Subj : this echo
To   : Roy Witt
From : Michiel van der Vlist
Date : Mon Jun 11 2001 06:30 am

Hi Roy,

>  MvdV> Whenever I am in the car I have 2 meters on standby.
>
> Last time I had a two-way radio in the car, I used an
> autopatch to report a drunk driver on the freeway.

Although I have used it to report emergencies in the past, that is not the
reason I carry it. I do it for the fun of it. Mostly to pass the time when in
traffic jams.

Autopatching is illegal in PA by the way. Reporting accidents has to be done by
qsp. But that is no problem, there is always someone listening on the
repeaters. And although many will not respond to a CQ, they /will/ respond to a
mayday or pan.

> There were many reports ahead of me by those who had a cell phone.

Same here these days. Cell phone bussineess has been booming the last five
years. By now "everybody" has a cell phone. 8 million cell phones on a 14
million population. And that includes babies and Altzheimer cases.

> Since then, I've given up mobile operation for a cell phone.

I have a cell phone too. But I do not see that as a replacement for ham radio.

They are going to ban using cell phones while driving without a hands free
installation btw. (I have one). There is some concern as to how this will
affect ham radio.

>  MvdV> I am a ham for over 35 years now and in the

> Been one almost as long, interest being even longer.  I was
> introduced to HAM radio by a school mate back in the 50s.

I was hooked by a neighbour, an American US airforce man who donated me a copy
of the 1948 ARRL handbook. Had to wait till I was 18 to take the exam..

> Together we pioneered the new Citizens Band of 1959 in our small
> town.  I finally got my first HAM license 11 years later after
> the CB craze died down.

I never entered the CB scene. Illegal CB sets entered the market /years/ after
I was licenced. CB didn't become legal here until the late 70's.

> More recently, I worked with No-code International to lower
> the code requirements for licensing here and abroad.

Ah, yes that is quite an issue in Europe as well at the moment. Up until two
years ago it appeared that there was no majority for lowering the requirements.
The old farts (like you and me ;-)) opposed it. Then suddenly the tide changed.
Last year the VRZA (Vereniging for Radio Zend Amateurs, the society I
represent) voted to do away with the morse code test altogether. The other
society voted for 5 wpm for the time being. Some other European countries voted
for 0 and others for 5 wpm.

The next tests in November will be 5 wpm.

It won't be before the 2003 WRC before this can be implemented on the European
or even a global level and my personal estimate is that the majority will shift
to doing away with it alltogether before 2003.


For the rest I like fox hunting. I never miss an opportunity. Last whitsuntide
there was a ham gathering in the south of the country and the fox hunt was part
of it. When it comes to speed, I can't outrun the young ones any more, but if
it comes to experience and cleverness, I can still win. The trophy to prove it
is on my mantelpiece ;-)

I won because I got all the questions right, found all the beepers and didn't
fall for the fake beeper. All the others missed the /second/ beeper near the
finish. They were so excited to have found the first one that they handed in
their forms without thinking to scan the band one more time....

73, Michiel

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* Origin: PA0MMV, Driebergen, NL (2:280/5555)