Nate Duehr wrote: We could discuss how utterly > useless ham radio is these days, or my favorite point recently that > anyone with a satellite dish, ability to aim it, and an IP-based > service, can do more communications "good" in a disaster area with that > IP, an Asterisk box, and some cordless phones to hand to the real > emergency services folks...
Until the sat fills up and is overloaded-which usually only takes a dozen or so calls, if that. > > I never bashed ALL hams. I bashed hams who install CRAP repeaters made > out of RG-58 jumpers, smashed hardline, on frequencies not authorized by > the head site manager, with cheap ham-grade antennas at 120', a mobile > duplexer, an open cabinet, no grounding other than a polyphaser, and a > power supply that looks like it came out of someone's junk box to run > their Heathkit. > > Please - get a grip on reality. That type of installation makes us ALL > look bad, and you know it. And if you're touchy about it because you > personally have such an installation, get it down off the commercial > site and put it in your backyard where it won't be a mess for others to > deal with. > Agreed-I know of one multiple tower owner who won't allow ham repeaters on his towers-at least not the transmit side-for just that reason. Oh, he is a ham himself. But there is also even more just-as-crappy commercial installs too-especially RG-58 jumpers on repeaters...and lack of grounds...
