jrinnebraska wrote:
> One of the VE's commented that she was to be congratulated for
> achieving the "Extra-Lite" class license, since she hadn't gotten the
> 20wpm.
Ahh... I'm sorry, I just gotta get this out... my story of my run in
with an elitist idiot.
(Side-note: I've had run ins with elitists who deserved to act that way
-- they were intelligent beyond their years and knew how to try to keep
their boredom with us "normal" people in check... and I understood them
to some extent... this story isn't about one of those people. It's
about a person with a really bad attitude.)
-----
There's a VE group that tests 1 BLOCK from my house at a public library.
One day I figured I'd send them an e-mail and offer to help out if they
ever needed it. I could literally walk down the hill and be there in 5
minutes, if I stopped to talk to the neighbors. It's that close.
I logically thought that hey, they might need another qualified Extra
Class to help out from time to time... why not let them know I live
nearby? Maybe I'd even make it my Saturday morning activity... walk to
the library, give tests... why not?
The head of the group sent back an e-mail that still curls my toes to
this day -- it started with "Hi there, I see from your call sign that
you must be a REAL Extra."
And it got worse from there.
Additionally, in his e-mail he pointed out that he needed someone to "go
stand in line to get the room every month" for the local library
authority, to reserve the room, and...
He also pointed out that they also give commercial radio tests and if I
wasn't interested in learning enough to pass and give those tests, I
wasn't needed.
Then he continued on saying he was short of volunteers. Gee, I wonder why?
Well, I shared with him three things...
For the record I'm a low-code Extra and I really don't give a damn who
cares.
Two, anyone who starts a conversation with anyone they've never met like
that -- is a complete and utter fool and doesn't deserve my time -- and
isn't helping the hobby any, other than perhaps by licensing new people
with better attitudes.
Three, I'm not in the slightest way interested in giving or getting any
commercial licensing. I'm a hobbyist, trying to volunteer within my hobby.
-----
This is a current and still operating ARRL VE Team. They make the ARRL
VE organization look bad, regularly, I'm sure. I told him so, and good
day.
I'll spend my time running a ham club, working on the repeaters,
volunteering for anything needed with the frequency coordination group,
running servers for IRLP, chatting on every radio I have from DC to
Daylight, a little VHF contesting and 40M SSB once in a while...
And generally staying the HELL away from his attitude and his VE team.
> My feeling is each to his/her own--whatever mode you wish to use is
> fine, as long as you are licensed for it. But comments like the above
> and commonly are made by the hard core "elite" is just another of many
> reasons why this hobby continues to die a slow, lingering death, due
> to a lack of new blood.
Yep. Damn right.
Sorry I wasn't just on the soapbox, you got me to jump up onto the
ledge. Climbing down now...
(Just the mention of the words "VE Team" around me in person sets me
off, too. Sorry.)
Nate WY0X
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