Dah dee Dat

Taken from an old timer who quits being a ham

http://9m2ar.com/quitham.asp

What do I think of ham radio today

a. Ham radio consists of people of various categories and qualities, from the good ones to the bad ones. The number of the bad ones could be as many as the good ones. The bad ones are

- arrogance
-very rude
- believe they are the best people in the world of hamming
- Encourage piracies
- Using word like fuck, pig and other sinister words
- Show no respect towards experience hams with higher intellectual
ability eg 9W vs Dr Ken
- boasted even though with poor or no knowledge
- start as pirates and continue with pirates lingo
- lending call sign to others

b. A big majority petitioned against CW exam. CW is a part and parcel of ham radio. It is more of a tradition and culture like the RAE.Both may not be relevant but hey are tradition. ARRL, ORARI and many other radio organizations are for Morse codes because it is a feature of ham radio. Besides it is a character building of a ham to make them more organized. Usually bad character people cannot pass CW exam. In my mind those who are scarred of CW do not have positive attitudes. I just don't to mix with his kind of people. They are just fit for CB.

c. The MCMC people had taken advise from people without knowledge and experience. These people had not been Short wave listeners and were not aware of many things. It is not surprise that the MCMC allows people it arranged to go to Indonesia to use Malaysian call sign there instead of requesting the Indonesian special call sign. The MCMC also allows someone in a war ship talking to a regular ham on the land. The allocation of call signs are confusing to the international ham community. And finally it allows non-ham using ham equipment giving them a special frequency which other nation had thought that the Malaysian authority had expanded the frequency of amateur band.

d. I believe there is some sort of corruptions going on because there are many hams who do not have even simple electronic knowledge who passed the Radio Amateur Examination. At one time it was said that someone collected money to ensure of the passes. Out of 6000 we can drag just about 50 persons to court and quiz them about radio and electronics and hear their explanations. Many can't narrate the AM, LSB, USB ,SSB , AM and FM. Or the working of a receiver.

e. No action has ever been taken on to reported pirate stations

f. Ham Radio is now being politicized. There are occasions that the repeater was used to broadcast political event or activities run by political bodies. Once a repeater is put up, it is public. It is not the prerogative to the owner to use it for anything.

g. People who committed crimes and cheat many other hams are in the ham radio.

Lately there were were talks on PRADAS, wrong SOPs, excessive used of Q-Codes and CB as well pirate terminology were brought in. New hams spoil ham radio. The sanctity and divinity of amateur radio has been washed away by new comers and new administrators. Ham radio has become just like any other radio; pirate, CB, Family Radio, commercial.

I notice one of the main problems of the new hams is that they think they are very smart and always want to show their pride of being smart. And they would organize into groups condemning other groups, want to compete with all other group even though they just became hams within one year. At the same time they would break rules after rules.

There were several occasions that subjects on illegal fund collecting were taking place here and there. The accused would create stories and asked his friends to boycott anyone who pointed out the misdeed. Though further investigation show the accusation was true it made the hams split more.

Last time ham radio operators must know English. Today it is not mandatory. Since it is an international hobby and not invented in Malaysia English is still vital. But those who could not speak English were never criticized. On the other hand there are people who condemn hard the people who speak the language. And they behave like a moron or barbarian on the air. These people use Western gadgets, dress Western and practice Western culture.

I would like to mention a little on PRADAS. It is a form of pre-marital sex or live in partner. A couple can have sex before marriage or living together as a kind of learn how to fuck before gets married. I was told that the MCMC says that piracy is a training ground to be a full pledge ham. I would called it a distorted thought in the spoil mind. The main training ground is called Short Wave Listening. SWL in fact is also an art. PRADAS is a symbol of silliness and inefficiency. It also contributes to the death of ham radio.

I appreciate those who continue to sit for CW test. I salute them. These are people with courage and positive attitude. Having failed once they made a second try and the third. These are real amateur radio enthusiasts. They fought against all odds. I pray for their success and well being.

