Re: [chirp_users] chirp_users Digest, Vol 111, Issue 15
Not to interrupt this fascinating discussion on who owns csv files, but to get back to the point . . . As one respondent correctly pointed out, ham radio is supposed to require some technical attitude. I think that's true, and that it is a good thing for the hobby. However, my opinion is that the difficulty of interfacing with and programming radios exists because the process is fundamentally overcomplicated and cumbersome, not because it requires more skill than some hams have. It's just a bad model for how to accomplish the process, and we all know it hurts the hobby by discouraging new hams. By comparison, I could buy a $50 burner phone and a $5 USB cord and interface that phone with any modern computer system to transfer data. Plug and play. Middle school kids build $30 raspberry pi systems that log weather, track motion, and do all kinds of cool things. But to program a $1,000 radio I have to search eBay for a cable, locate drivers somewhere in the bowels of the internet, and then download an image from the device. Honestly ask yourself this, if you had to do all these steps in order to get music downloaded on your phone how many people would just say, "heck no, it isn't worth it!" Probably a lot. Ham radio is all about finding challenges; that's true. But if the hobby is going to survive long term there has to be accessible avenues to at least get started in the hobby. HT and mobile rigs can't be using 80's tech forever, or it will make us look like dinosaurs, and keep new hams away. Let them build radios from kits, terminate cables, and make homebrew vacuum tubes from bubble gum and shot glasses when they get more advanced. Brandon
It actually used to be that hard to get music on a device. It's only been made easier because there is a critical mass willing to pay for it.
On 3/23/2018 2:59 PM, Brandon Clark wrote:
Not to interrupt this fascinating discussion on who owns csv files, but to get back to the point . . . As one respondent correctly pointed out, ham radio is supposed to require some technical attitude. I think that's true, and that it is a good thing for the hobby. However, my opinion is that the difficulty of interfacing with and programming radios exists because the process is fundamentally overcomplicated and cumbersome, not because it requires more skill than some hams have. It's just a bad model for how to accomplish the process, and we all know it hurts the hobby by discouraging new hams. By comparison, I could buy a $50 burner phone and a $5 USB cord and interface that phone with any modern computer system to transfer data. Plug and play. Middle school kids build $30 raspberry pi systems that log weather, track motion, and do all kinds of cool things. But to program a $1,000 radio I have to search eBay for a cable, locate drivers somewhere in the bowels of the internet, and then download an image from the device. Honestly ask yourself this, if you had to do all these steps in order to get music downloaded on your phone how many people would just say, "heck no, it isn't worth it!" Probably a lot. Ham radio is all about finding challenges; that's true. But if the hobby is going to survive long term there has to be accessible avenues to at least get started in the hobby. HT and mobile rigs can't be using 80's tech forever, or it will make us look like dinosaurs, and keep new hams away. Let them build radios from kits, terminate cables, and make homebrew vacuum tubes from bubble gum and shot glasses when they get more advanced. Brandon
chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to trevor@holyoak.com at trevor@holyoak.com To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@intrepid.danplanet.com
Do not all radio manufacturers, or their dealers, have programming cables for sale?
Or is it just that most amateurs are too tight to buy the cable that goes with the radio and want everything on the cheap?
I would suggest that the driver issue is one for your operating system supplier, Linux seems to support them all "out of the box".
On 23 March 2018 at 16:59 Brandon Clark kl7bsc@gmail.com wrote:
Not to interrupt this fascinating discussion on who owns csv files, but to get back to the point . . . As one respondent correctly pointed out, ham radio is supposed to require some technical attitude. I think that's true, and that it is a good thing for the hobby. However, my opinion is that the difficulty of interfacing with and programming radios exists because the process is fundamentally overcomplicated and cumbersome, not because it requires more skill than some hams have. It's just a bad model for how to accomplish the process, and we all know it hurts the hobby by discouraging new hams. By comparison, I could buy a $50 burner phone and a $5 USB cord and interface that phone with any modern computer system to transfer data. Plug and play. Middle school kids build $30 raspberry pi systems that log weather, track motion, and do all kinds of cool things. But to program a $1,000 radio I have to search eBay for a cable, locate drivers somewhere in the bowels of the internet, and then download an image from the device. Honestly ask yourself this, if you had to do all these steps in order to get music downloaded on your phone how many people would just say, "heck no, it isn't worth it!" Probably a lot. Ham radio is all about finding challenges; that's true. But if the hobby is going to survive long term there has to be accessible avenues to at least get started in the hobby. HT and mobile rigs can't be using 80's tech forever, or it will make us look like dinosaurs, and keep new hams away. Let them build radios from kits, terminate cables, and make homebrew vacuum tubes from bubble gum and shot glasses when they get more advanced. Brandon _______________________________________________ chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to Nigel Gunn, W8IFF at nigel@ngunn.net To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@intrepid.danplanet.com
Nigel A. Gunn, 1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA. tel +1 937 825 5032 Amateur Radio G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF 9H3GN), e-mail nigel@ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net Member of ARRL, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548, Flying Pigs QRP Club International #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691, GCARES, EAA382.
That is a good point, actually. I haven't had any more difficulty using my Baofeng cable with Windows than I have with any other plug in device. In fact, I've had more problems getting an ADB connection working between Android devices and Windows.
And upgrading my Yaesu FT-991 isn't much different from doing a BIOS upgrade on a PC. But I understand that not everyone has had such experience.
On 3/23/2018 3:24 PM, Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF wrote:
Do not all radio manufacturers, or their dealers, have programming cables for sale?
Or is it just that most amateurs are too tight to buy the cable that goes with the radio and want everything on the cheap?
I would suggest that the driver issue is one for your operating system supplier, Linux seems to support them all "out of the box".
