Maybe you haven't been to a test session lately. Since
the FCC et al lowered the standards and did away with
Morse Code entirely, the quality of the new operators
is a lot lower than you might want to acknowledge.
Sure, the guys who have been hams since the 1970s
probably know which end of a tube to plug in, and can
figure many things out. But who's gonna show up to
volunteer? All the new guys with zero experience who
see the event as public relations and glory.
I agree that commercial rigs are a lot more foolproof,
and if new repeaters come on the air that often, then
someone will just have to keep up with programming
them. Not really a big deal. In some areas of the
country, the only bands capable of accepting new
repeaters aren't covered by commercial equipment
anyway, so it's a non-issue for things like 1296 MHz.
Bob M.
======
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> ...
> IMO anyone who can't figure out how to use their
> radio shouldn't be
> volunteering. That is supposedly what distinguishes
> hams from the general
> population: our operating expertise.
>
> Bob NO6B
____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