I feel very sorry for the more educated and learned hams like doctors and lawyers. To me they jump into the wrong hobby. Yes once it was noble and respectable. It carried the flag of the nation.

What is considered rude ?

1 - Tuning on frequency used by the others
2 - Pressing Morse key on frequency used by others working CW
3- Passing various types of remarks when conversations are done in English
4- Let the kids talk to the mic
5- Deliberately jamming frequency by various means

Malaysians and probably Malaysian hams are known to do all the above. They are making the band dirty and ham radio filthy as well. They talk about policy without reading every word of it. These people kill ham radio and bring filth to it.

29/04/2009 - One of my former students with a call sign said ,"Cikgu, Ham radio is for us to have fun...". I told him that ham radio is something can be treated as serious. It is a national reserve of a kind. During the Malaysian-Indonesian confrontation at least one known ham were taken to Singapore to help in the deciphering of enemy Morse codes. In time of war all modes of communication will be used by a nation. A nation must have enough people with Morse knowledge to intercept all the traffics and decode them.

Ham radio is also an ambassador. It broadcasts the existence of a nation and it's location. At the same it broadcasts the knowledge and culture of a country. When hams from a certain country are rude it is telling the world the nature of the people. The questions asked, the topics discuss and the way hams carry themselves can enhance or bring down the image of a country. Do you think the MCMC ever think about this ?

If you have been a ham for many years you will know which people from what nation could and could not be trusted and you can their characteristics from experiences.

30/04/2009- Many old hams blamed the MCMC for many things. Certainly the authority will fully reject any accusation. Administratively I would say that the MCMC is accountable for any wrongdoing by people using the radio. In some areas the body is also responsible in addition to being accountable. There are many things that we do not agree but we have to carry them out because of our duty and our work. Read what Judge Chan said about judges and executing the laws. He mentioned that he had to hang many people who were found guilty though it is against his will.

I heard a few people said that the MCMC disregard the international convention on a few things. This will likely to happen when people in the MCMC are new to ham radio and are being advised by the very new people who think they are the smart lot. People had been mentioning name like Zol or Zul or Zu. I don't know whether such person exist.

But on the other hand the MCMC may be saying that there is nothing wrong in Malaysian Amateur Radio. Everything goes on fine. In that case there is nothing that we can do. We just wait until things explode and the politicians will throw some people out of the office.

03/05/2009 - Who owns owns amateur radio ? The MCMC does not own amateur radio. It cannot manipulate it as it likes. Neither do the plain Malaysians. We don't own it too. The MCMC administer it, arrange for exams and issue the licenses. The MCMC follows the international convention. But cavemen seem to think they own ham radio and use it as they like and manipulate it to suit their needs. Even a radio society can say that it permits non licensees to operate ham radio on it's repeater. What a shit.

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THE STANDARD

The standard is not measured by the quantity but the degree of difficulty. If you open a university and everybody got As in all subjects and the lecturers only know A then people are scared to employ the products. Recently one law lecturer only passed 5 of her students. The university asked her to lower the passing marks or increase the number of passes. She refused. "I have to give the marks they deserved." She resigned.

At times the government sent political persons who passed only MCE to USA to do the Master degree. Many avoided difficult courses like statistics and instead took subjects like takraw, badminton and other non-exam subjects. They came back as lecturers. I can't imagine what kind of lecturers they are. To stay as a lecturer they have to give As.

The lowering of standard will effect the nation in the long run. We start to see organizations with low quality officers making important decisions which can ruin the nation in term of wastage in resources and it brought down the image of the country. If you open a factory, certainly you would be very careful and will make the right choice to choose you officers.

But human being is peculiar. No one will say he is of a low quality person even though he may be illiterate .There is a whole spectrum of such people from the university graduates to the normal illiterates. There may be a positive correlation between attitudes and quality.

On the other hand a good and right attitudes like the willingness to learn and putting effort at work can enhance a person's quality regardless of his educational qualification. Hard work is one of the good work ethics and attitudes. Usually people with the right attitudes will behave well and can be trusted.

