No code generals and AM

[k4kyv]

This makes me wonder whether we ought to make a few recruitment excursions through the 3900s, having AM QSOs among us and getting ourselves "discovered" by people we could welcome and invite toward our usual haunts.

"Presence" on the bands is the best recruitment tool we have.  It's been years since I have heard any AM activity above 3900, or even been there myself.  Until fairly recently, it was always congested beyond usefulness up there, and it was pretty much slopbucket alley.  That dates back to the pre-incentive licensing 1960's when SSB first got a stronghold in ham radio.  The "SSB portion" was at 3900-4000, while the "AM portion" was at 3800-3900, by the prevailing "gentlemen's agreement".  There was P&M'ing even back then about people not observing the gentlemen's agreement.

But in recent years, I have noticed many vacant spots up there, even on weekend nights.

As I have said many times, I don't really think we are going to be hit by any "tidal wave" or "tsunami" of new no-code ops.  I suspect that's more in the domain of wishful thinking by certain interests, than reality.

I have only one rig that will run crystal control, and a drawer full of 160-80-40 and even some 20 mtr xtals, but none  are cut for any of the popular "AM Windows" or "calling frequencies" or whatever you want to call them.  But many of the SSB guys might as well be xtal control with their digital synthesised rigs.  You never hear them anywhere but on "their" frequency with the same group night after night (not that I do any tuning around for the specific purpose of trying to keep track of them).

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Isn't there an "old buzzard" net here in the Northeast that meets every morning(10:00,11:00 ??AM) on 3945?

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

But many of the SSB guys might as well be xtal control with their digital synthesised rigs.  You never hear them anywhere but on "their" frequency with the same group night after night (not that I do any tuning around for the specific purpose of trying to keep track of them).

That's a mouthful brother. I never understood why someone would spend thousands of dollars for a synthesized full coverage radio only to use it like a cheap crapstal controlled one. And then people wonder why I think slopbuckets are morons.

[n3lrx]

Seems to me I heard a wonderful asset to the newcomers on Yay-em last night! The lovely tones of a YL/AG! Let's hope she'll be a regular now and provoke more YL's to join the best of the best! She certainly has one of the best of the best when it comes to Elmers too!

For those of you who weren't listening I'm talking about Carol KB2OMT/AG.. Welcome aboard Carol the better half of the bacon slab! Don't be so shy to yak now and then!

[The Slab Bacon]

FLOODGATES MY A$$!! I took the yl to a ve testing session yesterday afternoon. This session was held by the biggest and one of the best known clubs in this area: B.A.R.C. This is the club that puts on the Timmonium hamfest at the end of this month.

There were 4, thats right 4 people there to take their tests!! Dont look like no open floodgate to me!! The staff there was very nice and friendly and it was a very positive experience. I enjoyed talking to the attending club members while she was taking her test.
She passed with only 2 wrong!! I was quite proud of her!!

My wife and i have been married for 20 years now, and have always shared all or our hobby interests together. She has always had some interest in the ham radio hobby, but the code was always the big stumbling block. I tried on many occasions to work with her on it, but due to her problems with dyslexia, it was nearly impossible.

She passed the Technician written last month with what she has absorbed by osmosis from being around me for years. She passed the General yesterday afternoon and spent her first evening on HF on AM!! It was a very positive experience for her and everyone else in the qso. (despite her slight case of mike fright)   KB3OMT /ag  (KB3 Old Mother Trouble)

Thanks to the dropping of the code We can now share all of our hobby interests, and I will never be bitched at for wanting to go hamfest or bringing home a radio again!!

So you see there can also be a very good side to no code thingie

                                                                                   The Slab Bacon

[W2XR]

Franko,

Congratulations to your wife on passing her General! Nice achievement! I think it's great that you two can share your hobbies together. I heard through the grapevine that Carol performs a mean overhaul and alignment on R-390As, and she's now completing the electrical and mechanical design for a 1KW plate modulated HF rig using a single 4-1000A modulated by a pair of 833As!

