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Old 02-19-2008, 06:31 PM   #9
N7OQ
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Yuba City, Ca
Posts: 304
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Several topics going on here at the same time. I entered the Air Force in 1974 and was assigned to Keesler AFB, MS for Tech school and they had ditibop school there teaching the code(I was not in it) and the guys would talk to each other using CW at the chow hall or BX, any place on base. You would hear Da dit all the time.

At tech school I learned how to fix Radar and Navigation systems, the first part of the course was basic electronics. Tube theory was easy to understand but when we got into Semi Conductors I just could not under stand why I had to know the physics of how a transistor worked, you know the whole hole theory thing. To this day I believe I could have done with out all that theory and still repaired electronic circuits.

As far as new hams go these days, well I think we get a mix of talent, a lot of Technicians and Engineer types have come into the hobby who might not have due to the code but on the same toke we are also getting some not so radio smart guys. I have heard discussions on the local repeater that make you wonder how these guys got their ticket. I have heard one guy telling the other guy to turn up his volume because he was not making it into the repeater very well and the other guy saying OK. Another one has a J pole on a rotor and swears it is a directional antenna. I tried to explain to a Ham that the s-meter reading he is getting is the signal strength of the repeater transmitter and not the strength of the guy he is talking to and he augured with me, I gave up. So I guess you get the good with the Bad.
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73 de Bill, (N7OQ)
RV: 2006 Outback 23RS
USAF Retired, God Bless our Troops
Licensed in 1978 ex N7AFX, DA1VW, KK6GR
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