Why are you a "Misfit"?

[N8YX]

We've seen this statement trundled out a bazillion times: "The only reason so-and-so is a member of THAT site is that they've been kicked off every other ham forum on the Internet!"

To which I say, balderdash. Bull Durham...pure and utter 'Bull'.

While a number of our members tidily fit that scenario (for infractions both real and imagined, as the case may be), a good many others do not.

What puts you on the outs with the ham radio community in general and qualifies you for "Misfit" status?

For me, it's that I choose to battle several popular and accepted dragons:

- The ARRL's continual insistence that amateur radio will save the world (manifested by means of the EmComm/DHS duopoly);
- The insistence of a number of net coordinators and controllers that they "own" a given frequency (or frequencies) due to the fact there may be a station in distress which will call for help only on 'the' published net frequencies, or there may be a station (which no one else on the planet can hear) that is using the frequency to transmit yet another borderline tasteless 'swimsuit JPG' via slow-scan;
- The encroachment of inconsiderate and rude operating techniques and practices into our digital sub-bands by automated mailbox stations whose very existence and proliferation are encouraged and facilitated by two of the entities above;
- The ongoing turning away from the rules by today's newly-minted amateur, who seems to think it's wholly permissible to operate as out-band scofflaw by day, in-band quasi-gentleman by night.

[kb2crk]

what makes me a misfit is calling it like it is.
a whacker is a whacker.
i love to call out the old timers who claim that all the bad operators came along after a rules change. bad ops have always been there. i heard them myself as a SWL in the 70's.
and some on certain sites are just Knobs with no sense of humor.
the only site i have ever been banned on is QRZ and the longest term was a week. and that was for telling the truth....lol

[suddenseer]

Fred, I am thinking of the pleasure I had meeting you, and your lovely wife DSG at a Dayton eatery last Hamvention. As we were leaving, the 'other' hams started populating the dining room. We recognized them as hams immediately. We did not fit in with the visible majority represented there. I don't think they knew we were hams. We were 'out of uniform'. We looked like townies. No baseball caps with callsigns. No vests with club, league, et.al. patches. No metal cop badge identifying us a extra class licensed radio amateurs. No walkie talkies on our belts. I was wearing an izod golf shirt as I often do, came from work. I am suggesting what sets us apart from the rest transcends mere outer appearance. We don't think like the majority does. Amateur radio is indeed part of our life, but maybe a much smaller part. I used to socialize with other ham couples. I soon realized that some of these folks only socialize with other hams. Maybe that is our 'misfit' connection. I have noticed THE ISLAND is more of a cohesive unit than teh zEd will ever be.

I really am not wise enough to answer the "why" part of your question.

[W4RLR]

I call them as I see them, and I abhor political correctness. That has gotten me in trouble twice at the "other place". I may disagree, but I do try to remain civil in the discourse.

I believe in using my amateur radio equipment and skills, limited as they are, to assist the community as needed. I'm a member of SATERN and the local CERT organization, but my truck isn't a porcupine. I like the company of my fellow amateurs, but only in small numbers. Even taking in a ham convention is something I do only in small doses of an hour or so at a time. I attest to knowing a little about everything and a lot about nothing. I'm still learning as long as I'm drawing breath.

[PA5COR]

Paste and copy job blatently from above:
- The encroachment of inconsiderate and rude operating techniques and practices into our digital sub-bands by automated mailbox stations whose very existence and proliferation are encouraged and facilitated by two of the entities above;
- The ongoing turning away from the rules by today's newly-minted amateur, who seems to think it's wholly permissible to operate as out-band scofflaw by day, in-band quasi-gentleman by night.

Had an infraction over "there" based on an unwritten and unknown rule.. seems to be the norm there.
Banned for a day, till the Guy's here stepped in there. ( thanks guy's you know who you are)

For me, it's that I choose to battle several popular and accepted dragons:

Same here, our local Dutch VERON been ruffing up their feathers since i was a member in 1975...

i love to call out the old timers who claim that all the bad operators came along after a rules change. bad ops have always been there. i heard them myself as a SWL in the 70's.
DITTO.

I never wear basball caps, insignia's or anything with my callsign on it.
I do help ham's where i can, putting up antenna's, repairing stuff, helping in lawsuits over their antenna's etc.
Never expect a thank you for it, that is what i am, and that is what i do.