On 23 March 2018 at 16:59 Brandon Clark kl7bsc@gmail.com wrote:
Not to interrupt this fascinating discussion on who owns csv files, but to get back to the point . . . As one respondent correctly pointed out, ham radio is supposed to require some technical attitude. I think that's true, and that it is a good thing for the hobby. However, my opinion is that the difficulty of interfacing with and programming radios exists because the process is fundamentally overcomplicated and cumbersome, not because it requires more skill than some hams have. It's just a bad model for how to accomplish the process, and we all know it hurts the hobby by discouraging new hams. By comparison, I could buy a $50 burner phone and a $5 USB cord and interface that phone with any modern computer system to transfer data. Plug and play. Middle school kids build $30 raspberry pi systems that log weather, track motion, and do all kinds of cool things. But to program a $1,000 radio I have to search eBay for a cable, locate drivers somewhere in the bowels of the internet, and then download an image from the device. Honestly ask yourself this, if you had to do all these steps in order to get music downloaded on your phone how many people would just say, "heck no, it isn't worth it!" Probably a lot. Ham radio is all about finding challenges; that's true. But if the hobby is going to survive long term there has to be accessible avenues to at least get started in the hobby. HT and mobile rigs can't be using 80's tech forever, or it will make us look like dinosaurs, and keep new hams away. Let them build radios from kits, terminate cables, and make homebrew vacuum tubes from bubble gum and shot glasses when they get more advanced. Brandon _______________________________________________ chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to Nigel Gunn, W8IFF at nigel@ngunn.net To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@intrepid.danplanet.com
Nigel A. Gunn, 1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA. tel +1 937 825 5032 Amateur Radio G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF 9H3GN), e-mail nigel@ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net Member of ARRL, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548, Flying Pigs QRP Club International #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691, GCARES, EAA382.
chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to trevor@holyoak.com at trevor@holyoak.com To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@intrepid.danplanet.com
I also don't know what all the fuss is about. My son gave me and his brother UV-5R's for Christmas and after I got my cable off Amazon I was good to go on Windows 10.
As a side note, I am ready to take my technician test. April 12th. Wish me luck.
I hope to get this vanity call sign. WB3HAM. I am a musician and play the HAMmond B3.
And I just bought a Heathkit GR-91 of eBay, which was my childhood receiver as a Novice WN9BOQ.
Dennis M. Wage
245 Corum Hill Road Castalian Springs, TN 37031 (615) 310-4242 Cell (615) 562-5128 Home http://hammondb3organ.net http://overdubs.net
On Fri, Mar 23, 2018 at 4:50 PM, Trevor Holyoak trevor@holyoak.com wrote:
That is a good point, actually. I haven't had any more difficulty using my Baofeng cable with Windows than I have with any other plug in device. In fact, I've had more problems getting an ADB connection working between Android devices and Windows.
And upgrading my Yaesu FT-991 isn't much different from doing a BIOS upgrade on a PC. But I understand that not everyone has had such experience.
On 3/23/2018 3:24 PM, Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF wrote:
Do not all radio manufacturers, or their dealers, have programming cables for sale?
Or is it just that most amateurs are too tight to buy the cable that goes with the radio and want everything on the cheap?
I would suggest that the driver issue is one for your operating system supplier, Linux seems to support them all "out of the box".
On 23 March 2018 at 16:59 Brandon Clark kl7bsc@gmail.com kl7bsc@gmail.com wrote:
Not to interrupt this fascinating discussion on who owns csv files, but to get back to the point . . . As one respondent correctly pointed out, ham radio is supposed to require some technical attitude. I think that's true, and that it is a good thing for the hobby. However, my opinion is that the difficulty of interfacing with and programming radios exists because the process is fundamentally overcomplicated and cumbersome, not because it requires more skill than some hams have. It's just a bad model for how to accomplish the process, and we all know it hurts the hobby by discouraging new hams. By comparison, I could buy a $50 burner phone and a $5 USB cord and interface that phone with any modern computer system to transfer data. Plug and play. Middle school kids build $30 raspberry pi systems that log weather, track motion, and do all kinds of cool things. But to program a $1,000 radio I have to search eBay for a cable, locate drivers somewhere in the bowels of the internet, and then download an image from the device. Honestly ask yourself this, if you had to do all these steps in order to get music downloaded on your phone how many people would just say, "heck no, it isn't worth it!" Probably a lot. Ham radio is all about finding challenges; that's true. But if the hobby is going to survive long term there has to be accessible avenues to at least get started in the hobby. HT and mobile rigs can't be using 80's tech forever, or it will make us look like dinosaurs, and keep new hams away. Let them build radios from kits, terminate cables, and make homebrew vacuum tubes from bubble gum and shot glasses when they get more advanced. Brandon _______________________________________________ chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to Nigel Gunn, W8IFF at nigel@ngunn.net To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@ intrepid.danplanet.com
Nigel A. Gunn, 1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA. tel +1 937 825 5032 <(937)%20825-5032> Amateur Radio G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF 9H3GN), e-mail nigel@ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net Member of ARRL, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548, Flying Pigs QRP Club International #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691, GCARES, EAA382.
chirp_users mailing listchirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.comhttp://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users
This message was sent to trevor@holyoak.com at trevor@holyoak.com To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@intrepid.danplanet.com
chirp_users mailing list chirp_users@intrepid.danplanet.com http://intrepid.danplanet.com/mailman/listinfo/chirp_users This message was sent to Dennis Wage at dwage@dwage.com To unsubscribe, send an email to chirp_users-unsubscribe@ intrepid.danplanet.com
participants (4)
-
Brandon Clark -
Dennis Wage -
Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF -
Trevor Holyoak