Hamsexy dot com

The York Region Hamfest happened this past weekend (north of Toronto, up in Canada). Many have promised us photos, but it was Chuck Bravo that crossed the line first…

WTF is the loudspeaker for??!

Off-road ham

… and what do you want to bet that it won’t last the weekend now that it’s been mentioned here? Click here to see it.. It’s a classic post from the past, and a great example of some of the more shameful censoring/message editing undertaken by QRZ Moderators.

Mad shout out to all the peeps at the WARP RADIO NETWORK!! Be sure to tune in to the ULTRAMAGNETIC HOUR, the world’s best in Old School Hip-Hop, every wednesday right after the Hamsexy Net – Only on the WARP RADIO NETWORK. Hosted by DJ Sporadic B (a.k.a. myself).

It’s a slow night, everyone. Not much to report on. I sold my Jeep, which means I’m finally on the road to Taiwan!! The plane tickets will be purchased tomorrow, with an estimated date of departure January 4th (wanna spend Christmas with the family).

What does this mean? Well – it doesn’t mean TOO much to Hamsexy. I’ll still run the front page from Taiwan, and will still assist in the day-to-day operations of our other interests. it does mean that, due to the 12 hour time difference in my current Eastern Time Zone, the Hamsexy Net will be changing day and time. I’m not sure when it will be, but I’m thinking of making it a Saturday afternoon/evening net. I’d like some feedback on this change – feel free to make your views known by commenting on this post.

And now a special op-ed piece from friend Mr. CPU:

A wonderful discussion has begun on our favorite site, QRZ with regards to the use of voip in ham radio, spawning from CISCO’s resent announcements. Some people there have gone so far as to say that anyone who supports voip in ham radio is “morally bankrupt”.

The “intellectually bankrupt” amongst us are clearly intolerant and incapable of discerning the difference between Amateur Radio the HOBBY and Amateur Radio the SERVICE.

The HOBBY is a place where intelligent and creative individuals come up with new and exciting ways to communicate which integrate with, and use radio technology. These methods of communication are always evolving and changing with our times and are used on a normal day to day basis by members of the hobby to facilitate communication for the simple pleasure that it brings.

The SERVICE is a place where the experiments and lessons learned over time come together when the day to day communication systems, that we take for granted, FAIL. Things that are fun and interesting to play with during normal times are not ment to be used during times of emergency. Tried, tested and true forms of communication must be called into play by all during those times.

Simply put, if someone feels that others are “morally bankrupt” because they enjoy working with new and modern technologies then I submit that those people do not truly understand what Amateur Radio is. Perhaps they will be much more useful members within the SERVICE of Amateur Radio, sitting on the backs of those who came before them who did exceed at the HOBBY and who’s experimentation and hard work have created the modes and technologies that we can rely on during an
emergency.

—-

Mr. CPU is too polite to say it, but I’m not. The person who thinks that anyone who uses and enjoys IRLP or Echolink lacks morals is Webster Williams, KR4WM of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Do you use IRLP? Then Mr. Williams thinks you are morally bankrupt. It is the opinion of Hamsexy that this guy needs to perhaps find more important issues to get passionate about…. like hunger, human rights, pollution….. This is the EPITOME of ham radio snobbishness, and KR4WM is a prime example of why Ham Radio is dying. When the FCC allocates the last of our spectrum to commercial interests, you can personally visit Webster Williams, KR4WM and thank him – if he’ll talk to you. I consider pedophiles, murderers, rapists, etc. to be morally bankrupt, not those who are too ignorant to embrace new technologies.

You can’t run… you can’t hide… why? Because you’re a ham and you weigh 600 lbs. That’s right, the HAMSEXY NET is back on the air tonight.

There are two ways you can get on the net:

IRLP: Node 9008
Echolink: *VAN-IRLP* (remember the asterisks!!)

For all you non-ham guys who don’t have anything else better to do on a Wednesday night, you can listen to Terry VE3NSV‘s love stream of the net. It’s at http://ve3nsv.no-ip.org:8000/hamsexy.m3u.

The net will also be broadcast on the WARP Radio Network! http://www.warp-radio.com.

The net goes live at 0100 GMT (6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern) tonight!!

Net Control tonight will be Yours Truly (Bryan VE3HBD).

Stay tuned after the net to the WARP Radio Network for the premier of the Ultramagnetic Hour, a look into the world of Old school Hip Hop, hosted by Yours Truly.

See you tonight!

Awwww… Ain’t he cute… and he’s already got good taste in radios.

We have cute babies on our site…. see? We aren’t all bad!!!

Not within an HOUR of posting the previous message last night we got a bunch of messages from outraged people regarding ARRL’s snub of Hampedia, and their unfair branding of us as a “Porn site”.