My radiochick Janet, has always had a strong tolerance for my ham radio hobby, and she can completely understand my passion and enthusiasm for it, but she has literally zero interest in this stuff. She never even stops to listen to the QSOs in progress. I think she got turned off a long time ago by some of the bodily emissions and occasional off-color comments that are occasionally heard on the 75M band. But Janet always makes herself available when I want to show her a new radio or audio project that is either in-process or just completed. On the other hand, she really enjoys the homebrew stereo system here, which is understandable, as she can play here own records, CD, etc.

I think it also helps in that I try to maintain the shack at a very high WAF; e.g, Wife Acceptance Factor.

At any rate, Frank, consider yourself blessed that you have a true soulmate that passionately shares your interests. That is fairly rare, indeed!

73,

Bruce

[The Slab Bacon]

Bruce,
          after being married to me for 20 years and dating for 3 before, my wife has absorbed pretty much of my offbeat sense of humor by osmosis.  (she actually thought I was totally gross and disgusting when she first met me!!) 

We now share a very similar sense of humor and sense of values as well. She has been a long time listener of the AM goings on, quite often taking the other chair at the operating position with me and laughing as hard as me at some of the shenanagans going on. She is not at all offended by the "off beat" comments as long as they are not directed at her in the first person. She has a great sense of humor, and the AM "goings on" are actually what drew her into the hobby!! Its because we are real people. She is a lot more into the social aspect of it all than the technical end.  She has really enjoyed meeting all of the people and especially those that have come by for the yearly party.  After all, she married an ex
auto mechanic / drag racer and still a biker. Need i say any more!

Now she has set the bar for all of the other AMers YLs Lets see where it goes from here.
And besides she can now keep the frickency hot if i got to step out for a 10-100 or something. 

It would be pretty cool to hear some of the other AM YLs get in there and cut it up from time to time!

                                                                               The Slab Bacon

[n3lrx]

Maybe Carol can be the President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Old Buzzard AMers!

I'd like to hear more YL's interested in AM. It's not that I don't enjoy listening to the rest of you guy's but a ladies voice is always nice to hear coming out of the speaker for a change. Overall there are far too few women involved in Ham Radio.

[W2XR]

Yes, and the female voice always sounds so much better on AM than when transmitted over SSB. Female voices over SSB are so poorly reproduced as to actually be painful to listen to. Gives me ear bleed.

I seem to remember a YL named Sally who hailed from New England and was somewhat active on 75M AM back in the 1980s. What ever became of her?

73,

Bruce

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

It would be pretty cool to hear some of the other AM YLs get in there and cut it up from time to time!

Jen gets on whenever she's here in Randawful, VT. In fact, several times she's actually asked "are we getting on the air later?". Last summer she was at the mic while the July 4th parade was passing by, relaying my reports to the group. I lose track of who all she's talked with, the last time was 'VJB and 'JN I think?

But I dunno, Frank....do we really want the YLs/XYLs getting on the air together? I mean, they could plot against us, or worse - we might not get the mic back for hours!

I can hear it now... "I like this one with the chrome emblem, but that gray color is just awful! How about lavender and beige, and I'll make some little curtains for that window up top?"

!

[The Slab Bacon]

I can hear it now... "I like this one with the chrome emblem, but that gray color is just awful! How about lavender and beige, and I'll make some little curtains for that window up top?"

Yea, Todd, but you missed the whole point! this could be the springboard to moving the hamshack up from the "basement laborratory" to the main floor. a giant step foreward in "societal evolution"!!

[The Slab Bacon]

and........er......furthermore.............. She has allready inquired about possibly putting a "small station" in the back bedroom / den.
Small station?? Hmmmm.......... The 4X1 rig is kinda small, lets see where this one goes

[n3lrx]

How long will it be before the 4x1 gets painted pink???

[W1RKW]

FLOODGATES MY A$$!! I took the yl to a ve testing session yesterday afternoon. This session was held by the biggest and one of the best known clubs in this area: B.A.R.C. This is the club that puts on the Timmonium hamfest at the end of this month.

