It's 6:15 PM. I have put in a typical day at work. Nothing particularly stressful. Been watching the weather all day. Tending to a bit of business. Been looking at my friend the Grouch's blog and passing along a couple of comments. Now, I am out in the shack. That's my radio room to you non hams. Got the low band tuned to the low end of 80 meters, hoping to hear some of my buddies, but am afraid the weather aint gonna let me hear anything but static crashes. Had plans to cut grass this afternoon but the weatherman isn't going to let me do that. As I have said, I am a ham radio operator. Have been since 1960. I don't get all wrapped up into the hobby like some, but do enjoy rag chewing with my buddies. Rag chewing is just generally shooting the breeze. We send pictures over the radio usually, it is generally good fun, we take a lot of pix at Dayton and other hamfests, doctor them up, and send 'em out. All in good fun. There are also contesters on ham radio. They are usually Obama supporting scum. Then there are the do-gooders. These are the storm chasing, light flashing, siren blowing cop wannabees. Before ya'll organize a lynch mob, let me say that I was once also a do-gooder. One night, in the midst of having a heart attack from the strain of pulling a tree off a carload of drunks, I said "WAIT!, what am I doing? There are people getting PAID to do this shit I am out doing for FREE!" So, having lived thru the heart attack, I swore off do-gooding. Now, this being said, HAMS who provide COMMUNICATIONS during natural or homade disasters ARE NOT DO-GOODERS! They ARE THE BACKBONE OF HAM RADIO! I have nothing but respect for them. They have saved so many lives and provided vital information for so many, because landlines (telephones) or cell phones or any other form of communication were down, that I couldn't even begin to count. I have an agreement with my local EMS. If you need me to man radios, call me, if you need me to do the job of police, sheriff or paramedics, forget it! I am too busy.
I will give anybody that is interested some more info on Ham Radio again sometimes, but right now, I'm going for a COOLD 806!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I know nothing about ham radios, I have always heard they are a nutty bunch however. Heck, we're all a little off. How did you get that nick name, Lizzard. Years ago I use to shoot them off fence post with by little .22 rifle.
ReplyDeleteRon, BT knows this. My ham call used to be WB5LIY. Now, hams are fond of using phonetics for their calls and there are no good phonetics for WB5LIY. The FCC changed my call after I moved from MS to TN to KN4KP, so I started using the phonetics KN4KlanPower on packet radio and signing as the Imperial Wizard. One of my friends bastardized that into the Imperial Lizzard, and it stuck! I have been the Lizzard since about 1990.
ReplyDeleteBTW, ask BT aka TheGrouch how he became BT!
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a rule, Hams ARE a nutty bunch! If you include talking over the radio to friends all over the world at any given moment nutty. I have also observed that as a rule Hams also are private pilots, photography enthusiasts, computer nuts and generally outspoken! Hmmm, have you considered getting your license? I thing you're a natural!
ReplyDeleteRon, you know that Hubby, the Grouch and I are both hams, callsigns KA4P and N4OYM. Those are our Extra class call signs. We too had longer and different callsigns when we first got our license. Hubby has been a ham since 1977. I have not had my license quite that long.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting tid bit, there are terror training camps here in the United States, and in at least one Ham radio training manuals were found. Specifically Islamabad in New York.
That's very interesting, because if all normal forms of communications go out, all that is left is personal radio stations by Ham radio operators. Apparently the bad guys know this and were studying on their own.
Of course they probably didn't bother to get very far or to get licenses. Ham radio isn't like CB radio.
Debbie Hamilton
Right Truth
Lizzard, that phrase "Imperial Wizard" rings a bell from the distant past. I did have a friend in my high school days who was a ham, must have been good for him as he went on the Naval Academy.
ReplyDeleteActually I wanted to appoint Lizzard as the GRAND CYCLOPS, but it just didn't have the ring to it.
ReplyDelete