Non conformist, i do things as i see them to be right, i'm not in an popularity contest, i have my rules and believes and i stick to them till proven to be wrong, and if that is so, i'm not affraid to say sorry i was wrong too.

But the, i'm a daft Dutchman.
Nuff said.

It's nice to be here, thanks for letting me in.
;)

[NQ6U]

I'm a misfit ham because:


I don't care about contests or DX awards, although I do get a kick out of making a DX QSO
I like the digital modes more than SSB phone
I think EmCom is a crock, not to mention about the most boring aspect of amateur radio
I only have one antenna on my vehicle
I'm not a conservative Christian
I shower regularly and give at least a little bit of attention to how I dress


And yet, I've never been banned from any Internet forum of any kind.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

I am a misfit in more than one area.
First, think of Family Guy, 2 episodes do justice, the one where Peter decides to become a redneck and suck all the jet fuel to run his 4X4.
The other is where they run off to Texas to avoid the demonic baby thing.
Stereotypes to the extreme for Texas Rednecks.

Next is Ham radio, called this perhaps to cover the massive expanse that is the butt of the average ham?
Nothing like half a dozen talkies hanging in assorted places and another dozen or so radios mounted in the vehicle of transport.

NO, I actually look, well, normal.
If I get really pissed I will dress Mexican or European but for the most part I dress cosmopolitan, some say almost gay.
This "Get dirty" mentality makes no sense to me whatsoever.
I will dig a ditch by hand if need be but much prefer to use a backhoe and challenge myself to make that machine work in tight places as quickly as I can safely operate.

If I do drink it would be with very careful thought as to what I would like at the moment.
I prefer classical music but have been known to sing blues.

I am very cultured and reserved, failing that, I know karate.

[KC2UGV]

I'm a misfit, I guess because I don't own a microphone (Well, I own a couple, but they are stashed somewhere, unconnected). And, that I will voraciously defend the marriage between computers and ham radio. Seems to be a sore subject with many, but I advocate a country-wide digital network, seamlessly connected to the internet, where needed, usable only by ham ops.

Also, the defense of open source in ham radio needs some knights, so I offer that where needed.

As for "looking like a ham"... Yeah, I don't think I fit the usual pre-reqs of what a ham looks like. Shaved head, 0 guage ear piercings, and filled with tats? I think I look closer to a "young whipersnapper" than a ham.

[W3WN]

Well... I've never been one to jump on the bandwagon. I prefer to think for myself and reach my own conclusions. Which means sometimes I'm wrong... but at least I can sleep with a clear conscious.

The windmill I'm tilting at right now is the attempts of a relative handful of contesters to make overall rules changes that benefit themselves at the expense of everyone else. Specifically, the continuing push for "open" logs -- to provide an excuse for snoopy people to snoop, IMHO. But it's going to be a futile effort, since the inmates control the asylum -- that is, the people in favor control the CQ-Contest reflector.

You think certain ZedMods are bad? In some ways, this is worse. Posts disappear without ever being posted, so the apperance is of everyone agreeing with the opinion of the owners/moderators/controllers. Of course, when no contrary opinions are distributed, why would you think there are any?

But... as regards to the assertion, I have never been kicked off of any other internet forum, ham radio related or not. I came here out of curiousity, and ultimately left another place for better shores -- better friends, sandy beaches, cheap drinks, and island girls who look a hell of a lot better in a bikini top and grass skirt than certain induhviduals who get upset when mocked...

[KG4CGC]

This is the standard default facial expression I have. Always been this way. Never even notice it myself.
Hide your wives and daughters.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/BAT%20CAVE/24c020fa.jpg

[suddenseer]

This is the standard default facial expression I have. Always been this way. Never even notice it myself.
Hide your wives and daughters.Ya look like the director of security for an international crime boss (any ceo) on his day off.

[kd8dey]

I'm a Misfit??!!??
All this time I thought I was a dirty ole fart
(honorary member Jr. auxiliary)

[ab1ga]

I don't think I'm a misfit, I'm just visiting the Zoo!

[KJ3N]

What puts you on the outs with the ham radio community in general and qualifies you for "Misfit" status?