People who want everything free and getting things easily don't have the right attitudes. As far as I am concern I would not like to befriend such kind of people.

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CB RADIO

The Citizens Band Radio Service is a public, non-commercial service that is available to the general population in our country. CB radio station operates in the 26.965 to 27.405 MHz band or 11 meters with a transmitter power output of 4 watts AM or 12 Watts SSB. But illegally people use higher power.

CB Radio is commonly used when going mobile. When the band condition opens people talk to each other throughout the world. You don't have to sit for any exam to go on CB. CB like the Amateur Radio has the QSL cards and has regular international meeting among members.

Shops that sell amateur radio equipments usually sell the CB radio. But CB is very much cheaper. Buy the name brand like Midland products. While waiting for the band to open you can talk to your local friends provided they too buy the sets.

There are many thousands hand held CB equipments are being deployed by shoppers for shop to shop communication. It is almost free as compared to the hand phone when asking one shop to send a certain supply. By laws people have to register the equipments with the authority but I think no one does it.

Though the CB has it's own code and style of communication yet procedures use by the ham radio operators are being followed too. If you don't like Radio Amateur Examination and Morse Codes then CB is a good choice for you. In USA CBers are also preparing themselves for disaster and emergency communication.

If you are not keen on learning CW then go CB. You will get plenty of information from the internet.

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MY NEW SHACK

The computer table shown here was used to be by transceivers but only a few items were seen. The old radio is ICF5900W which is for monitoring the local FM station to know the prayer time, national news and other announcements. The lap top on the right is connected to the internet and the one on the left is for my writing programs. I still write soft wares at 62. But my brain is not as sharp as before. I cannot code complex argument anymore.

I have problem with my male cat which like to piss around the room. The smell is very pungent and I have a very tough time to do the cleaning. I tried to talk to my cat several time hoping it could understand me by the brain wave or God could send my message to her. "Please piss outside the house."

Soon I will be ordering a dozen units of DigitalPersona fingerprint reader for keeping purposes. May be one day later I will need it. I know I can develop several applications with it. I will be waiting for the urge to do it. When it comes, it will take my time off.

In the mean time I just pass my time a little here and there. Now my time on TV has increased. I start to watch Oprah and Big Losses.

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NEW TERMINOLOGY

New hams invent their own terminology. Some I have heard but not all others. I am just wondering where they got it from. Then you will hear the new comers blaming the old timers for not teaching them.

We have been hams for a many long years. No one taught us CW, SOP and terminology. We knew all the hams in the country before we get our ticket. Because we have been Short Wave Listeners. We either hunted for communication receivers of used just normal receivers beating it. SWL was SWL. There are SWL magazines. No other name as it is now. Someone told me the authority gave other name to it, not exactly SWL.

Terms that I use to hear was Canopy. Other heard Cot Main, PTT, I only RX. I heard QRX to mean temporary QRT or listening mode when it means something else. People talking in plain language use Tango Kilo ??????? Tango Kilo...? I am sure more new terms will be coming.

Of course not all new comers are happily using those terminology. Many are perfect. Even the perfect ones get head ache and do not know what to do. Now the Ham Crusader is fighting alone. Other old hams are already quitting. The very few existent ones are already tired. They should form a group to support the Ham Crusader and fight for the dignity and sanctity of Amateur Radio. Be proud of Morse codes. Let hams have skills that other radio people don't have.

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THE GOOD HEART OF MCMC

MCMC loves ham radio operators because it says ham radio is just a hobby. There is no point stopping people from becoming a radio operators. It is an act of being benevolent and kindness. Why put the pirates or wrong doers in jail or fine them excessively just because of the ardent interest. The MCMC has a good heart.

It is in fact a trend to treat mankind in a humanly manner. Corporal punishments in schools and on criminals are said to be barbaric.

But I just have a different view. There are time to be kind and pitiful. There are people who deserve to be punished or die. The West who condemn barbaric act are continuing to fire rockets every day and Afghanistan. People are killed under the name of terrorists.

