Its Me Again ! wrote:

I for one don't like to pay hundreds of dollars to buy antennas that look
like crap on your house or property.Some monstrosities that look like ****
in plain english,that break or are blown down in some storms.Now you got to
kick out more money so you can talk to someone.I think antennas are over
priced for what they are.
Now talk about buying some radios.hundreds or thousands of dollars so you
can or maybe can talk to someone (or yell so they can hear you)just to outdo
the Jones.
Whit a half decent computer and sound card and mike,I can talk anywhere most
hams do and yet farther with no antenna farm ,amp, or radio if I want to.And
also consistantly on a daily basis.Computers are cheaper today than most
antennas.
I love ham radio also,My wife is a ham also.
Ecolink is here to stay.Try it,you may like it.



So if these are all legitimate concerns for you, why not just get a
cellphone and dial randomly from a phonebook or switch to chat rooms
exclusively? Why is it necessary for you to pretend that you are a ham
radio operator, when you are obviously not?

Mind you, I am not trying to reduce your enjoyment of this thingy that
you find adorable. I am simply arguing that it's not amateur radio
anymore than wacking off in front of Internet porn sites makes one a
great womanizer.

I "talk" to hams on various Usenet newsgroups, does that count as ham
radio as well?


73 .... WA7AA



--

Anti-spam measu look me up on qrz.com if you need to reply directly

I seems all the Echolinkers are missing the point. They complain about all
the things that make Ham radio interesting. Don't get me wrong, I like
computers. I am an Information system manager, but that's not radio. I guess
everybody to their own.....I just can't see the point of talking on a
computer. I would get just as much out of talking on a cell phone or a
wireless phone in the house.....whatever floats your boat?????
"MD" wrote in message
.. .

"g3zhi" wrote in message
...
There are now over 132,000 callsigns registered in 139 different
countries.

There are daily additions, changes and deletions with over 1,000 new
calls
validated each week.

We might as well kiss our frequency allocations goodbye.
If we don't use them, were going to lose them.

I don't get. Do you people know what your talking about. Echolink is mostly
linked to repeaters all over the world. Sure there are a few guys that link
direct. But for the most part you could sit in front of your computer and talk
to a fellow ham thats mobile through a repeater thats linked to echolink. You
could also hit a few dtmf tones and link 2 repeaters together through echolink
and talk to a fellow ham anywhere in the world. I think it's a great idea and
it's here to stay.

Warren
Kb2dem

The wife and I, both hams, use Echolink for staying in touch with friends
from our old home area. Like many people today, we had to move for
employment reasons.

It is nice to be able to give my callsign and to know that it is going out
over the old "local" six meter repeater that I used to frequent in New
Jersey (we now live in Georgia). I have the opportunity to talk with friends
via radio as I used to do when I lived in Jersey.

It is also nice to be able to chat via Echolink computer-to-computer. Some
of my friends in the Delaware Valley do not yet have HF privileges. Our
conversations would have to be via telephone, were it not for Echolink.
Tapping the space bar to talk leads to the same type of conversations we
would have via amateur radio simplex. To me, Echolink has been a blessing.

I am 57 years old.

Ed Cregger



"MD" wrote in message
.. .

"Ric" wrote in message
...
Are you confused... echolink is a voice over ip program which has over
the
air links users as well as computer users just the same. why is it so
hard
for olders hams to accept change

Ric,

This same arguement has been going on with our local hams for quite some
time. My personal opinion, and my opinion only is this. I got into radio
for the fascination of being able to speak into a microphone and someone
halfway around the world answering me. To me slapping on a headset and
hitting the space bar when I want to talk just doesn't seem like radio. I
live in a very restricted antenna neighbourhood but I will not let
echolink
take the place of my ham radio enjoyment. For those who have no choice,
it
may be the only way for them to enjoy the hobby. If more hams jump on the
Echolink bandwagon and use the internet to communicate than the airwaves,
my
feeling is it will only spell disaster for the ham fraternity.

Now if Kenwood could cleverly disquise a computer as a small tabletop
radio,
and Heil made a headset to match, heck I might even be fooled into
thinking
it was radio.

73, de VE3TMT

"Zoran Brlecic" wrote in message
...
So if these are all legitimate concerns for you, why not just get a
cellphone and dial randomly from a phonebook or switch to chat rooms
exclusively? Why is it necessary for you to pretend that you are a ham
radio operator, when you are obviously not?

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO

73 de Paul

It has taken me quite a while to adjust to the new amateur radio paradigm.
It has not been easy, to say the least.

Today's HF bands sound like CB SSB of twenty five years ago. How do I know?
I was there. It was before I became a ham. I had lots of fun there too, but
the truckers finally drove me towards ham radio. That and the CB crowd, most
of them, did not like it if you spoke the least bit technically in those
days.

I operated Air Force RF communications systems in the sixties and got my FCC
GROL with radar endorsement before I was a ham, so I don't want to hear any
wisecracks about being a CBer at heart.

I operated a lot during the early to mid eighties. There were a lot more
people on the VHF/UHF bands in those days. I operated CW and AMTOR/RTTY on
the HF bands back then. Living in the center of town and not having room for
a real antenna kept me from using HF phone on the lower bands. Besides, from
what I could hear, there was no real reason for me to go down there, even
back then. I'm not into listening to drunks argue and people impersonating
various dog barks.

These days I still enjoy VHF/UHF more than HF, but the number of operators
seems to have diminished quite a bit. I am about to get back into HF
digital, but with all new modes to try. That should keep me busy for a
while.

I enjoy using computers with ham radio. Talking for hours on SSB is boring
to me. I'm not knocking it. I'm just not interested in operating phone on HF
that much. To each his own.