1. I'm not a Republican.

2. I'm not a Christian Conservative.

3. I'm not carrying around an extra 50-150 pounds on my frame.

4. I shower on a regular basis.

5. I don't take ham radio seriously and my life doesn't revolve around it.

6. I hate Whackers and have no problem saying so, nor do I have a problem calling them Whackers. If the shoe fits, wear it.

7. I think that testing for ham radio should be made harder, or require a passing grade in some sort of Electronics 101 course. I'm tired of the stupidity. I'm tired of the lack of technical knowledge and the lack of desire to obtain same.

8. I'm not a joiner of clubs or ham radio institutions in general. Yes, that means I'm not an ARRL member, nor do I care for most of what they do.

9. I'm not a big fan of elmering. I learned most of this on my own and expect people to be able to do the same. Open a fucking book and read. I did. What's your excuse?

10. I have very little fascination (actually none) with boat anchors and AM.

11. I hate CW. Always have; always will.

12. I don't bother with FM and repeaters on VHF and UHF.

I'm sure I can come up with more if I think about it longer.

[kb2vxa]

Why am I a Misfit??? If you don't know me by now you never will!

[kb2crk]

Why am I a Misfit??? If you don't know me by now you never will!

you live in jersey, enough said.

[N7RJD]

I call them as I see them, and I abhor political correctness.

What he said.

And for those who think we are only here because we have been shown the door from other forums.
Well, I have never been booted from or even asked to leave any of them. Not even a short time out.
Don't both asking me why I am here, I really don't know. I don't know why I am anywhere but I am and
you all are stuck with me as is any other forum I choose to stop in on so they just need to learn to
deal with it.

[KG4CGC]

I'm here because this place is teh chill.

[N2CHX]

I'm here because most everyone here is pretty cool people.

[N5RLR]

Hell, I've always been a "misfit" in life, in one way or another. In some respects, being Texan only adds to it. :snicker:

I originally entered Amateur Radio for the technical side of things, not necessarily the "people" aspect of it. I'd witnessed bad operators [via VHF/UHF scanners] years before I was licensed; there was a fairly hissy "repeater war" locally back in the late 1980s.

I was once a member of a couple of ham clubs, and even of RACES for awhile; at one point a Radio Officer. I'd to step back from ham radio for reasons financial and work-related. None of the other members bothered to call, write, visit, etc. to ask how I was doing, so this really made me take a good look at what importance ham radio should hold in my life. And so, it's back to "pastime" status, where it is likely to remain. This bucks the current "Save The World®" trend...sorry, but this Don Quixote has had enough of tilting at windmills, thankyouverymuch. And windbags.

Even back when I exclusively ran CB, I didn't fit in. Everyone else was running modified CB and ham gear and excess power that'd splatter all over the place. I kept it clean and legal, mainly because I couldn't afford the extra toys. That made me an outcast. Oh, well.

I've never been kicked off any Internet forum, although I've earned the ire of the-powers-that-be in a couple of instances. And I've held back much more than I've posted. This out of the knowledge that like a ham repeater, what I say in a discussion forum is allowed only at the pleasure of those in control. Just being honest.

So...on the Internet, on the air, or in life, I may be judged. But, I may allow it to concern me, if I have the time to do so and I really feel like it. :stirpot:

But, I'm a nice guy. Just a little more crotchety as I get older.

I'm here for the "ambiance," the different feel from other radio forums. Honestly, I wish there was a lot less pissing-and-moaning about QRZ and more radio-related stuff...but this is just me.

[N2NH]

Lets see... maybe it has to do with some of my nicknames. Like Sick Puppy.

Maybe it has to do with my love of 60s beach movies and farces?

Maybe it's my taste in music. Zydeco, Ska and the Traveling Wilburies?

Maybe it's because I just came in from the blizzard, opened a Pepsi which then launched itself at me at warp speed, fountaining and giving me a bath?

Maybe it's my Dwayne Dibbley* picture collection? (If you can see my hard drive, yes, those are all mine.)

Maybe it's just a way of life?