If bad people could be killed then bad people should not be given the VIP treatment. Hence the MCMC should take stern actions on the offenders and filter the people to be ham radio operators. When people begin to take advantage of our kindness, they tend to move further and try to gain more ground. They would break rules after rules.

Now the authority says it can't control the hams because of the big volume. Imagine if the police say "We can't control crime because there are too many criminals." The anti-narcotic says, "We can't control because there are too many pushers."

When catastrophe happen everybody will be pointing fingers and blaming each other. Of course the final say will be ,"We don't have enough man power." I am going to list what sort of catastrophe will strike but I believe it will happen one day. Somehow there will be spark which will start the fire. I say this base on the past experience as a ham radio operators. The MCMC did not yet exist then. That's why it does not expect any eventuality.

If the MCMC thinks and say it is merely a hobby then why there must be RAE ( Radio Amateur Examination ). Only less then 1% of the knowledge tested is used. Today people do not construct their own ham radio. They buy them cheaply in the shops.

Ham radio is more than just a hobby. It is an ambassador. It transmits culture and mentality. It can build an image of a country. It can also be an asset to the nation if the hams have enough skills in every aspect of communication. On the other hand it could be a tool to bring down a government or splitting the people. The radio can be used for illegal purposes as well.

If the MCMC seeks the advice of 'telor setengah masak' how to run the show, I feel very sorry indeed.

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PAIN TO HIS EARS

Long before me there is another old timer who had moved from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. There are many old hams move places and we don't hear them again due to a certain problems. These people had been very active before.

One of them threw out his hand held into a river after hearing new hams having QSO. That means he decided to give up ham radio for good. But the new hams do not realize their mistakes. They just think the way they talk and what they talk is normal.

Before the demise of active hams, the new generations did not have time to be SWL. Many of the first badge of the new 9Ws started as pirates and broke all the rules in the world. There were stories about smuggling out of radios from factories and police had been hunting people with radios then. When they become hams they were not able to train the next generation.

And when the MCMC took over it did not follow the tradition of the telecom. As many other bosses they always like to invent their own styles and methodology, thinking they are the better.

With all these problems they don't learn ethics and the SOP, terminology and the right usage of the Q-Codes, inventing new things as been mentioned before. How not to be painful to the ears of the person who threw his set in the river.

One of the oldest hams that has been active till recent months is 9M2YP. He would be on the air every now and then calling CQ on CW. It has been almost a year Yee was not heard. But those who gave up had never use aggressive words like I do. They use other excuses.

New hams do not know that transmitting on frequencies used by the others are very rude and disturbing. On HF we knew people pressing their keys when we were working CW. If they are hams to be it is considered the same. But that's what happening. To allow kids to talk and imitating people speaking English is very rude as well.

The common words like to use by the modern generation is 'Biasalah....' Even taking expensive item from hotel as souvenir is considered 'biasalah...'

To me I hate pomposity. Pomposity with wrong ideas on things which are not facts should be shameful. If the knowledge is limited then read first or ask other people whom we respect as knowledgeable. Talking things which are not facts all the way is painful to our ears. He could have just said, "You don't want to hear, switch it off." True, switch our radio off. But the air is being polluted by what is being transmitted. The band is not his. We can talk cock in our own home.

Again you might ask " is everybody doing it ? " One is too many. He is not in CB or in any other radio services. Ham can't afford to have even a few bad eggs. This hobby has been taken by royalties and members of congress and the head of the countries. You do not know to whom you are talking to. Imagine you express your pomposity to a King of Saudi or to a Congressman, wouldn't you create an image of Malaysian ham in his mind ?

Many old hams still want to look at a very high standard of ham radio. Remember it is international in nature not the Kuala Nerang in origin.

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SMART GUYS

I have written on this topic time and again and it is somewhere in my web page.

1. Most of my primary school teachers hardly passed LCE or PMR. Those days after passing Standard 4/6 one can be a teacher after a training. Today the primary school teachers who just gone thru MCE are still there. Their students have surpassed them and many became high ranking officers. Many former students respected the teachers and would give them a very VIP treatment when encounter with them. But there are a few among the many who would just pretend not to know them. When talk to them would use "I and you." We heard of someone who even said that he is more qualified than his former teachers now.

