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Randy,

 RS> I forgot about how annoying that was. "I'm sorry, Never Getting
 RS> Three Meals A Day, I can't copy your callsign." *eyeroll*

  One local ham, KG5YZP, said his "Friends" gave him the suffix of
"Your Zipper Protruding". His reply: "Well played, sir" (hi hi).

 DS> 2) Stations not following directions of net control.

 RS> This one is probably the one that makes me want to turn the rig
 RS> off most. And it's ALWAYS the same repeat offenders. Kills any
 RS> momentum you have going.

  I flunked handwriting in grade school, and I had trouble following
directions. Confession is good for the soul, so that way, I won't get
a lump of coal next Christmas (hi hi).

 DS> 4) Stations saying "you're not a ham if you don't do CW".
 DS> 6) Stations saying "internet radio is not ham radio".

 RS> This ties into your commentary below, and I'll get to it
 RS> (eventually).

 DS> "We are communicators FIRST, and hams SECOND".

 RS> I just recently saw this for the first time about a week ago. I
 RS> instantly fell in love with it.

  That was from an article years ago in QST, that highlighted "The
Six Meter Millennium Net", based out of New York State. The net is
no more, and most of the hams involved with it, have gotten out of
the hobby, or are silent keys. What that FCC official stuck with me
as well. The net operated on 6 meters RF, and on Echolink.

 RS> I couldn't have put this any better myself. Amateur radio is a
 RS> collection of hobbies that make a bigger hobby. There's
 RS> absolutely something in it for everyone, and not everything
 RS> amateur radio is "radio." There's nothing wrong with being a
 RS> "purist" (whatever that might mean), but calculating the best
 RS> way to dull someone else's shine isn't a test question I
 RS> remember.

  Exactly. Besides, if you can't get on the air, why bother to get
licensed in the first place??

  A few years ago, I was on the air (internet radio, but I don't recall
which mode I was on), and there was this elderly gentleman who was so
distraught. He had been a ham much of his life, RF all the way. However,
due to health and other issues, he had to move into an assisted living
center, and thought he'd have to quit a hobby that he loved so much. 

  I got into a QSO with him, and told him that you can still get on the
air with certain smartphone apps, or devices, and all you need is a copy
of your license to the mode administrators, and a Wi-fi connection. The
tears of despair turned to tears of joy, and he was thanking me profusely.
I told him that I was basically in the same boat, so I understood the
dilemma he was in. 

  At the ham radio license exam sessions that I do, I tell the examinees
that "If you have the monetary and property resources to purchase and put
up a dream RF station, chat with these other Volunteer Examiners (VE's).
But, if you are on a fixed income, in an area where you can NOT have the
ultimate antenna farm and ham radio station, or you are where RF is NOT
allowed (i.e. medical/assisted living facility), or you have a medical
device that could be negatively impacted by RF, then *I* am the person
you need to talk to". 

  I have prepared both a PowerPoint Presentation, and a PDF file on 
"Operating Internet Radio". I cover modes such as:

1) Echolink and Echolink Web - originally done by Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD,
it's a desktop app for your computer, laptop, or tablet...or an app for
your smartphone. Echolink Web uses your web browser to access a proxy
server (just as the smartphone app does). You have the following types
of stations:

A) Single User Nodes (noted by callsign only)
B) Simplex Links (noted by a -L after the callsign)
C) Repeater Links (noted by a -R after the callsign)
D) Conference Servers (noted with an asterisk on either side of the name.
The latter allows for a much larger group of connections.

2) CQ200 - developed by Doug Cormac, VE3EFC, originally CQ100, this works
via a link on your web browser for your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your
smartphone. It simulates operation of voice and digital (CW, PSK31, etc.)
on portions of 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters, in a "virtual ionosphere".
Usage is $39 per year, and is FREE from 0000 to 2359 UTC on Sunday. First
time users get a 90 day free trial.

3) Blue DV - Developed by David Grootendorst, PA7LIM, with either a ThumbDV
from Northwest Digital Radio, or a DV Megastick 30 from Gigaparts, you can
access D-Star, DMR, Fusion, and NXDN, as well as send/receive APRS messages.

4) SharkRF - The OpenSpot 4 Pro, and the M1KE do basically the same thing,
except the M1KE allows Allstar and Echolink Connections.

5) RMS Express - a desktop application (shareware) to send a receive
email messages via Winlink 2000. 

6) D-Rats - originally developed by Dan Smith, KK7DS, this allows real time
chat on "ratflectors" and sending of emails or other items to users when
they connect.

7) Packet - Via the Outpost program, developed by Jim Obenhofer, KN6PE, it
allows you to send and receive messages via packet, either via RF or telnet.
I have prepared a separate PDF file on how to connect to the NS2B BBS in
Penfield, New York, along with "The PCL Net" most Monday evenings. It offers
both RF and telnet access.

8) APRS -- using the APRSIS32 program for Windows, or the APRSDroid app for
smartphones, you can send/receive messages via APRS. While the programs are
free, they're no longer being developed. However, you have to request a key
to send/receive messages. Note that sometimes, the APRSIS32 program won't
receive or send traffic from certain stations. This is where the BlueDV
program comes in...with your callsign, followed by the SSID of "G" (my APRS
options are at N5VLZ-10 or N5VLZ-G). Your data will show up on aprs.fi

These are available at http://www.wx4qz.net/elk.htm -- the hyperlink off of
my QRZ bio. While that has a former callsign, and my main email has a former
callsign...I couldn't justify the time and the cost to manually change over
1000 HTML and other files, never mind coughing up new security and website
domain fees.

73,

Daryl, N5VLZ

... RIGOR MORRIS: The cat is dead.
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