Subj : Other Ham Radio News
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Jan 20 2022 17:12:40

  I'm afraid that I'm getting burned out in ham radio after over 30
years...mainly in checking into other nets.

  It has gotten to be such a madhouse with a pile-up of checkins...
many of whom are "net hoppers"...or what I term as "Hi, Bye, And QSY"
checkins. It's as if they believe there is a prize, award, bonus, or
certificate, for seeing how many nets they can check into during a
day or evening. These "short timers" do their "quickie in and out
checkin" on one net...and not a minute later, they're doing likewise
on another net.

  Indeed, in the Excel Net List Spreadsheets that I have of selected
D-Star, Echolink, and D-Rats Nets, in Eastern, Central, Mountain, and
Pacific Time (along with PDF files related to ham radio)...there are
over 200 nets in a month, and on some nights, there can be as many as
a half dozen nets meeting at the same time. These files are available
from the hyperlink off of my bio on the QRZ website.

  There are a ton of stations wanting to checkin, but don't you dare
ask them to be a club officer or Net Control Station!! The latter is
why when a net frequency is reduced, or the net has to shut down, due
to commitments outside of ham radio, stations howl with rage and anger;
because no one will step up to the plate and do the work involved as a
Net Control Station, Club Officer, etc.

  Sadly, it's the same with ANY HOBBY -- everyone wants the glory and
the benefits...but no one wants the gall and the work involved. And yet,
they think many things in life just "magically happen by themselves".

  On a net this morning, Net Control had asked stations to "wait 20
seconds" before they key up...as he had to replace the batteries in
his computer speakers right before the net. NOT A SINGLE PERSON
COMPLIED WITH HIS REQUEST...and that left a real bad taste in my mouth.

  On another net awhile back, one ham had the audacity to tell Net Control
"this isn't the way you are supposed to run a net". I sent him a stern
warning letter, saying "If I had been an FCC Official, you would've had
a Notice Of Liability for Forfeiture in your mailbox in short order!!".

  As one ham this morning lamented, "We need the new hams and old timers
to be schooled on Net Etiquette in the worst way".

  Right now, unless I drop some more nets, here is my current schedule
for nets as Net Control. You can download the appropriate PDF file from
my D-Rats station or from the hyperlink off of my bio on QRZ. All times
noted are US Central -- for details on the QuadNet array, point your web
browser to https://openquad.net

Sunday: QCWA Digital Net, 4pm, QuadNet Array

Monday: PCL Packet Net, 7pm, NS2B BBS
        Hotspot, Rasperry Pi, SBC, ZumSpot Net, 9pm, QuadNet Array

Tuesday: Arklatex D-Star Net, 7:30pm, Reflector 48 B

Friday: QCWA CQ100 Net, 10am, 14.347 (CQ100 -- NOT on RF)
        Trains/Railroads Net, 7pm, QuadNet Array

Third Saturday: Monthly Food Net, 3pm, QuadNet Array

  I normally start early checkins 1 hour before the net, on the respective
reflector, etc. -- but with degenerative disk disease in my back and spine
getting worse by the day, I may have to cut that back to only 30 minutes,
or retire from nets completely. Yet some stations feel that's still "not
enough"...even if the net goes 30 to 60 minutes.

  I felt like starting a "Checkin When You Feel Like It Net". This is on
any band, any mode, any frequency, for any license class, at any time,
day or night...to checkin whenever you feel like. I will then log and
acknowledge you in kind...whenever I feel like it.

  Ham Radio is a HOBBY...it should NEVER take priority over things like
church, family, health, job, or honey-do's. Otherwise, that rig you have
your eye on for your birthday or Christmas is "going back to the candy
store".

  So, I'm going to take an extended break from checking into other nets;
with being on the air ONLY for sked requests, and the nets noted above.
Nets were here long before I, or anyone else was in the hobby...they will
be after all of us are Silent Keys.

  If this offends you...well, Life is NOT Fair or Burger King. Fair is
a fall carnival...a weather term...or a call in baseball. And, you can
NOT always "Have It Your Way". If you don't want to checkin to my nets
anymore, that suits me just fine.

Daryl Stout, WX4QZ
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

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