# short rant about ham radio geeks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 30, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836 "2003-07-30T04:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/1 "2003-07-30T04:45:03Z")
I read this today and it made me do one of those funny tick/shiver things. Like when you really have to have a piss and when you finally do your whole body does this quirky spaz. [http://morsecodeonweb.homestead.com/Index.html](http://morsecodeonweb.homestead.com/Index.html) Morse Code via Internet using,. Umm… MSM??? What the hell? If your ham radio is down and you need to communicate with your ham buddy on the other side of hamland, and decide to fire up MSM messenger, JUST TYPE! Now I know there is a hamgeek protocol that says every time you communicate with another hamgeek you must use the most outdated form of technology to do it. But give me a break. You’re already on-line. You and your hamgeek buddy already have MSM installed. Just type your message already. If you are going to head down this silly path why don’t you phone your hamgeek buddy up and “beep-beep-be-be-be” over the phone at him? Ok, so perhaps I’m a little sensitive about hamgeek protocol because my mothers ex-boyfriend was a hamgeek, and he and his friends were the only real hamgeeks I’ve met. But I have to say they didn’t do much to convince I need to fill my extra bedroom with radios. “Well Seven, if the telephone system and electricity go off line, who do you think is going to help the police and medics? It’s ham radio operators, that’s who.” Perhaps other ham radio operators, but not any of you dorks. None of you have POWER GENERATORS. You’ll be off line like everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/2 "2003-07-30T04:48:08Z")
.-…_…_–._…_-_._-._/ …-.–._ ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/3 "2003-07-30T04:51:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Seven \* > \*\*Perhaps other ham radio operators, but not any of you dorks. None of you have POWER GENERATORS. You’ll be off line like everyone else. \*\* Hehehehe. Who says they don’t? 😉 -wife of a ham geek ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/4 "2003-07-30T04:52:45Z")
Venoma: Yeah, I’m sure other ham geeks have power generators, but I know for a fact none of these guys I met did. I asked. heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/5 "2003-07-30T04:57:28Z")
Oh god. It gets worse. Morsemail. [http://morsecodeonweb.homestead.com/MorseMail2.html](http://morsecodeonweb.homestead.com/MorseMail2.html) > [@](#): > > The system acts like a bulletin board where you leave messages for certain stations, as well as pick up yours. You are able to contact others without staying on the Internet waiting for another station to check in. The program working page allows you to see the list of recent messages at all times while on the iternet. It does not use your browser. AAAAAAAARGH! Am I missing something here? Is there a reason hamgeeks are afraid of using regular e-mail? They’ve made the first step at least into 1995 by having a website. Couldn’t they just babystep into the 21st century and use something simple like hotmail or yahoo? ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/6 "2003-07-30T05:00:18Z")
Errr…I think you took this the wrong way. Using a messenger would be a great tool for learning and continued practice. I wish I had known about it. Perhaps a few folks might actually chat with each other that way for he hell of it; but that would be akin to chatting in 1337. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/7 "2003-07-30T05:05:39Z")
Oh man. Daughter of a serious ham geek here. I hear ya. I am the only member of my birth family who has never had a callsign. My dad is Gadgetman. My parents’ basement looks like the wreckage of a Radio Shack that blew up in the 50’s. Transistors, vacuum tubes, stacks of old “73” magazines. My dad writes notes in ham abbreviations and 10 codes. I got a radio for Christmas EVERY YEAR. There is a picture of my dad’s van that I drew when I was in the first grade – with about ten antennas on it. The sound of Morse often lulled me to sleep. NOw my dad thinks he knows all about computers. HE DOES NOT. Be glad you have never had to live with a hamateur. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/8 "2003-07-30T05:27:16Z")
-…_…_-_. / –_. / …_._…-_._-. / ._… / …_-.-._.-_.-._.-…_._-_-_-…_–… / …_… / …_… .–_–…_.–_.–_-… ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/9 "2003-07-30T06:02:50Z")
One thing about amateur radio is that is hams used to love experimenting. Hams were, at one time, known as innovators, ejither inventing or being the first to try new technology that would eventually make its way to commercial communications. Now, though, that spirit of innovation is lost. The OMs who can’t get away from Morse, which unfortunately are in the great majority, are far worse than the old-school computer geeks that eschew GUIs, surfs the Web using Lynx on a 3 gigahertz box, and/or prays for the revival of Amiga. I let my ham license lapse. There’s few young people involved, and too many OMs and obsessive-compusive county and country chasers. Not enough fun, not enough innovation, not enough return for the time you put into it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/10 "2003-07-30T06:07:10Z")
