FRIDAY, AUGUST 30th 2004
Update by: VE3HBD

Wow.. It's been a while since an update has been crafted in the smithy of our collective genius here at Hamsexy. For us to you, we apologize yadda yadda yadda.

in Lieu of actually writing something, here's a great letter we got from Greg KB4ZNG about everyone's favourite topic, ARES. Greg, the repeater is yours:


Yes, the world of amateur radio can be quite scary at times. ARES can be really scary. A few times, I have volunteered to help out at the New York City Marathon. I think that many of the runners steer clear of the orange hat people because of how they present themselves at this major public event. One guy (who shall remain nameless) looked as if he was homeless. All of his clothes (including his special orange ARES hat) looked as if they hadn't been washed since the days of when "The Brady Bunch! In Colour!" was announced during the show's introduction. To make things even worse, he would go around the milepost making cat noises, especially at law enforcement personnel. There are less HamSexy types, who like to hold HTs with telescoping antennas (need to have that special +9950000db gain antenna for simplex transmissions covering less than a 1/2 mile!).

Since technology changes, we have to ask ourselves a few questions about the hobby. Do we really need appox 30 MHz in the 70 cm band? Do we even need the 220 MHz band? If public safety is such a priority, then why do organisations such as the ARRL put up such fights to save spectrum? So that old men can complain about the demise of CW? Years ago, when people had only wireline phones as communication, ARES, MARS, and other groups were extremely important. With satellite and other technology, these groups are becoming less important. ARES does important work at times, but I think that the self-important wannabe-law-enforcement-types ruin things for a lot of people (including me). Heck, soon most law enforcement agencies will probably be using satellite radio (the New Mexico State Police and the Mississippi State Natural Resources Department use it already). Instead of looking to the past, we radio nuts should be looking for ways to help the technology along.

Those who still become irate at the thought of a no-code Novice class licence are missing the point. We are no longer special because we used to be able to make phone calls from our cars. People can now communicate all over the world from their homes. Things are different now, but there are still loads of people who think that amateur radio should be stuck in the days of tubes. Many of these people are snobs, which makes it even more intolerable. Sometimes I think of having someone enable MDC PRE and POST transmission just to annoy these people (it would also serve to keep them away).

All submissions are welcome: [email protected]

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20th 2004
Update by: VE3HBD

I know Purple Zero usually handles the mailbag duties, but I though I'd tkae this one... I got a note from Brett VR2BG, regarding his ARES: GETTING IN THE WAY SINCE 1954 poster:

Surprised you would use a snap of some slaphead that looks like he just
staggered out of his local, pissed off his tits, for something slagging off
ARES.

Raynet is the UK equivalent of ARES. 1000 point penalty in the next BERU
for you, mate. ;^)

Brett is indeed right... I had no clue that there was such a thing, or to what affiliation the gentleman belonged to, although the yellow vest with sliver tape should have clued me into something more British than American. We have heard virtually nothing about "hams behaving badly" from other countires other than the USA and Canada.... We do know they are out there. We invite anyone else who's had such experiences to write in and share them.

Raynet's website, by the by, is: http://www.raynet-uk.net/main/

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19th 2004
Update by: Clyde McPhail
Of all of the Ham Radio sites out there, I enjoy reading eHam.net the best. Even though they've got their share of hamfreaks (I mean, what site doesn't), they've consistently got the most number of sane, sensible and reasonable posters I've seen. Sure, QRZ is great for pure entertainment value (just don't post anything on there about this site, lest it get deleted), but what QRZ lacks in everything sensible, eHam males up for in spades.

One of my current favourite threads is this one.... "signal lights for ares member's cars".
When I read the first few messages, I was cringing.. "Ooooh" said I... "This is not going to end well". I was expecting pseudo hamcops (like our buddy there below in the blue) to arrive and try to justify why them, sworn members of the Hamateur radio service, were entitled to crafting their POVs like rolling dancefloors (I thinkWhelan makes their Code 3 Discoball.... I read that somewhere).


But, aside from a few good comments, such as from Tom KB3KOH: "when ARES or RACES is activated we need to get to the scean as quick a possable to get setup should ARES and or RACES have some kind of signal light on there car and if so what color.",

The thread steered very clear of the Hamsexy barrier. Most of the responses in the thread were discouraging the use of emergency lighting in one's POV, even for volunteer firefighers.

KC5YIL wrote: "As a former officer in a Vol Fire Dept. (Texas) which did not allow lights on personal vehicles, I can tell you what we told members who complained about our no light rule: "Get permission in writting from your auto insurance carrier and we will consider it."
When told that their insured car will be runining lights (it means to the Ins. carrier fast driving and running stop lights also)Insurance carriers generally will either drop them or charge so much it is shocking. We never saw a letter from a member's carrier. "

Jon WWOH also had this sage advice: " A response vehicle needing lights needs to be responding to life threatening situations. Amateur Radio Operators are not that type of first responders; we may be included as part of an emergency team, but unless we are there when the incident occurs, we are not first. If you respond as a Firefighter or EMT, and are also an amateur, fine, but you are responding as Fire or EMS, not radio. We've beaten the point of light color enough. Here's another angle, however. If you install emergency lights on your vehicle, personal or otherwise, your insurance company will consider it to be an emergency vehicle. Your rates will go up, and not just a little bit. As a former EMS captain (moved and no longer with the service) I checked into having such lights since I often responded in my personal vehicle ahead of the ambulance. I was told that having such lights, even if authorized by the sheriff, would change my insurance status. Now, just how badly do you want those lights on your car/SUV/truck/van?"

I would surmise that the vast majority of 'whacker light jobs' are not done to fufill some sort of need for an emergency response vehicle, but for their own personal reasons. As a result, they won't be informing their insurance company that what they think is a personal use Crown Victoria is actually a super pimping, phat-ride impress-the-chaps-disgust-the-ladies wanna-be cop-a-bout.

Comment on this and any other article appearing on Hamsexy is appreciated and invited. E-mail us at [email protected] - remember, we will use your name/callsign in referencing any correspondence sent to us, so please specify how you want to be identitied.


THURSDAY, AUGUST 19th 2004
Update by: Purple Zero

ode to the ham radio cop
(words: bryan ve3hdb)

regret fills your heart, and your mind
as well
your days: time unfufilled
so full of sorrow, his heart doth swell
of all the time you've killed

but alas - why fret dear soul
when you can be more than you are
a uniform shirt, barely covers the roll
and a whelen on your car

callsign badge, the suit fits the look
you've finally met your destiny!
2 bad, kind sir - thou goose is cooked
you're live! on this HAMSEXY

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15th 2004
Update by: Purple Zero

Hey there folks - its your old buddy Purple Zero here.

The time came for me to actually write an update for the site. Clyde was on my ass like a diaper, relentless in his abuse and nagging. So, just to shut him up, I sat down at my computer and started to craft another update. Hah - seemed so simple. Crank out the gold I normally come up with, bossman gets off my ass, and he's not going to sic Bryan or Seth on me. Probelm solved! Ah, summer has truly begun.

But, it was not to be. As with all gifted wordsmiths, I had no bloody clue what to write about. Submissions from readers have dried up, and there really isn't much going on right now in the world of Ham Radio to report on. I felt like Dan Rather after the fall of Saigon... I'm just sitting here, looking for something good after the guns have fallen silent. Sigh.

So..... I was poking around the Hamsexy Forums, and thought... hey... why not feature some of the great photoshops that some of the Hamsexy Forum-types have come up with? Yeah! That'll kill some time....



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