battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000
| 80 Meters
Is it me or is 80 meters just the most unfriendly place on the bands. Every other band I have tried is filled with friendly guys who enjoy a QSO. On 80 it seems like it's filled with old farts who think they own frequencies and do nothing but complain about other guys who get near their frequency.
I worked the 80meter station at field day and I was amazed at how many assholes there were bitching about field day and how it cluttered up the bands. |
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SirMeowmix_III
@windstream.net
| I ignore them, 80 meters isn't a special band, I follow the same protocol I do on the other bands. If someone is upset that oatmeal now comes in flavors, shame on them.
Had someone lambaste me for asking if the frequency was in use. "The frequency is ALWAYS in use". My reply was nice and used logic, "I listened for 2 minutes, heard nothing, and asked if it was in use. Would you rather me simply start calling CQ?". He changed his tune.
It's just radio. There are more good operators than bad. I just ignore the LIDS. |
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n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to battleop
75/80 tends to have a lot of nets and "local" ragchew groups, most likely because of the shorter propagation. They do tend to get very territorial. I also recall about a dozen years ago, before Riley Hollingsworth got started, 75/80 was a big cesspool and was one of the factors in the FCC getting involved in enforcement again. I recall one amateur AM station out of New England that used play DJ and broadcast uninterrupted music. His audio was good and I did not mind the genre but that was not the place to be doing it. 75/80 is definitely much better now than it was in the 1990's but I guess there is always room for improvement. I rarely work the band myself due to antenna issues but occasionally work some old friends on a net on Sunday evenings when conditions permit.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ | reply to battleop
Why not pick a clear run frequency and start calling CQ? That way the folks you're writing about aren't involved. |
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battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000 | I've tried calling CQ with 5 watts on the last 3 field days with no contacts. It's works out better to search for strong signals and reply to them. |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Ah with 5w, in that case calling CQ is probably a bit of a challenge.
During large contests, there are always the folks rag chewing and the entire conversation seems to be about the contest and that they refuse to participate. I guess when you've got nothing to do but complain, you get good at it after a while.
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Tweaked your connection? | Mail Parse | Speed Converter |
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Ender3rd
join:2001-07-15
East Granby, CT
·Cox HSI
| reply to battleop
Your perception of 75/80 meters is shared by many. People tend to gather in little cliques and do not always welcome "intruders". On the other hand, quite a few groups like having someone new show up.
Things have loosened up a bit since the expansion of the phone portion, and it's actually possible to find open spots to call CQ between 3.700 and 3.800 most evenings.
To be honest, very few people on 75/80 meters get too excited about working low powered stations. With summer static crashes and other stations running power on frequencies close by, a QRP station will get swallowed up in short order. Unfortunately, it often seems that the weaker someone is, the longer they talk... Most people I know like to sit back with their feet up and work other stations that are strapping in at S-9 +60dB.
You're right about the bitching that goes on. There's a few cantankerous characters on that band. There always has been, and there always will be. It makes it all the more interesting in my opinion!
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My Jeep is not an SUV. Your SUV is not a Jeep. |
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n_w95482
Premium
join:2005-08-03
Ukiah, CA
| reply to battleop
I went around on 80 meters this past weekend for Field Day (first time on HF  ), and had tons of friendly contacts. I found a couple of people that were just talking about random stuff, I listened for a minute then moved on.
I had a lot of fun working 15 and 80 this past weekend though. Hopefully I can get some kind of HF setup going soon (moving into a condo), if not, I'll impatiently wait until Field Day next year.
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KI6RIT |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ | If you can't get something setup at home, you can always go portable to some mountain in CA or beach, setup a rig and a battery with a portable antenna or dipole and have a blast. |
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n_w95482
Premium
join:2005-08-03
Ukiah, CA | I hadn't actually thought of that, good idea  . The beach isn't too far from me either.
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KI6RIT |
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DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium
join:2001-07-23
West Hartford, CT
 ·Stephouse Networks
 ·magicjack.com
·EarthLink
| reply to n2jtx
said by n2jtx  : I recall one amateur AM station out of New England that used play DJ and broadcast uninterrupted music. His audio was good and I did not mind the genre but that was not the place to be doing it.
Somebody needed to take up a collection and buy him a Ramsey kit. If you're going to play DJ, do it on the proper band. |
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DeeplyShrouded
@comcast.net | reply to battleop
Well, you can always try the Country Cousins.
Nice group of people. 7-9PM on 3.968 and 9 to whenever on 3.970 |
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