Dwayne Dibbley
http://i52.tinypic.com/111jew9.png

[n6hcm]

I'm a misfit ham because:


I don't care about contests or DX awards, although I do get a kick out of making a DX QSO
I think EmCom is a crock, not to mention about the most boring aspect of amateur radio
I'm not a conservative Christian
I shower regularly and give at least a little bit of attention to how I dress


i've always been a misfit ... why change now?

so ... everything listed above ... plus: ham radio is not my lifestyle ...

my history would certainly raise eyebrows over there (and it might over here): i've studied to become a teaching brother, worked in the adult entertainment industry, was a bank teller at a branch that was held up four times in five weeks, was once a "model" (not at the same firm mentioned earlier), ... and now i work to support brain research. i can't promise to be as colorful as rudy, tho.

i prefer to speak to adults in an adult tone of voice, and that's why i'm here. i've never had an infraction over there--for a while it seems that i was immune ... but lately i just don't bother and don't care.

[suddenseer]

I have had only one cup so far, thus a bit slow. Me thinks a quantifiable pattern is becoming apparent.:evil:

[W3WN]

What he said.

And for those who think we are only here because we have been shown the door from other forums.
Well, I have never been booted from or even asked to leave any of them. Not even a short time out.
Don't both asking me why I am here, I really don't know. I don't know why I am anywhere but I am and
you all are stuck with me as is any other forum I choose to stop in on so they just need to learn to
deal with it.
Everyone has to be somewhere.

You just happen to be here.

[W3WN]

Why am I a Misfit??? If you don't know me by now you never will!
you live in jersey, enough said.
You have a problem with that?

[W3WN]

I don't think I'm a misfit, I'm just visiting the Zoo!
You're going to a basketball game at the Peterson Events Center on the U of Pitt campus?

[kb2crk]

You have a problem with that?


nope, just stating a fact.......

[W5GA]

I don't see myself as a misfit....I think I fit in here pretty darn well.

[ki4itv]

Misfit? Why??
The SSA and the American with Disabilities Act do not currently accept my sense of humor as the debilitating social handicap it truly is...and I have to get treatments from the least expensive provider available.


:)

[W3MIV]

We've seen this statement trundled out a bazillion times: "The only reason so-and-so is a member of THAT site is that they've been kicked off every other ham forum on the Internet!"

I am evidence that the comment is pure, unadulterated bullhockey. I have been evicted from no site, ham forum or otherwise.

I am here because I choose to be here, not where anyone else may choose to have me or not. I chose this forum because I confess to liking the majority of the participants here. The few rough patches in the path are easily negotiated without turmoil or vitriol. I find the discussions to sometimes be intellectually stimulating and meritorious, and ofttimes to be ludicrously amusing even when they may be bereft of uplifting content. On the whole, the combined intellectual coefficient of this site is comparable to that other as would Voltaire be compared to a slug.

In short, I am content to be labeled a Misfit. It is a badge of rare honor.

I look forward to continuing on here, and I shall inaugurate the new year by again making a modest contribution to the ongoing maintenance of the site. I would urge all of you who share my feelings of good will to consider doing the same. It will be my plan for the coming year to make such eleemosynary debits on a quarterly basis if I can manage to keep BofA and the other pariahs at bay.

[N9FE]

Never been kicked off anything anywhere. Sometimes it takes a group to split away to show those that are so full of thereselves how its done..

[NQ6U]

It will be my plan for the coming year to make such eleemosynary debits on a quarterly basis if I can manage to keep BofA and the other pariahs at bay.

Albi got a thesaurus for Christmas...

[ab3lw]

Can't do it in a PG rated topic area.

[NQ6U]

Can't do it in a PG rated topic area.

You sure as fuck can!

[W2NAP]

you live in jersey, enough said.

joisey!

me, i got long hair beard. i have no prob saying what i think. (even on the radio)

I have been banned from internet forums before.

im not into clubs. or repeaters for the most part. and im not a arrl member and im not into the ecom wackerism.

oh in this state. people think i tawk funny but fuck'em lets get some cawfee

[suddenseer]

Misfit? Why??
The SSA and the American with Disabilities Act do not currently accept my sense of humor as the debilitating social handicap it truly is...and I have to get treatments from the least expensive provider available.


:)Cut out the middleman. Grow your own.

[W3MIV]

Albi got a thesaurus for Christmas...

