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Open letter to my fellow radio amateurs.Sunday Jul 31, 2011
- By Hans Johansson, SM0IMJ
Following ST0R Southern Sudan activities the last couple of days, I’m no longer that proud to be a radio amateur.
A team of people spend their time and money to make a new DXCC available to the global amateur radio community; doing a wonderful job to “add another one to our logbooks”.
And what happens?
Other “fellow” radio amateurs make their best effort to disturb ST0R. Tuning, minutes of dot’s-and-dashes and other deliberate QRM on ST0R’s frequency. Why?
Let this type of behavior be something that we all take with us to our local amateur radio society, local / international amateur radio meetings and individual eye-to-eye contacts and use as a bad example of Ham Spirit and DX Code of Conduct.
Let’s turn back to normal behaviour and re-establish Ham Spirit on our bands.
Make me a proud radio amateur again… :)
Hans – SMØIMJ
PS. My warmest 73 to the ST0R team; you’re doing a great job putting a new DXCC in my log and thousands of others too.
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31 Responses to “Open letter to my fellow radio amateurs.”
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Hans,
I fully agree with you. We have had the same deliberate interference with ST0R on almost every opening here in the West Coast. So, it’s not just an European problem…we have it hear in North America.
I do hope that things get better soon. Also, cudos to the team of operators at ST0R who have done an outstanding job!
Rick, W6ENZ
Tak Hans, du sagde det vi andre tænkte.
(Thanks Hans, You said what we others were thinking)
… and I have been out there myself (3D2DX)
If not something happens, some people may loose the ‘spark’ for going somewere. I am tipping my hat (twice) for the efforts done by the ST0R-team.
But let us start figuring out how to enforce something like “DX Code OF Conduct” in reallity – not just as a well-meent intention – and it is well meent and written. Let it become reality and… ‘law’ – but how?
That is maybe what the organisations, and also local clubs should think about?
Kenneth
OZ1IKY (JW/OZ1IKY, 3D2DX …)
Hans,
I could not have expressed it better…
One of the most annoying experiences was when someone decided to use my call and intentionally start calling CQ on ST0R frequency for several minutes…
I am glad I did not hear that myself :)
The dicipline in the pileups has a lot more to wish… and the problem is that it most likely is related to society and respect for others as such…
30 years ago (yes, I know I am getting old and nostalgic), the situation was so much better and I hope that we can somehow educate the masses to show more respect to those who sacrifice a lot to go on expeditions like ST0R!
I agree, at this assault on the hobby, it disgraceful.
However, I think at times, the DX Station needs to be aware, and to be more proactive at qsy’ing a few khz, as when then call a station’s and do net get replies, That should tell them that their QRG is getting jammed.
73
Keith G3VKW
It makes nil difference what dxpedition it is, the behaviour of some make our hobby somewhat a discrace………… and the biggest zoo of them all is EU………
Thank you for saying what must be said, in such an eloquent fashion.
We do appreciate the ST0R team and yearn for a return to more civility on the ham bands.
73,
Larry K5MK
the result of dumbing down the licensing requirements most significantly the elimination of code just to keep the numbers of licensees from declining in a political calculus to save our spectrum
you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas
that and allowing any warm body licensed or not to buy equipment
Turn off all radios in Italy and the problems go away!!
TU Hans… Finally someone with the….. guts to speak up… It is discus ting how some of our fellow amateur radio operators have been behaving… not just the tuning-up, but the whole code of conduct being flushed down the toilet… no different then the pirates that are on the bands trying to disrupt the Dxpedition… START LISTENING… TALK WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN and GROW UP!!! We don’t want you in our club if you act that way
73
and best of DX HANS
Deliberate QRM or interferences is a very bad habit on today’s HAM radio bands. That is a fact and we can observ it almost every day. But this is something that exist for long time ago and very little has been done to avoid this kind of behaviours.
I agree it is a very difficult task and if you ask me, I would not know how to respond to this question, but it is not more true that situation is becoming worst by moments. And this is so because it is getting popular to insult each other just because someone has missed the “SPLIT” frequency. All kinds of insults for those who did not pay attention and did not press the “SPLIT” button.
Insults for those who start calling CQ without asking, also for those who are just a few khz up from the DX listen frequency, and they are asked to leave using very bad manners.
I really don’t want to get too dip into this matter because it is a waste of time. Amateur Radio is evolving as society does and people is everyday is more irritared
Ron, why you don’t use your call?
Many OM from several countries make deliberate qrm, not only Italians.
Sometime deliberate qrm has been made using tape recording of italians stations.
