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The Court of public ,,, ehemmm.. opinion

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:21 pm
by CraigN7CAL
Prior to this, my maiden/virgin foray into audio that should have been mandated as the required format long ago. I was aware that there were many who simply could not and would not accept ESSB as a valid and quality approach to single side band communications.

Having had a station up for just a short time (all previous stations thusly null and void from consideration) I have had an epiphany.

Most hams are simply put, closed minded! And I don't just mean that because there have been guys telling me that I am "very wide" or,,, "Please turn your mic gain down" (My Personal Favorite) or the myriad of negative comments about my operation. Though it has been this behavior that has amalgamated this view point to it's current state of disdain .

I think about all the QSO's I have heard and continue to hear about .... wait for it!..... NOTHING!!!! Groups that hold on to old standards, emergency nets that have morphed into "Hey, hows the weather?" "What did you eat for dinner?" and "My colon's swollen" It's these hams that would not compliment good audio even if down deep inside they liked it.

Why? Because it represents change. That basic premise that requires that you look at yourself and improve yourself at least a little. the very premise that this hobby was built on as well. ADVANCEMENT THROUGH AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY!

It wasn't too awful long ago that most of these guys were pulling stuff out of the kitchen drawer to build some widget to improve their operation. It wasn't too awful long ago that necessity was their mother and invention was their mistress. And now those very hams scoff at ESSB as if it were the mark of the beast and who so ever shall wear that mark should for ever be cast unto the colony of lepers. Lighten up "OM". Without newness and fresh influx into this hobby we can all just sit back and watch it die.

I know that I am VERY new to this forum and to this aspect of the hobby as well. But I am not new to closed minded people and I can tell you that they all have ONE common thread that binds them all together. And that is that they make them selves into groups in order to feel strong by excluding others. And since gaining my current station I have not just felt ouster sized, I have been ouster sized. Sometimes it' subtle, sometimes overt. I don't really care to be honest. Mostly I chat with my Elmer, the one that got me into this "Thang" anyway. And talk about everything with an enjoyable rumbling that most hams will never understand.

I will NEVER close out others from any QSO nor will I ever dis their audio... They simply have "Good communications audio".

Anyway, this isn't really much of a topic,, mostly it just a rant, but one that I really hope hams outside of ESSB will look at and possibly look at their own behavior and realize that Hams cannibalizing Hams is not a good thing. It is similar to when amplifiers became commercially available and more prevalent on the bands. Hams were accused of splattering and having poor stations simply because they could be detected off of the center zero beat.

This very hobby, by it's true nature was born to grow and adapt to available technology. Failure to do so is to proclaim that ignorance is not merely bliss, but preferred in the light of the mounting evidence towards enlightenment.

Well,,, there it is there


Craig
N7CAL

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:39 pm
by Voodoo Guru
WOW!!!!!
You are an Eloquent Writer!
Very well said indeed.

It was GREAT to hear you on 75 Meters last night Craig!!
Man... can't wait or the conditions to get better.
It was so bad last night only every 4th or 5th word was heard from your transmissions.
It was rough.
It'll get better though...in time.
Take Care,

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:36 pm
by CraigN7CAL
Back in the day,,,, I was inducted in a group called the Porch Monkey's. Everyone had a moniker, I was the ,,,,,, The Intelligent Porch Monkey, PM21

A Multi syllabic individual with a linguistic capability that far surpasses the guttural utterances of normal men

Hmmm, I think I have just found my tag line for the profile

Voodoo Monkey business

Catch you in the trees

Re: The Court of public ,,, ehemmm.. opinion

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:10 pm
by W6WTF
CraigN7CAL wrote:Prior to this, my maiden/virgin foray into audio that should have been mandated as the required format long ago. I was aware that there were many who simply could not and would not accept ESSB as a valid and quality approach to single side band communications.

Having had a station up for just a short time (all previous stations thusly null and void from consideration) I have had an epiphany.

Most hams are simply put, closed minded! And I don't just mean that because there have been guys telling me that I am "very wide" or,,, "Please turn your mic gain down" (My Personal Favorite) or the myriad of negative comments about my operation. Though it has been this behavior that has amalgamated this view point to it's current state of disdain .

I think about all the QSO's I have heard and continue to hear about .... wait for it!..... NOTHING!!!! Groups that hold on to old standards, emergency nets that have morphed into "Hey, hows the weather?" "What did you eat for dinner?" and "My colon's swollen" It's these hams that would not compliment good audio even if down deep inside they liked it.

Why? Because it represents change. That basic premise that requires that you look at yourself and improve yourself at least a little. the very premise that this hobby was built on as well. ADVANCEMENT THROUGH AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY!

It wasn't too awful long ago that most of these guys were pulling stuff out of the kitchen drawer to build some widget to improve their operation. It wasn't too awful long ago that necessity was their mother and invention was their mistress. And now those very hams scoff at ESSB as if it were the mark of the beast and who so ever shall wear that mark should for ever be cast unto the colony of lepers. Lighten up "OM". Without newness and fresh influx into this hobby we can all just sit back and watch it die.

I know that I am VERY new to this forum and to this aspect of the hobby as well. But I am not new to closed minded people and I can tell you that they all have ONE common thread that binds them all together. And that is that they make them selves into groups in order to feel strong by excluding others. And since gaining my current station I have not just felt ouster sized, I have been ouster sized. Sometimes it' subtle, sometimes overt. I don't really care to be honest. Mostly I chat with my Elmer, the one that got me into this "Thang" anyway. And talk about everything with an enjoyable rumbling that most hams will never understand.