Yeah, the demise of HAM radio is, in a lot of ways, kinda sad. I remember lugging an antenna up into the mountains so that we could bounce 2m signals off the side of a mountain and get some extreme range. It was great fun. Now it seems kind of… lame. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/11 "2003-07-30T07:17:18Z")
.-- … .- - --…-- / -.-- — …- / - … … -. -.- / -.-- — …- .----. .-. . / … .–. . -.-. … .- .-… / .— …- … - / -… . -.-. .- …- … . / -.-- — …- / -.-. .- -. / . -. - . .-. / .- / – . … … .- --. . / … -. / – — .-. … . / -.-. — -… . …–… / … . .-… .-… --…-- / - … . .-. . / .- .-. . / -… — --… . -. … / — …-. / … … - . … / — …- - / - … . .-. . / .-- … - … / .- …- - — – .- - … -.-. / - .-. .- -. … .-… .- - — .-. … .-.-.- / - … .- - .----. … / .-- … .- - / … / …- … . -… / - — / – .- -.- . / - … … … .-.-.- / … / .-- — …- .-… -… -. .----. - / -.- -. — .-- / – — .-. … . / -.-. — -… . / … …-. / … - / .-… … -.-. -.- . -… / – . / — -. / - … . / . .- .-. .-.-.- / … -. / -.-. — -. -.-. .-… …- … … — -. --…-- / .-…-. -… . .- .-. / … … .-. / … - .-. — -. --. / -… .- -… / … - — .–. / … — .-- / -… — / -.-- — …- / – .- -. .- --. . / - … . / - . .-… . --. .-. .- – — .–. … — -. . / .-- … … .-… … - / .-- . .- .-. … -. --. / --. . -. - .-… . – .- -. .----. … / … .–. — .-. - / --. .-… — …- . … / … - — .–. / … … --. -. . -… / .-… — .-. -… / . .-… … … -. --. - — -. / … .- .-… .-… … - … -. --. -… … -. --. -… … -. --. .-- — .-. - … ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/12 "2003-07-30T12:30:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > **I remember lugging an antenna up into the mountains so that we could bounce 2m signals off the side of a mountain and get some extreme range.** Just a mountain? Not the Moon? And you called yourself a hamgeek? Or, for you hamgeeks: .— …- … - .- – — …- -. - .- … -. -. — - - … . – — --- -. .- -. -… -.-- — …- -.-. .- .-… .-… . -… -.-- — …- .-. … . .-… …-. .- … .- – --. . . -.- [http://www.raymondlhw.com/morse.html](http://www.raymondlhw.com/morse.html) ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/13 "2003-07-30T13:29:17Z")
Please, don’t post in Morse code. There’s no way for us to verify what you’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/14 "2003-07-30T13:49:39Z")
Evidently, **Coldfire** was never a Boy Scout. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/15 "2003-07-30T14:08:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*Please, don’t post in Morse code. There’s no way for us to verify what you’re saying. \*\* Yes, there is a way. **Friedo** ’s first post says: > [@](#): > > “LIGHTEN UP” **Rico’s** post says: > [@](#): > > “BITE ME SEVEN ES SCARLETT67 HI HIW7WWB” **Max Torque’s** message reads: > [@](#): > > "WHAT, YOU THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN ENTER A MESSAGE IN MORSE CODE? HELL, THERE ARE DOZENS OF SITES OUT THERE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSLATORS. THAT’S WHAT I USED TO MAKE THIS. I WOULDN’T KNOW MORSE CODE IF IT LICKED ME ON THE EAR. IN CONCLUSION, “DEAR SIR STRONG BAD STOP HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE TELEGRAMOPHONE WHILST WEARING GENTLEMAN’S SPORT GLOVES STOP SIGNED LORD ELSINGTON HALLSTINGDINGDINGWORTH” ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/16 "2003-07-30T14:24:31Z")
dahdahdidah dididit dah \_ dahdidit dit \_ dahdidah dit didididahdah dahdahdah dah dah \_ dahdidididah didididit dit dit \_ didididit dit dit \_ didididit dit dit \_ dahdidididah didahdahdit didahdidit dit didah dididit dit \_ didahdit dit dahdah dit dahdah dahdididit dit didahdit \_ dah didididit didah dah \_ dahdah dahdahdah didahdit dididit dit \_ didit dididit \_ didah dididah dahdidit didit dahdahdah \_ didahdidit didah dahdit dahdahdig dididah didah dahdahdit dit dididahdahdidit dahdahdididit didididahdah \_ dahdidit dit \_ dahdidah dit didididahdah dahdahdah dahdah \_ didahdidahdit (Translated for context.):Everybody – ROTFL! Please remember that Morse is an audio language. Cheers, Scuba\_Ben ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/17 "2003-07-30T14:31:47Z")
Thanks, dwc, but I’m not going to translate every single post in a thread. English please, or (just because I’m in a good mood today :)) small phrases in morse with an English translation provided. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/18 "2003-07-30T14:33:13Z")
And I was TOO a boy scout! I just never learned morse. We were too busy climbing trees and such. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-rant-about-ham-radio-geeks/191836/19 "2003-07-30T15:06:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elmwood \* > **Now, though, that spirit of innovation is lost. The OMs who can’t get away from Morse, which unfortunately are in the great majority, are far worse than the old-school computer geeks that eschew GUIs, surfs the Web using Lynx on a 3 gigahertz box, and/or prays for the revival of Amiga.** From my experience there is an awful lot of overlap. I came into computers via Radio Shack’s TRS-80 equipment and half of my club would come to meeting with their radios clipped to their belts. To be fair, though, there is still a great deal of experimentation going on and some of the love of old computers stems from a belief that they still haven’t found the true limits of older equipment, that gigahertz/gigabyte machines are simply used so that bloatware runs fairly well, and that a True Master can make do with less. Case in point: the [Contiki](http://www.dunkels.com/adam/contiki/) operating system for the Commodore 64 and other small computers.