Even back in the seventies, there were a few hams telling other hams that
they were not real hams, for one idiotic reason or another. Nothing has
changed that way. You'll find obnoxious people where ever you go.

Ed Cregger



"Paul Vanasse" wrote in message
.. .

"Zoran Brlecic" wrote in message
...
So if these are all legitimate concerns for you, why not just get a
cellphone and dial randomly from a phonebook or switch to chat rooms
exclusively? Why is it necessary for you to pretend that you are a ham
radio operator, when you are obviously not?

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO

73 de Paul

I decided to try Echolink to see what it was all about.
Some observations:

1. No calling CQ endlessly for a desired country -- just see if they are
logged on.
Count for DXCC - Nope
Maybe u are traveling abroad and have some questions.
Like about repeaters config and locations. WX, transportation, clothing
etc..

2. No QSB, QRM, Contests, Nets, and folks breaking in for a QSL Card

3. Bands are kaput or no propagation to desired location -- use VoIp

4. Instant communication with a Ham relative or old time Ham buddy who has
no HF gear or HF privileges.
Or no propagation. Or maybe they are stashed away in an HOA or old folks
home.

5. You can communicate world wide with VHF/UHF linking or plunked down at
the computer. At zero cents/minute

6. No RFI Problems

7. No or small antennas - (HOA's are agin that) - indeed one can use indoor
antennas. Or the computer
-----------------------

Well is it Radio ?? Nope not in the sense of the word -- since the internet
is involved in the path.

Does it let one communicate with Hams around the world ? Yes
Is that a bad thing? No

Use a cell phone instead? Intrusive and pricey. How do I get a phone number
for a Ham in Australia ???
Operator could u give me the phone number for an Amateur Radio Operator in
Sydney ???

Use Chat rooms -- perhaps -- with non hams barging in -- nah pass.

Deter folks from getting on HF -- perhaps -- but many won't
get upgraded anyway or can't spring for HF gear and antennas (HOA or money).

Maybe later the thrill of talking across the world will inspire many to get
on HF
(and jump into the enormous endless pileups when xyz comes on the band)
Hey I worked you last month -- just wanted to see if I cud break the pileup!
But I love the HFbands and pileups - been there done that, still do!

Ham VoIp -- Just another way to communicate with Hams around the country or
the world.
With some obvious advantages!

And this from one who has worked just about everything on the DXCC list
and has 5 log books full of QSO's in SSB, CW, RTTY and PSK31
and five shoeboxes of QSL cards

And I know many Hams who are avid HFers who also use VoIp.

Times and technology have changed folks -- time to explore ALL the Ham
communication paths.

--
73 From The Signal In The Noise
Caveat Lector Ya All
------------------------------------------------------
"David" wrote in message
...
I seems all the Echolinkers are missing the point. They complain about all
the things that make Ham radio interesting. Don't get me wrong, I like
computers. I am an Information system manager, but that's not radio. I
guess
everybody to their own.....I just can't see the point of talking on a
computer. I would get just as much out of talking on a cell phone or a
wireless phone in the house.....whatever floats your boat?????
"MD" wrote in message
.. .

"g3zhi" wrote in message
...
There are now over 132,000 callsigns registered in 139 different
countries.

There are daily additions, changes and deletions with over 1,000 new
calls
validated each week.

We might as well kiss our frequency allocations goodbye.
If we don't use them, were going to lose them.

well as i remember one of the 5 principles of ham radio was the advancement
of the hobby, well if that means echolink and so on.. then what more needs
to be said.

"Dick Carroll" wrote in message
...


Ric wrote:

Are you confused... echolink is a voice over ip program which has over
the
air links users as well as computer users just the same. why is it so
hard
for olders hams to accept change

Could it be because some changes are not in our best interests?

We;; echolink is more than internet chat it is voice over ip. linking
directly to rf radios in most of the world. and i think irlp is about the
same thing. its been around for years.
"MD" wrote in message
.. .

"Ric" wrote in message
...
Are you confused... echolink is a voice over ip program which has over
the
air links users as well as computer users just the same.

Just another way of saying "Internet Chat Program for Hams"

why is it so hard for olders hams to accept change

I guess my kids were right...39 is old!

Well in response to your comment . well as for the ham fraternity, have you
listened to alot of repeaters or better yet 75/80 meters. i hear nothing
good on 75/80 meter . cussing new hams . old ham telliong no codes they are
not hams and the such. huh .. maybe i am confused ...But i hear alot more
running new hams away.than i do welcoming them to the hobby.. I ask this how
many no code hams have heard you don't belong here . go get your code.
"MD" wrote in message
.. .

"Ric" wrote in message
...
Are you confused... echolink is a voice over ip program which has over
the
air links users as well as computer users just the same. why is it so
hard
for olders hams to accept change

Ric,

This same arguement has been going on with our local hams for quite some
time. My personal opinion, and my opinion only is this. I got into radio
for the fascination of being able to speak into a microphone and someone
halfway around the world answering me. To me slapping on a headset and
hitting the space bar when I want to talk just doesn't seem like radio. I
live in a very restricted antenna neighbourhood but I will not let
echolink
take the place of my ham radio enjoyment. For those who have no choice,
it
may be the only way for them to enjoy the hobby. If more hams jump on the
Echolink bandwagon and use the internet to communicate than the airwaves,
my
feeling is it will only spell disaster for the ham fraternity.

Now if Kenwood could cleverly disquise a computer as a small tabletop
radio,
and Heil made a headset to match, heck I might even be fooled into
thinking
it was radio.

73, de VE3TMT