I, too, am appalled at the malicious QRMing that is taking place on the bands today. The ST0R team is doing all of us a great service by spending their time, money, and energy making a “new one” available to us!
One of the problems, I believe, is that there are so many DXers trying to work them on as many bands/modes as possible, this leads to the frustration of others. I for one, have them on 1 band/mode, 20 CW, enough to give me a new DXCC. I am sure there will be other DXpeditions to Southern Sudan in the future, I can get other contacts then, when ST0 is not a brand new country.
I will not be trying to work them again. This will give someone else a chance to claim a new one.
I am sure I’ll be flamed for this, …. maybe what needs to be done, is to have the DXpedition only work a station 1 time no matter what band/mode. After that, they would be considered a “dupe” and no credit be given for the other contacts.
ST0R is on their way to well over 130 thousand QSOs, but how many will be unique calls? Look at the stats with their on-line log.
73 de Jim – KE8G
Prediction… my call will be used by a pirate now!!!!
@ Ron: I still wonder how many non-Italian hams still consider deliberate QRM a “spaghetti” thing… MOST of the Italian hams have the same interest you have outside Italy to work new DXCC and DXpeditions! So what? Are you so silly to think that we want to make deliberate noise? For what?
If you carefully listen to these goats making that mess you can EASILY recognize different accents: eastern europeans, northern europeans, latins, whatever… ignorance and stupidity are simply ubiquituous.
So, please, the best way to behave is to ignore them. If you still consider this like a “regional” problem or if you still patrol the frequencies to clear the mess… you play their game.
Good DXs
Tony, IZ2ESV
Quote: “Sometime deliberate qrm has been made using tape recording of italians stations.”
- By another italian guy Nino)))
Agreed that not all italians are jammers, a lot of excellent operators are italians and our brothers.
The only way is to strict licensing itself and perform control by local societies. Every one can hear when his neighbour gets crazy and do jamming but every one keep silence. Why?
I think that guys who pushing tune button, play dit-n-dash and transmit tape records in air on DX qrg will never read this words. They have no time for dx code of conduct and long words is getting them upset.
73′s!
Yuri, A65CA
Name calling or profiling a specific nationality is NOT the response that helps…. Public flogging of a faceless and nameless person has never solved any internal issues… We must band together and weed out the ones that are the problems… We know who they are… insist they stop… or else
w2ntv… agn.. hihi
After 24 years of DXing, I am really ashamed to be called a ham. What poor operating practices, that’s what happens when you open up the flood gates and lower the standards of our great hobby.
Thanks to the whole ST0R team for the new one and may others learn to listen once in awhile!
73,
Ron N7RD
I agree with those who make this a problem just of certain countries, but for sure – some countries (or regions of Europe) are more than “well represented” when it comes to bad operating skills and behaviour.
It does exist anywhere, but in many countries, there seem to exist a common understanding to bring up the problem with the ham in question…
It used to be better in all places. Now even some JA tend to learn from other continents. 30 years ago, this would be never heard of. The JA piles were as diciplined as the lines in front of the subway wagons…
I think the problem needs to be taken care of VERY locally at first. Teach new hams in the local club what is good operating procedure. Bring to their attention mistakes they possibly do.
The code issue brought up by another ham here is a VERY relevant reason. Before, when code was required, an effort had to be made to get licence… Nowadays, it is unfortunately too easy in man y countries, and the obvious result is that we sometimes attract the wrong category of people into the hobby.
Maybe time to seriously consider bringing code and higher technical requirements back… I know – I am and old-fashioned 45 year old ham, QRV since 1980 (with interruptions), but I see that the development with non-code has severely affected the operating standards and morale in the DX piles… Sorry for being frankl
Sorry for being too tired in the early morning :-) My last remark needs a bit of rewording to make sense:
“I disagree with those who make this JUST a problem just of certain countries, but for sure – some countries (or regions of Europe) are more than “well represented” when it comes to bad operating skills and behaviour.
The problem exists anywhere, but in some countries, there seem to exist a common understanding to bring up the problem with the ham in question… In other countries, this concern does not seem to exist – or at least does not achieve the desired results.”
It’s unfortunately popular to try and blame new operators or different license schemes for the problems in the pileups, but it’s no more accurate than saying that one nationality is responsible for all the problems either.
Has anyone actually LISTENED to the callsigns of the (for example) K1 who comes back in the CW pileups when ST0R asks “WA5?”, or the ones in the SSB pileups who call when the DX is listening, call when the DX is transmitting, and call when the DX is trying to work someone else?