Don’t get us wrong – this site is not anti-anything, the least of which the ARRL. Many ARRL executives and muck-a-mucks made a point of visiting our convention booth at the Dayton Hamvention this year and let us know that they are fans. Of course they can’t publicly endorse our site, but we’ve got fans reaching into the highest levels of the ARRL who get the joke and appreciate what we do (having a hit tracker that backs this up doesn’t hurt either (grin)). That being said, this move that WA1LOU has seemingly made on the behalf of the ARRL executive and it’s many members has raised a few backs in the amateur community.

Some of those who wrote us were also kind enough to CC their messages to the provided e-mail addresses. Here’s a sampling of the letters we’ve recieved thusfar.

KG4FOY writes:

The reason I haven’t renewed my membership to the ARRL is that the ARRL is nothing more than a bunch of “old codger, stick in the muds” who fear progress and that don’t care to represent the younger (under 40) hams. The only thing that they seem to be doing is taking this hobby to the grave with them. “Move over bacon. Now there’s something leaner!”

BTW- QST sucks. No, I don’t need contest scores or another set of plans for a “Fox Hunt” antenna. Or another article about how to solder a simple pl-259 to a piece of coax. You really need to reelvuate your target audience, you are too afraid of what the few old farts who have nothing better to do but sit around and bitch might complain about..

KI4GGU also weighs in:

I was just about ready to join but now, forget it. Never will I join ARRL. As a matter of fact, I will make tremendous and convincing strides to convince others I know to depart from them. Their snobbish attitude and ignorance is quite apparent. “Hamsexy” is a play on words, Not a porno site. The ARRL should watch what a small grassroots army can do.

Now, we here at Hamsexy aren’t deluded enough to think that 30-odd people tearing up their ARRL membership cards is going to make a bit of difference to the ARRL – they’ve got many more loyal members who are more than willing to keep supporting them. As well, we appreciate all that the ARRL does on behalf of Amateurs everywhere, in being a voice for the hobby to the FCC, protecting our bands, etc. But honestly, folks – we agree with the majority of opinions that we’ve gotten – the ARRL represents the interests of the very element that is killing the hobby. The stereotype of the old, grumpy ham, more interested in protecting his own interests than accepting change in the hobby….. resisting all attempts to modernize the service, to make it more accessable and relevant to the younger ham….. regarding all that’s new and different as evil….. We feel that the ARRL, as well as the hobby in general, needs to get with the times or risk turning into oil like the rest of the dinosaurs. It’s just how we feel.

As for the issue with Hampedia – N5KSK said it best on the Hamsexy Forums:

I suspect that “hampedia” is now a dead duck, hits-wise. ARRL has “endorsed” Hamwiki. Hampedia will always be seen as a whiny wanna-be now.

Maybe some more people will “get it”.

And he’s right, unfortnatley. With this ‘endorsement’, as well as popular avenues of advertising not accessible to Hampedia due to it’s association with Hamsexy (QRZ.COM, for one – who again banned another one of our members for mentioning Hamsexy.com in a posting on their site), we fear that Hampedia is going to fail.

Hampedia was launched as a service to the hobby, as an attempt to give something back to the service that we all love and cherish. It seems that the powers that be want nothing to do with it, because an ignorant few are comfortable branding us as a “Pornography Site” without realizing the truth.

Maybe we should just stick to posting funny photos and making fun of cop wannabees – maybe we got punished for venturing outside of our niche (grin)

And the great bulldog poster at the top of this article was crafted by our friend KI4GGU. Thanks buddy!

After the launch of Hampedia and HamWiki.info, it was evident that the founders of the respective sites were onto something big. Publicity was launched by both sites, including an e-mail to the ARRL news.

After we contacted the ARRL, informing them of the launch of the Wikis, I got a message back from Rich Lindquist N1RL, acknowledging reciept of my news submission request, and asking a few questions about Hampedia (is it a commercial site, etc.). I responded back and informed him that we don’t even solicit advertisers on the site, and that Hampedia’s mission is 100% for the betterance of the hobby.

Today, we find out the fruits of our efforts have been squashed by the infamous “Hamsexy stigma”. A news bulletin was posted on the ARRL website extolling the virtues of Hamwiki.info, but with absolutley no mention of our venture. Upon questioning by a few of our members, the ARRL.com editor Stan Hortzpa, WA1LOU wrote back with this response:

The ARRL’s policy is not to publicize web sites that are even remotely
associated with anything pornographic. Since Hamsexy contains pornographic
content, I cannot write about Hampedia.

