my first antenna. After I got my call sign from the FCC I checked the antenna I had made and the SWR was almost flat. The math worked and I learn something. AND HOW ABOUT YOU?

 

Some of us use a "big" cb radio as a tool. My setup walks over others for a reason, when I need it to. Ham op's (and the fcc) should try to understand that. I keep my radio turned down until my transmit is vital to safety.

 

I always keep my radio as low as I can go and still be heard. What fun thing I like to do with other drivers is see how far we can transmit on the smalled amount of power. There is where your skills at tuning antenna's and radios comes into play.

On the other hand as I drive past truck stops and hear people babbling away using excessive amounts of power I try to be understanding to the fact that many of the drivers there are on the road 24/7 and this is their life and the only interaction they get with people. Many are lonely and are trying to reach out. True their way of going about it may be all wrong, and their social skills may be either lacking or none existent but Jesus wasn't perfect and neither am I.

 

I understand EXACTLY what your'e saying, believe me! I've been on the air since I was 16 (42+ years ago). But, there is a flaw in the thinking of others who only use power as a "tool" and "only when they need it"! This is aimed at them, Bill, not you!!

We all have the same rights and privileges on the air! If you can run big rigs anytime you deem it "necessary", so can everybody else. That thinking is why CB is the mess it is today. If you were a ham, you'd understand that. If you've never been a ham, you'll probably never understand why extra power is an exercise in futility and a rude assault on everybody else within range. You're not really using it as a "tool", you're using it as a "weapon" to beat everybody else down into the noise level! You have no more rights and privileges than anyone else! Save your "tool" for a bonafide emergency (nobody, including hams and the FCC, will complain about you using anything at your disposal in a bonafide emergency), and stop "yelling" above the rest of us on your big rig when it's not really an emergency (person or property at risk).

It can't be an escalating war out there. It would do nobody any good! You get a "tool", so everybody else gets a tool, then you need an even bigger or louder or more attention getting tool, and so on! It doesn't solve anything. It just increases the problem in the long run, and is self-centered!

Yes, I'm a ham! I was a CB'er and proud of it far longer than I've been a ham, and I still have all of my base and mobile equipment should I ever get the urge to use it again. This post isn't aimed at just you, but, it's thinking like yours that drove many hams into ham radio! Most/many of us started out in CB! Please understand that I'm trying NOT to be judgmental here. I'm simply trying to inform the uniformed. You apparently don't know what you're doing to everybody else and yourself in the long run (how many bonafide emergencies have you unintentionally "walked on" with your big rig without even knowing it? How long did you delay rescue, if it ever came in time?) No one has the right to use anything that enables them more talk range than hearing range! If you can't hear them, how do you KNOW you're not interfering in a life or death emergency?

As far as using power only when you need it... yes! That's what ham radio is about, too, and there's always somebody there when you need help in an emergency! You will never have to "walk-on" anybody to be heard, and you will be amazed at the quick and helpful response afforded you by other hams! Much better than you'll ever receive on CB, even from the best REACT.

Treat people on the air like you want to be treated and were conversing face to face. We all deserve the same respect!

 

Area904-

I appreciate the response, and I would like to share a little more of my relevant working experience.


Every second of my workng life is spent dealing with oversize loads in some form or fashion. Radio communication with the driver of the oversize load is paramount. When dealing with a single truck in my usual environment, this is simple- use a clear cb channel. I normally run very little wattage( 1/3 or less than allowed by fcc) during these times, in an attempt to allow others to use the same channel to conduct business.

Over the road trucking presents a different set of problems, being able to communicate with other truckers while still having a clear line of communication with the driver I am working with. I acquired handheld cb's to rectify that dilemma, we just run 2 channels.

I have had 1 situation where an accident could have been avoided if I could have relayed info to another cb'er were it not for a big radio interfering with my transmit. I have taken the steps that I deem necassary to avoid a similar situation. I do not care about flexin radio muscle, and my #1 priority is to avoid emergencies. If I chime in full blast on 19, it is not for my amusement.

I did not create the first overpowered radio, nor do I perpetuate it's use. However, I use it as a valuable tool. If you saw how I operate my big radio, you wouldn't jump to the same conclusions. Owning a big radio is not the problem, the operation of that radio is.

It is possible that I have interrupted an emergency transmission at some point, but not on purpose, and not for long. FYI, I have done all I can to get the best rcv possible.