I have, and I’ve looked up their calls on QRZ. Time after time after time it’s not a rookie, but instead someone who’s had their license for 20, 30, 40+ years who really should know better.
HF radio in general, and DXing in particular, is already a hobby with far too few new participants coming in to supplement a rapidly aging population. Blaming the few newcomers for the problems of the many is certainly not going to help.
HI guys, I think there is no solution for the problem.
Unfortunately we hear on air what happens in the real life. No respect, no values.
I also think that there is someone who don’t like the DXing or the Contesting and, not respecting the choices of others, wait these occasions (DX-peditions and contests) to disturb deliberately :-(
73 DE IK7JWY Art
I fully agree. You must hear it from South Africa !!! We hear the whole EU and NA and the world beaming to ST0.
However, the only real solution to the problem will be if the culprits are found and pointed out and have their equipment taken away and they get fined. Radio clubs can surely assit in these actions ?
I often help my fellow ZS stations on the right path when they cause problems or too close to another operators freq. I made enemies that way however, they now know not to test their microphone on DX portion.
Good DX
73
ZS1A
Even heard the f… word being keyed. First time in my life on a ham band. Disgusted that anybody under any circumstances would do such a thing. Why? Such actions jeopardise our frequency allocations.
We hear about cyber terrorists. Do we now have ham terrorists?
I am a fairly new ham, and still sorting out the DX protocols. What is MOST annoying is the use of recorded calls. The ham would slightly speed up a recording of their call sign, and repeat it 4-5 times at the push of a button on each CQ. When the DX is running simplex, these hams simple drown out both sides of conversations. Much of the time, I cannot even hear the dx over the call ‘loops’. I have noticed this problem several times recently. Is this a normal thing now?
It’s hard not to agree with Hans. The problem exists and progresses with each passing year, unfortunately. The essence of this behavior is not consistent with the common sense of a normal person. My numerous monitoring the work of fans QRM’ing during any DX expeditions suggest that this action is not loners with mental disabilities, and the actions of an entire group of radio amateurs, “antiDX Mafia” with maniacal insistence on interfering on frequency of the DX expedition.
I think this is shameful for any normal HAM’s phenomenon may explain the only professionals in the field of psychiatry.
Luckily, the normal good ham spirit is in other places. Since I don’t yet have those 300+ DXCC countries I don’t have to stay on those super “lottery” pileups, where all the negative energy is generated.
While I agree with most of what has been said here, as good operators, we should recognize our role in this too. The primary reason for jamming signals from DXpeditions is the perverse satisfaction that they are ruining other people’s fun. Whether this is rooted in mental illness, difficulties in toilet training, having a tantrum as would a two year old, or something else, I’ll leave to the experts. What these people want is recognition and the more hams that respond in any fashion whatsoever, will be adding fuel to the fire. Apart from tracking down the offenders and prosecuting them according to the law, the next best thing is to IGNORE THEM. If they received no feedback at all, they would eventually stop and play a different game. Personally, I just turn off the radio for a few minutes and come back later.
After a few years break from radio I am disappointed (not surprised) that deliberate QRM’ing is still prevalent. Radio policing actively aggravates & encourages but still exists too. Education & tolerance will only ease the problem. As a “hobby” it will attract unsavoury characters like any other..
I agree with Jerry VE6TL that the best way is to ignore the offenders. If they do not get feedback so that they stay alone the situation will be boring to them and they will stop. I know that it is very hard to withstand but we must keep in silence…
why do dx stations always expect the whole world to come calling them? i have never in 15 years of radio operation been called by a dx station. it might make a nice change if a dx station would look for someone calling cq and then engage in a normal conversation with them. but this isnt going to happen, what we get is a dx station sitting in his ivory tower and acting like somekind of oriental emperor expecting everyone to throw themself down at his feet shouting 599! dx stations need to deflate their overblown egos.
It happens sometimes (quite seldom really) to be called by a rare station and it must be a nice feeling. When it happens though, the rare station ends up getting all the attention of OM’s who were there by accident ‘lurking’. The poor guy who was calling CQ in the first place has to leave the frequency…
I don’t think dx stations have big egos.. They are there to serve the dx community and deal with a lot of bad discipline..
i agree with most of what you say fabrizio, but dx stations are not there to serve anyone.they just happen to live in a country that has very few ham radio operators and so they become rare dx.what they do on the air is there own choice.the poor guy who was calling cq does not have to leave the frequency,the dx station should tell the callers to wait while he finishes his qso and anyone who continues to call over his qso should not get a contact.people should learn how to have consideration for the rights of other people