There were 4, thats right 4 people there to take their tests!! Dont look like no open floodgate to me!! The staff there was very nice and friendly and it was a very positive experience. I enjoyed talking to the attending club members while she was taking her test.
She passed with only 2 wrong!! I was quite proud of her!!

I have to concur with Frank on this.  I too, when I took the Extra back in December witnessed the same thing.  I was one of 3 people who took tests.  The test session was at the ARRL HQ.  I figured there would be a ton of people lined up because it was at HQ, but no.   I passed and got the heck out of there.

[N6WDR]

This Saturday I went and had my upgrade for General.  I was one of 10 people there that had already took the test and passed and was doing the paper drill.  There were 8 Tech's taking the General test and 12 people taking the Tech test.  So it was a rather busy place here in El Cajon CA.

Richard

[WD8BIL]

Callsign: KA8UVQ   Class: Extra   Codes: HAI   USA
Name: SALLY J DAWSON
Addr1: 14288 CLARIDON TROY RD
Addr2: BURTON, OH 44021
Country: USA
Effective: 11 Dec 2006   Expires: 20 Feb 2017


Not too far from Ashtabula Bill's place.

[The Slab Bacon]

FWIW-The YL took the general test this past saturday, and she's allready listed on QRZ as a general. WOW, thats friggin fast!!

I would have thought that with the "open floodgates" it would have taken longer than 2 days. Go Figger!!

                                                   The Slab Bacon

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Let's hope some other AMers soon upgrade.

[kb1jcy]

X-Posted on HamForum.com. KA1ZGC introduced me to AM and it's been my intention to operate AM once I stepped up in licence class.

http://www.hamforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=29625

[The Slab Bacon]

worked one on sunday. His first time on HF was on AM!! KB3CYX / ag
His tx iz an Apache, rx iz HQ-170A. First time on HF and using vintage gear, a man after my own heart, whatz not to like.

                                                      The Slab Bacon

[w3jn]

X-Posted on HamForum.com. KA1ZGC introduced me to AM and it's been my intention to operate AM once I stepped up in licence class.

http://www.hamforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=29625

Cool!!  Welcome, and have a sip of Kool-aide 

[kd7ubp]

getting upgrade on march 31 (passed the test in jan.) and have only thought of ssb.  i am considering am now.  thanks for the kind words and welcome to us "ham lite" types.  hihi

someone fill me in on freqs. and procedures for calling etc.  on am.  all my experience is on 6 meters sideband.  am differs i believe.  i am setup for the general sections of 80,40,17,15,20 and 10 meters so freq. shouldnt be a problem.  prime equipment is 857d but also have viking II, apache and ft101e.  thanks fellas

73
Gary
kd7ubp
kd7ubp@yahoo.com
kd7ubp@hotmail.com

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Congtatulations and welcome. No real set procedures. The one thing you'll find about most AM action is it is very relaxed. If you hear a QSO, feel free to join in. Otherwise, find a clear frequency and call CQ. Commonly used freqs are shown at the first link below. An extensive list of AM Nets is found at the second link.

Since the phone band expansion on 75 meters, you will also find AM in the 3600 and 3700 ranges - most often around 3685 and 3725, plus or minus.

AM Freqs
http://www.amwindow.org/freq.htm

Nets by day
http://www.amwindow.org/nets/netday.htm

by freq
http://www.amwindow.org/nets/netfreq.htm

by location
http://www.amwindow.org/nets/netloc.htm

[w3jn]

  thanks for the kind words and welcome to us "ham lite" types.  hihi

No such thing as a "ham lite".  You pass the test fair and square and don't cause trouble on the air so as to lessen others' enjoyment of the hobby, there's no differentiating in my mind.

Welcome to AM, and be sure and check out the "Handbook" section of this forum as well as the AM Window which has plenty of good tech articles.  www.amwindow.org