Bryan King (W8DBK)Ham radio is all about learning and experimenting, not about expensive gear or perfection. Let’s support newcomers, not discourage them! #HamRadio #NewHams #SupportNotGatekeeping
Mike Knell@bdking71 Question, though: is this about some kind of systematic gatekeeping, or is it just that a small minority of people are jerks? You find people like that everywhere. And if you have a device that can generate the necessary beeps it's possible for absolute beginners to make WSPR signals that get heard around the entire world using an inexpensive kit of parts and enough wire to build a reasonably resonant antenna for 10 or 20m.
@bdking71 Part 2 of which is, I guess: are we just encouraging the wrong entry points? The association of "new licence" with "2m handheld" is well past its sell by date but it's still remarkably persistent. The last thing most newly-licensed people need, at least in the US, is to find their way onto some local repeater full of miserable old gits. The magic of radio definitely lies elsewhere these days. :)
@m The thought about encouraging the wrong entries points is interesting, and reminds me of an incident that happened to me. I was at a camp ground out of state and found a local repeater on repeater book. I through out my call, and the owner of the repeater stated he was eating when he heard my call and demanded that I don't use his personal repeater. It was just for him and his friends.
The entry on repeaterbook stated "Use: open"
@bdking71 I think it's important to understand just how uniquely weird amateur radio is in K. I've been licensed in three countries and in all of them it's a condition of repeater licensing that they be available for all users (so long as they don't abuse the box, etc). The notion of radio spectrum as shared resource doesn't seem to be as strong over there in the Land of the Free(tm).