Albi has a built-in Thesaurus. ;-)

[NQ6U]

Albi has a built-in Thesaurus. ;-)

Albi's too smart for me. I had to get the dictionary out for eleemosynary.

[suddenseer]

Every collection of 'misfits' requires an Albi.

[NQ6U]

Every collection of 'misfits' requires an Albi.

Who would be affectionately nicknamed "Doc" or "Professor." He'd also be the first one to fall prey to whatever dangers lurk "out there."

[W3WN]

< snip >oh in this state. people think i tawk funny < snip >
Here in Pittsburgh, they ALL talk funny. Well, except Myron Cope (SK).

And the natives are quite proud of it.

[WØTKX]

Who would be affectionately nicknamed "Doc" or "Professor." He's also be the first one to fall prey to whatever dangers lurk "out there."


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/captain_mail/root/June06/russelljohnson.jpg

[kc7jty]

Misfitness on my end has little to do with AR. I'm a complete, total, outright whack job with way too few misgivings.

[kc7jty]

And the natives are quite proud of it.

The natives here (about 35% of the pop) sound like Sarah Palin. In fact she was born 40 miles north of here.

[W3MIV]

Misfitness on my end has little to do with AR. I'm a complete, total, outright whack job with way too few misgivings.

We still love you, Billhelm, your evident misfititude notwithstanding. The error would be to think that you are that unique in terms of your misfiticity. It is merely of a different sort.

[NQ6U]

We still love you, Billhelm, your evident misfititude notwithstanding. The error would be to think that you are that unique in terms of your misfiticity. It is merely of a different sort.

Yah freak ;)

[kb2vxa]

"Maybe it's my taste in music. Zydeco, Ska and the Traveling Wilburies?"

Traveling Wilburies eh?
My goodness sakes alive.
I just know your second home
Is smack dab on AM, 3885!

Look out your window
That grass ain't green
It's kinda yellow
See what I mean?

Look up your chimney
The sky ain't blue
It's kinda yellow
You know it's true

(It's so hard to figure what it's all about)
When your outsides in (inside out)
And your downsides up (upside down)
Yeah, your upsides right (rightside up)
Yeah, don't it make you wanna twist and shout
When your slimatron is all blown out

Look down your drain pipe
What color do you see?
It's got to be yellow
Don't try to fool me

[NA4BH]

Why I am a "Misfit"?

They wiped out the "Delete Dupe" thread. Funny how small things work in a big way. Now my money comes here in a much larger way than it ever did over there.

The "DUPE" was family.

[kc7jty]

What the hell is that, a stale piss battery?

[NA4BH]

What the hell is that, a stale piss battery?

:rofl:

[KC2UGV]

What the hell is that, a stale piss battery?

It's a pissoline (http://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/Pissoline) battery...

[kb2vxa]

The slimatron has a long history but briefly (?) it was first demonstrated on air by the (in)famous Timtron, henry one aich yell arrrr. The original was a weird contraption that eventually exploded filling the shack with noxious vapor and covering the New Year's Eve 1969-70 celebrants with pissolene, tripping the mains breaker and putting "Howard Cow Smell" and his blow by blow description of events off the air temporarily. When he returned he could barely be understood over all the coughing and cussing.

Time marches on and folklore grows, one of the legends describes it as a distiller of fluid used as battery electrolyte and fuel for Tim's Cadaverlac, a 70s vintage hearse which served for a time as the piss weak little mobile. Piss weak is right, aside from working 75M AM with his "dog log" continuous load helical wound antenna his 2M FM signal was worse. He overshot the Timonium, MD Hamfest and we sure had a time talking him back in.

Time stands still for no one so now you see it in its present form, a modified 833. As for its function that is best described by the gang on the AM Fone site.

Todd, KA1KAQ:
Having seen that very slimatron in operation years ago, all I can say Jason is - you gotta see it to fully appreciate it. There's no better way to utilize an otherwise pus-filled 833.
If memory serves me correctly, the slimatron came about as a response to some on-air remarks about his operation from Henry-yeL-aR Mountain bl-bl-bl-bl-bl-blYEEEARs ago.