One old primary school teacher thank me when I met him. "Why ?" I asked. "Because you remember me and come to me to say hello." That's all that he needed. Not our wealth, money or asking work for his kids.

One university professor accepted someone in his course while registration. Many were rejected. One his colleague told the other applicants "That man must be his teacher...." That professor usually rejected less qualified applicants.

2. A person went to a 3 moths computer course. He told his friends that when he goes back to his work place he would beat the teacher from whom he first started to learn computing. But unfortunately for him he was surprise that teacher's knowledge excel his by a leap and bound.

Why people are arrogance and stubborn with a little knowledge ? The Malay proverb is 'a frog under a coconut shell'. That coconut shell is his world. When he comes out, he feels he is the best, the hero and smartest lot of all. He claims to represent everybody, does things for everybody and stay on that way.

Some people call these people egoistic. Some think they have problem of low self esteem. A self esteem problem will not cause havoc if he can keeps it to himself. But he moves around poking the others. He would feel satisfied if he can get people around him.

Long ago such kind of people was almost nil in ham radio. Ask any very old ham and they would give identical answer "Hamming was fun then.....". Smart people didn't compete and keep their smartness to themselves.

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MCMC KATA SUSAH NAK KAWAL HAM RADIO

MCMC berkata ham terlalu ramai dan sukar dikawali. Dalam 4 atau 5 tahun dahulu saya mengesyorkan supaya diadakan satu akta yang berbunyi lebih kurang seperti di bawah :-

Lesen Radio Amatur bukanlah satu hak tetapi satu keistemewaan.
Ia boleh ditarik balik atau tidak diberi tanpa sebarang sebab. Hak
MCMC membuat keputusan tidak boleh dipersoalkan oleh mahkamah.

Kalau dengan akta tersebut dan dengan peralatan MCMC yang canggih, ianya sudah mencukupi sekadar 1 atau 2 orang sahaja dibayar gaji untuk mengesan mereka yang bersalah. Berikan saja kerja itu kepada orang lain. Nescaya pesalah akan didakwa atau lesennya ditarik balik atau dia tidak akan mendapat lesen seumur hidup.

Adakah ini satu kepayahan ? Penyakit pendatang haram, peningkatan jenayah dan kerosakan moral adalah padah dari kata-kata yang megatif.

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SOME ADVISE TO YOUNGER HAMS

Young and newer hams do not easily give up ham radio. You put things right. Always remember it is a toy and things to be play with. While it may be entertaining you have to take it seriously. See and think of the philosophy behind it. It is not politics. It is not about competition and show who is smart and who are not.

Because you have not been SWL you tend to make errors which you think are right. You cannot learn from persons who started as pirates or the CB people. Recognize between the PTT and the microphone and know when the PTT is to be used and when not. Listen to the terminology used by the really old hams. There are 9W2s who have been SWL since 1960's. They know the right term and procedures.

Read on the Q-Codes, understand the concept of the plain language and when it is used. Find out more about the ethics and stay away from being rude. Never condemn the usage of English in ham radio.

Forming into groups and detaching away from one another has never been a good practice. You don't compete to show your greatness and formed rival groups.

Never encourage pirates or lend your call sign. Act fast to put down the person who use your call sign or else you will be accused as the accomplice. Tell them to buy radio and be SWL not to buy transmitters. Transmitters is something illegal. Remember if the MCMC cease to be the authority and it being revert back to Telecom or given to the police you can be fined or jail for nothing.

Avoid bad manners. It is not fit for hooligans to be hams.

Go for CW because it will enhance your ability and make you organize yourself in the course of acquiring the skill. It will be useful one day. When you got sore throat or lost your voice you still can be a ham. You also can work with persons of no voice overseas. In time of crisis and poor propagation Morse can help you.

Always try to enhance the dignity and standard of ham radio. As for me I am busy in computer programming now which taxed me a lot. Tell me when things have improved and more than 1/3 has passed their CW exam. I am around in yahoo messenger.

