Phil Landmeier @shuttersparks@social.cleverlibre.org

@ClaraListensprechen@universeodon.com @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom

Hah. Back in the 1990s, I was seriously into RACES. It was a great group because we were composed of 35 engineers and comm experts, and deeply embedded into the emergency systems of the county. Our meetings were held in government buildings and the county EOC bunker. Our repeaters were in the same racks with the Sheriffs. We consulted on the designs of county systems including 911 and county fire. We wore county uniforms. We were called in for any major event, emergency, or fire. It was educational and a good way to apply our skills.

Talking with fellow members on our repeaters was fine. And that's about the full extent of my use of VHF.

I have nothing in common with the local repeater hams. I'm no longer into hunting, fishing, guns, ammo reloading, pickup trucks, or sharing my medical problems. Not interested in the latest scuttlebutt heard on Fox.

If I lived in Los Angeles it would probably be different.

On HF it's different. We're all on the same page there.

@ClaraListensprechen@universeodon.com @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom Well said, unfortunately. I spend all my ham time on HF.

@Rasta Yup. All sounds very familiar. Lmao.

@ClaraListensprechen@universeodon.com @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom

I hear you. I never get on the repeaters around here because of the OMs. In person is a different story and they're pretty nice guys.

@ClaraListensprechen@universeodon.com @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom I'm sorry to hear the "used to be". My daughter is KC7BNH. Wife, now passed, was KC7BNG.

@nn3x Confusion of those even happens to experts when conditions are noisy or marginal. To me they sound different because the rhythm is different.

Part of copying Morse, especially under difficult conditions, is your brain doing contextual analysis in real time. That comes to you after practice on the air. With numbers, you are often expecting to hear a number because of context, like WB_XYZ. Or if I send my SKCC number, you know that a string of numbers is coming.

The same with words. It's more likely the other person sent heard HERE and not SERE. This becomes easier with practice and when your speed comes up. You begin to hear whole words. At speeds above about 24 WPM you have to learn to copy whole words. All the "noise words" of English like the, then, here, there, can, etc. come into your brain effortlessly as whole words. The longer you've done it, the bigger your vocabulary becomes.

It gets better with practice. I'm still not happy when contesting and someone sends a difficult foreign call sign full of machine gun dits at 35 WPM or faster. Something like S57E can leave me scratching my head. Wait. What? My brain's context analysis doesn't help here.

@ClaraListensprechen@universeodon.com @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom Yeah, I can see how that would happen, but how long ago was that? YL's are becoming more and more common in the hobby, especially those using Morse. I'm no longer surprised to run into a Linda in what used to be a world full of Larrys. Lol.

@Rasta Yup cats do that. They'll also drink like that just to do something different. Especially funny is when they daintily spear one morsel at a time using one claw. Like eating hors d'oeuvres with a toothpick.

@JustGo @johnb48 @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom Correction: Above, I should have said "amateur radio oriented member", not just member.

@JustGo @johnb48 @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom Yes, and the oldest and most powerful member of the ITU, IARU and associated organizations that govern radio spectrum worldwide. The ARRL looks out for hams worldwide.

@woodyluvscoffee Yes, trout is best cooked outdoors. Mackerel would be a good choice if trout isn't handy and the smell will never go away completely.

Fossil fuel companies hold us hostage.

https://shuttersparks.net/fossil-fuel-companies-hold-us-hostage/

@kbkorb @TeaPain Exactly. I've been tracking research on gas stoves for 40 years and the data isn't good.

I knew the topic would eventually get into the public eye but didn't expect it to come in this way or this soon.

There are powerful interests that want to keep gas for heating and cooking in the mainstream so I assumed the science would continue to be suppressed for a long time into the future.

Natural gas providers are going into panic mode these days, so watch for lots of goofy political activity. Haha. Light up the gas stove and make some popcorn

@johnb48 @SrRochardBunson @sergio_101 @LGsMom Agreed. ARRL membership brings a lot of benefits and access to information. It was the ARRL along with Hiram Maxim's smarts and political expertise that created the hobby we call ham radio, worldwide. It continues to be the most powerful force in the world advocating for amateur radio and the rights of radio amateurs.

ARRL is worth supporting for this reason alone. So yeah, highly recommended.

@SrRochardBunson @LGsMom @sergio_101 Sounds great. Welcome to the journey. A lot of people feel the Koch method is great. I know what it is but have no personal experience with it.