I will NEVER close out others from any QSO nor will I ever dis their audio... They simply have "Good communications audio".

Anyway, this isn't really much of a topic,, mostly it just a rant, but one that I really hope hams outside of ESSB will look at and possibly look at their own behavior and realize that Hams cannibalizing Hams is not a good thing. It is similar to when amplifiers became commercially available and more prevalent on the bands. Hams were accused of splattering and having poor stations simply because they could be detected off of the center zero beat.

This very hobby, by it's true nature was born to grow and adapt to available technology. Failure to do so is to proclaim that ignorance is not merely bliss, but preferred in the light of the mounting evidence towards enlightenment.

Well,,, there it is there


Craig
N7CAL
Well put Craig..

Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:45 am
by CraigN7CAL
Rolling around the band this morning and have gotten to the point where I could just pull my hair out. Bumped into a frequency where there was a guy, you know this guy, the Guru type of the frequency telling all his minions that this is supposed to be "Communications" audio. Telling everyone that the narrower the better to cut through. And furthermore, that if you wanted to sound like Howard Stern you should try something else. And that NO station should be able to be heard at all 1.5 Kc from center frequency. For every comment he made, all the rest of his sheep echoed what he had said almost exactly.

Ironically this dude was running some IHY at the very least. He was the only one who had any spatial quality and he was wide. :chain:

Tough to be a positive ambassador of the Thunda when there are pinheads like this on the band. Idiots, pure idiots that squat when they pee.

As Kevin Cronin said from Reo Speedwagon "Keep riding the Storm out People" And lets get it together on the band, lets pile in on some band and pound the grease out of if with pure Voodoo.

Ahhhhh, venting is good

73 all

Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:47 am
by Voodoo Guru
Let it allllll out....

We promise it will only get worse as the Bands get better....

but,
It seems that more and more people are being swayed that SSB CAN actually sound good.

hmmm.........

We have to continue to try and be good ambassadors of ESSB as all the Ears will be upon us.
But that doesn't mean to sit there and engage rude idiots and QRM'ers that have no clue.
Tremendous waste of time, although sometimes it can be real fun!

We will debate issues and views with intelligent and polite amatuer operators, as everyone does have there own view and opinion.
But Pinheads & QRM'ers will be ignored, they just don't deserve to hear our thoughts and experience.

Sounds good... and we try.... but you know.... :wink:

Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:28 pm
by K6HP
Craig,

Very nicely written post stating the frustrations involved in this hobby.

Hope to meet you on the air someday !

Ed

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:53 pm
by !KANT
Craig should be the official VooDoo Audio BullHorn....yeeeeeaaaaaa.... :twisted:

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 9:24 am
by KA5BBC
It has been written that there is nothing new under the sun and this applies to many of the techniques applied to this aspect of the hobby.

Way back in the mid 90's I was applying the technology and techniques from my job as a radio station engineer and on-air talent to my hobby with great success. Then as now there were those who were against change or anything new in the hobby who would speak out on-air, in club meetings, or in the publications. Again, then as now, these were those with the least knowledge, education, or training but with charisma and ill deserved reputations.

I am returning to the hobby after a long involuntary break picking up where I left off last but with newer equipment and a slightly larger budget, unfortunately balanced against the loss of manual and visual dexterity brought on by age and abuse.

I have no doubt that there will be those who consider my audio to be poor, muddy, overdriven, or against the spirit of the hobby yet I will continue regardless of this negative review, just as I advise those who have a passion should do.

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:18 am
by ECC82
Hi KA5BBC,

I can (partly) feel your pain. Was testing a new EQ and thought that the part for high frequencies wasn't working, as I increased the high notes I couldn't hear any change but the feedback in the headphones appeared/increased so the volume in the high frequency did work but my hearing (probably damaged by industrial work and not wearing protective headphones all the time plus visiting loud rock concerts in my younger days, when I considered myself indestructible HI) is not "what it used to be". :cry:

Good that you returned to your radio hobby, ESSB is a nice aspect of this hobby. When I dial the frequencies and meet a good audio signal it makes me stop at that frequency to enjoy the quality.

73'
Chris
PA3TVI

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 5:39 pm
by !KANT
It's really refreshing to step back in time via these posts. 9 Years later the same struggle continues. Though, many more stations are sounding more pleasing with a "fuller"/robust roundness to their sound. But now the ridicule can also come from another type [as I've witnessed]--the SDR crowds, notably many of the ANAN users. It's truly disheartening when the so-called operators whom proudly embrace the new technology indirectly denounce stations because they're not using the same equipment or using a different method to attain the same results. Trust me, they too will say, "you've got too much of this [or too little of that]...but if you had PureSignal..." :roll:

A great example of improving technology can be seen with RF amplifiers. The lockhorning which take place between the tube-type amp builders and SS type on the Amp Reflector are amazingly entertaining to me. But if there is one thing I've realized from the standoff is the sharing of ideas, which WILL lead to improvements with both the older and the newer technologies.

The bands have been just awful, but we are ALL aware of this. When it does open up I still have eargasms when I hear some really great audio--very rare nowadays. Hell, I've even dug into the archives of old recordings just to enjoy the sounds. Hope the next 3 or 4 years go by quickly and bring back the sounds to the airwaves we all so deeply enjoy.

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:29 pm
by ECC82
Absolutely true Ikant, when buying an SDR a referee whistle is included in every box as a complimentary gift.