15 Feb
2000
15 Feb
'00
4:31 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: John Lawson <jpl15(a)netcom.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, 16 February 2000 3:09
Subject: Ham population stats
So far: 23 respondents to my "Who's a
Ham" question; not counting
the several commercial licensees among us.
Not surprised.
Off Topic: I am hoping that the recent US FCC
relaxing of the
license requirements will breathe a little New Life into the bands in
this country... the average age of the Ham population is now in the
late 50s or something.
Similar demographics here.
all who grouse about having had to learn 13WPM (Im a
General Class)
or 20 WPM (for Extra Class)
Ouch. No wonder there were so few Extras. Morse is harder for some than
others,
I doubt I could ever get to that speed, no matter how hard I tried. It took
me MONTHS
to learn it at 5wpm.
5WPM will still be a good "sincerity"
filter, and c'mon, people....
it's only *one* character every *two* freakin seconds!! [you do the
math: 5 WPM, 5 letters/word avg... 25 char in 60 secs avg]
I'm hoping they will follow suit here, and scrap the 10wpm requirement,
which
means I would automatically graduate up to full call...:^)
On Topic: I want to use the PDP 11/44 to talk to my
(vintage) AEA
PK232 Multi-Mode terminal node controller... but even more I want
to lash up an RTTY program for the PDP, to send and recieve Baudot
in real time.
I have something similar in mind for the Vax 6430. I had Packet as well
as rtty in mind. Plenty of terminals. (DMB32) Ideally I'd like to find
some way to
use a Baycom style modem, TNC's are still ridiculously overpriced.
(I use a converted C64 Sendata modem, on a PC, Baycom style, on 1200bd 2M
packet.)
This is in addition to the vintage 60's RTTY
station I am
assembling... just looking for a good Transmitter. Major components
are Model 19, Collins R-388 (51-J) [serial number 235..!] and Irv
Hoff TU made homebrew from 60s QST articles.
I have a (mostly) 'firebottle' powered Yaesu FT200, (early 70's?)
a REALLY old straight key, (came off a morse practise set, that used a
SOUNDER wound
with cloth covered wire - long gone now alas) but the key is a beaut, high
quality brass with steel contacts.
No idea where it came from, but I suspect it's early 20th century.
RTTY wise, I have a Siemens Model 100 (the TT Corp stuff wasn't common here,
Siemens ruled.) as well as
the usual collection of software based rtty stuff. But to do packet and/or
rtty from a terminal on the vax
would be ultra cool. I'm trying to build up a 170hz shift rtty TU in my
(hah!) copious free time.
I have some other Siemens machines and a commercial (ex mil) decoder that
are part of an Air Training Corp
(Air Force Cadets) project that is around half built up.
I have an old Dick Smith VZ200 with a RTTY en/decoder module, (just eproms
IIRC) the VZ isn't working,
(shows a wierd chessboard pattern on the screen - possibly video ram or
something similar is crook)
not sure what it REALLY is but it has a coloured keyboard made up of little
square plastic buttons.
Dates from the mid 80's IIRC. Must dig it out and have a further tinker
with it.
Cheers
Geoff Roberts
VK5KDR
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Mark's College
Port Pirie, South Australia.
Email: geoffrob(a)stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au
netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au
ICQ #: 1970476