The Slab Bacon:
Quote from: Steve - WB3HUZ on March 26, 2007, 10:36:16 PM

A slimatron produces heavy pissolene. You figure it out.
Not to be confused with light pissolene, which is the natural form of pissolene. The redistilled form of heavy pissolene is far too concentrated to be treated lightly, as it falls somewhere in between toxic chemical and nuclear waste. When it looks like tar, you better run as the slimatron is about to explode!!

[NQ6U]

http://www.w1rc.net/w1rc/Timtron_Invents_the_Slime-a-tron.mp3

[ab3lw]

Because the definition of "political speech" has such a broad definition that its impossible to talk about the gov. on some boards. And anything you say critical of a cop even when clearly warranted gets you labeled a cop hater.

Instead of a long story i put up an avatar that says it all.

And a link that explains it : http://www.pccnews.org/2010/08/north-braddock-police-department-pa.html Theres alot more to that story if anyone wants to hear it, ill start a thread if that is allowed.

[W5GA]

You can start a thread about most anything your heart desires on this board. As long as you don't attack a member personally. Be prepared to defend your positions though.

[KJ3N]

Another example of my "misfitted-ness".

If I was this guy (http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=278022), ham radio would be the LAST thing on my mind. :roll:

Why can't hams go on vacation without taking their radio along? Are you that fscking bored when on vacation? :wtf:

I took an HT with me in 2007 when I went to Las Vegas. It was on for about 5 minutes the day I got there. It never saw the light of day after that. On other vacations I've taken, I've never taken ham radio with me. I never have the time to bother with it. Too many things to do and too many sights to see when on vacation.

[WØTKX]

I had dreams of a motorcycle trip to AK and back.

The rig would definitely be packed.

[suddenseer]

I had dreams of a motorcycle trip to AK and back.

The rig would definitely be packed.So you can check in to the ecomm wacker net?

[W3WN]

Another example of my "misfitted-ness".

If I was this guy (http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=278022), ham radio would be the LAST thing on my mind. :roll:

Why can't hams go on vacation without taking their radio along? Are you that fscking bored when on vacation? :wtf:

I took an HT with me in 2007 when I went to Las Vegas. It was on for about 5 minutes the day I got there. It never saw the light of day after that. On other vacations I've taken, I've never taken ham radio with me. I never have the time to bother with it. Too many things to do and too many sights to see when on vacation.
Well, I don't know about him, but if I was going to Hawaii for "a few weeks" (presumably more than 2) I might also want to take a rig along, just to see what the HF world sounds like from over there.

And you may have assumed that he was going on vacation... it might be a work related trip, I don't think he specified. Heck, when I worked for Chester Engineers, they were working on a water treatment project on one of the islands; don't recall which one now, but unfortunately, they never needed onsite IT support, dagnabit.

I will admit to taking the 2 M HT with me on my last honeymoon. However: it never left the side pocket of the travel bag; I was actually supposed to hook up with a local KP4 I knew from college, but at the last moment, something came up and he was stateside, and I never unpacked the rig. Ironically, we finally did run into another ham... at the airport in San Juan, on our way home, driving the airport shuttle. If I'd turned the rig on, I found out, I might just have gotten us invited to someone's home for dinner. But we were having too much fun, and since my friend wasn't around, I forgot all about it!

[n6hcm]

Why can't hams go on vacation without taking their radio along? Are you that fscking bored when on vacation? :wtf:

i brought a ht with me to london when i was there last. turned it on once, spent the rest of the time with friends, in pubs, and otherwise socializing and enjoying in meatspace. ...

[N8YX]

What goes to Dayton with us every year?

An old Apple laptop bag with the following inside:

- A VX6R and a VX7R
- Speaker mics, flex antennas and extra batteries plus charger for the above
- FRS/GMRS handies plus charger
- MURS handies plus charger
- Cell phones, extra batteries and a charger

If we're in the company of one of our friends who is carrying one of the above, the rigs come along with us...else they stay in the carrier - in the car. On the other hand, the general-coverage sections of each Yeasu can provide a great amount of entertainment "after hours" as all the likkered-up folks nearby our hotel room take to the airwaves...or the streets...and the various Dayton area departments become aware of the fact.

Unless I was DXpeditioning (and deliberately carting a transceiver along), the only thing I would take on an extended (cross-country or cross-border) trip is the VX7, our cell phones and one of the following:

3773