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CONGRATULATION 9M2YAS

I have been wanting 9W2YEH and other 9W2s to to be successful in getting the 9M2 tickets for very long time. Their determination and diligent have earned them what they been striving for. I just appreciate the kind of people who are always ready to face challenges and difficulties. 9M2YAS SMS me today ,22/05/2009, informing me of his new call sign.

I am happy for Cikgu Illias and those who have finally earned their reward. And of course I would lie to repeat my reminder that they are carrying Malaysian flags on their shoulders. Don't just jumped international without thinking much of the rules and ethics. remember, you may be talking to somebody who has a high status in society as I have mentioned in the above articles. Think what could embarass them. Some people just don't lie personal questions, some may be able to accept them. We just don't shoot those question as we like

Knowledge on our village or city would help. I heard conversations between two persons talking about the population, occupation, geographical area, the number of schools and hospitals etc. It is good to have those facts handy.

If you shift from SSB to CW and vice versa some hams will be able to catch you on both. he, not only think you are a great ham, but also he will be having a positive concept idea on our nation. As I have said that you are the ambassador of Malaysia.

I heard Perlis is having a Morse class. That is a good news. With Those new 9Ms and 9M2PZ more hams from Perlis would be joining the group. At the same time you will be having problems with already problem people, who will always passed bad remarks on you like you are showing off. Why let the low self esteem people discourage you.

I have always known that Cikgu Illias will get thru his CW because I have been observing his right attitudes for quite some time. Congratulation once again.

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PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME

I have closed my ham radio book. But I kept on getting SMS and phone calls pestering me to come on the air. Some informed me of what's happening in their areas. I was told that the Indonesian authority had geared itself to act tough against the pirates and those people selling ham gears to them. At the same time warning the ham operators not to use their gears for commercial activities. I don't know what is in the mind of MCMC about people who lend their call signs to people ( even lending call sign for more than a year ) and those pirates.

I also understand that by September there will be at least one lady who will go CW on the air and will be the Malaysian World Book of Record. But certainly it could be more than one. Let it happens and be recorded in our Malaysian history. This is a fabulous news and please to the ears.

I don't have any rig right now. So I don't know what's going on. Who were on 2 meters and who were not. Likewise I don't know what is happening on HF band either. I am busy with experimenting with mySql server database.

I have yet to talk to new comers who want to work CW on the band. I will try to resolve the alternative for them so that they will enjoy the mode. Probably I have to talk to Manan about it. I also need to hear the mind of the MCMC. Will it moves like what the Indonesian authorities are doing ? Will the MCMC continue to engage any Zol as advisor or consultant ?

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EFFORT AND ATTITUDE

Do you know who is 9M2GET ? His former call sign was 9W2LLK. A teacher by profession, Hairi ( radio name ) had work very hard to pass his CW. 9M2MGL inspired him. Today Hairi's wife is working hard herself together with a few other hams, YL and OM, learning this mode.

I have said before that positive attitude, persistence, diligence and not easily giving up hope is a very desirable . I remember in one Olympic a runner never gave up though the athlete was last and far behind time. Spectators waited for the runner to complete the race. People gave the runner standing ovation. People climbed the mountain, fought the rapids and jumped the plane instead of sleeping at home in the air condition room.

The guts and fighting spirit build a person's ability to survive. I am very sure there are many hams with the right attitude. Some are shy to surface for fear of being ridiculed by fellow hams. I have heard this kind of story before.

9M2GET called and apologized that he did not inform me of his new call sign. I told him that I already knew about it. His last word was he hope I will come back to amateur radio.

But I just don't like the cowardice and the trouble makers.

Dah dee Dat

Sunday, 18 October 2009

Which Type of Programmer are You?

Monday, 29 June 2009

a full packed weekend

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

What I tried to do this week...

Friday, 29 May 2009

What do I think of ham radio today

Thursday, 28 May 2009

solve this

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

I'm Your's

Friday, 8 May 2009

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