So, there you have it. Hampedia.com suffers because of yet another ham who would rather listen to the rumours and speculation about Hamsexy rather than investigating the matter for themselves. It’s the OF mentality that makes people think that Hamsexy is a porn site. Let me say it again, for those who might not have heard:

I hope that’s clear.

Hamsexy has NEVER intentionally featured *ANY* porn on it’s site. Sometimes we use rather, well, suggestive photos against those who refuse to stop stealing out bandwidth by hotlinking our photos, but we are NOT a porn site. Unfortunatley, those who do accuse us of being a pornographic site either have an agenda or know absolutley nothing about Hamsexy. And even then, Hampedia.com has nothing to do with Hamsexy. Other than being a side project and being hosted on the same server, the same no-pornography rules apply to Hampedia as they do to Hamsexy. We don’t even allow our members to use profanity on the forums (our system automatically filters such words out of each and every post). That sure doesn’t sound like a porn site to us.

but, then again, to those who are overly sensitive, a photo of a girl in a bathing suit or a dress without sleeves could be considered pornographic. Unfortunatley, people would rather tow the party line and listen to what others scream about it rather than investigating it for themselves. It just looks like that Stan WA1LOU’s threshold of what he considers pornographic doesn’t follow the accepted norm (Oh, I don’t know.. nudity…. penetrative sex… I’ll give $1000 to the ARRL’s Keeping the Pants Up Fund if he can find any penetrative sex shots on the public areas of the forums).

Because of this very unfortunate situation, many of our members are weighing in. Some are writing comments, while others are protesting by refusing to re-up on their ARRL membership. Here’s a small sampling of the comments from the Hamsexy Forums:

KC9ECI: Just another reason not to renew my membership. I’m really not all that impressed with the ARRL. I can’t see the point in renewing. The ARRL is a special interest group that promotes the special interests of a very select few.
N5KSK: I thought I was the only one… (not!) I haven’t even read the last 3 copies of QST I got. I thumb through them, see the same old articles on building intergalactic antennas from plumbing, contest team du jour, glowing reviews of advertised equipment, spots about the ISS as if it’s something new and exciting, and NOTHING HI-TECH AT ALL. At least when packet was new there were always leading edge articles, now, squat.
KC2OSF: I’m a Diamond Club member, too. They won’t be getting a nickel from me next year, and I’m going to write them and tell them that, too.
Grem467: As a guy at work said: “what is it with QST? every month they have an article to build another fox hunt antenna” haha
WD5KCA: In all fairness they should have mentioned both.
N5RLR: Hampedia’s mere association with Hamsexy is enough to give it a bad name, in their opinion. It makes no difference how stellar Hampedia’s content is; it’s a Hamsexy work, and therefore unfit for the “mainstream.” Let’s face it…Hamsexy pokes fun at the Amateur Radio establishment, and they don’t like it. Period. Nothing is going to change their minds.
KG4CGC: I haven’t picked up a copy of QST in about 5 or 6 years because I don’t see the point in paying good money for a bunch of contest scores that that can be looked up for free or why such importance is placed on these scores.
N3JFW: The ARRL is a lobbiest group, that’s all. The ham radio equiv of the NRA.
BLOCKHEAD: The ARRL has basically become nothing more than spokesmen for Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, etc. They will do whatever the FCC tells them to do. They are an EXTREMELY political organization. QST has become nothing more than a catalog. Hamsexy pornographic? I’m sorry, when did the Purists take over ARRL? I, too, will not be renewing my membership.
KC0UVA: See, I have never joined (and never will, if I have anything to say about it) the ARRL because of crap like this. I’m going to spell it out here for the ARRL to read – the ARRL is the root of the reason that Ham Radio is dying. The ARRL is afraid of change, and afraid of the younger generation it so wishes and strives to bring into this “hobby”. The same thing can be said for a large number of ARCs, who are seemingly terrified of a younger group who pushes the envelope on the radio.
AE6IP: My ARRL membership is due to expire in a few days. Because my VE credentials and mentor credentials go with it, I was dithering about whether or not to pony up the tiny fee. This pretty much settled my mind. Bye ARRL.

If you, too want to weigh in, please e-mail us at submissions@hamsexy.com. As well, feel free to CC your message to the following e-mail addresses: Stan Horzepa WA1LOU, Steve Ford WB8IMY, mhobart@arrl.org, [email protected], membership@arrl.org and Rich Lindquist N1RL.

Please, we urge you to be responsible if you choose to communicate with anyone outside of Hamsexy. Any attempts at nonesense will be dealt with.

This post is dedicated to the fine folks and listeners at WARP Radio Network!!

Dear Hamsexy MoFo’s

Andrew N7SCM & Matt WY8E