Nice try to shift the blame for your own illiteracy, OM, but the fact remains that you simply can't write.  Why don't you take responsibility for the fact that you weren't paying attention in school, rather than calling someone else names for simply pointing it out?

IMHO, you are taking ham radio 'WAY too seriously!

I can't help you solve your RFI problem, but you might want to learn the difference between "effected" and "affected".  It really puts people off when you use the wrong word.

Would anybody know if it is OK to key a Century 21 with a HAMCO "Carson" keyer (I think it is pretty much the same as a "Scotia"?)?  If they're not compatible, can you recommend a reed relay that I should order, or another method of keying the Century 21?  Thanks.

You AGREED TO the CC&R's!  Stop whining!

Oh yeah, let's all volunteer to help the OF's stay on the air so we can keep listening to them discuss their prostatitis, heart conditions, etc.  You've got the cart before the horse.  Why should a younger ham, who's paying through the nose for Social Security benefits for the OF (which the younger ham is probably never going to get), and when the OF gets MediCare when the younger ham probably can't even afford health insurance, volunteer for the benefit of a well-to-do OF?  It just makes no sense at all.

"I was listening to a QSO on 80m the other night and one of the stations commented that he would like to fix his HF tribander, but he just wasn't physically able to do tower work anymore."

Do you have any idea what the older ham's financial situation is?  Most older hams have a lot of money and can well afford to pay someone to work on their antennas.  The well-to-do older hams that I am acquainted with aren't exactly my idea of a deserving charity, while most of the younger hams I know could use a little extra money.  I say, don't volunteer to help some OF who is just too cheap to fix his equipment.

Sorry, 'RFD, but your original post simply doesn't ring true.  If you really approved of your fellow hams exercising their free speech rights on eHam.net, then you wouldn't refuse to patronize its advertisers.

Art is a nice guy and he is entitled to his opinions, just as you are entitled to yours.  I don't know why Steve Katz would call him an "idiot".  Try listening to his radio show, Steve; it's not what you think. While I don't listen to it too often, I must admit that Art is a very skilled interviewer and his show is rather interesting, mostly due to the ingenious way Art interviews his guests. He's not dogmatic about his beliefs; he will listen to others' opinions and give them reasonable consideration.  And, listening to the CW bands, I can see why Art would think they are under-utilized.  Why is the League pushing to retain the present huge 150-to-250 kc. CW sub-bands at the same time they are trying to outlaw wide-band audio SSB?  The League is the problem, not Art Bell.

I think it is really great that the eHam.net webmasters allow everyone to speak their minds.  I really appreciate having an "edgy" alternative to that boring competitor site, which has banned everybody who's interesting.  

Hee, hee!  I just love it when W8JI advises people how to fix their Valiants.  I print his answers out and save all of them in my "Valiant repair" file.  Maybe someday, thanks to Tom, I'll be able to fix anything that goes wrong with my Valiant.  Thanks, Tom!

AA4PB, I don't blame you for being incredulous, but don't take my word for it.  Read the text of Hollywood's speech to the 1998 meeting of the ARRL's Southeastern Division, where he actually stated that he intended to make this his practice.

Not to quibble, Martin, but the correct term is "self-policing".  ARRL and FCC propaganda would have you believe that this means the FCC should not have to enforce Part 97 because hams themselves will use peer pressure to enforce the rules.  But let me tell you what it really means, and how it really works.  If you don't belong to the ARRL and aren't friends with any repeater owners or net controllers, the term does not apply to you and the Commission will immediately take over enforcement without any "self-policing" by your fellow amateurs.  In such a case, you'll first learn that someone has complained about your operating practices when you receive a Warning Notice from Riley Hollywood, published as a press release in an attempt to ruin your reputation as a good operator, before you have any chance to respond to the charges.  But if you are a League member, or a member of the "in" group of friends of repeater owners or net controllers, Riley will call you up and confidentially inform you, in the name of being "self-policing", that someone has complained about your operation and that you might want to change your procedures, without ever issuing a Warning Notice.  I hope this clears the matter up for you.  

I would enjoy a boatanchor QSO with you a lot, Steve.  I still don't have my Valiant on the air, but did recently install a new Peter Dahl power transformer in my HT-32, so I could talk to you on that in the meantime.  My boatanchor RX is a 51J-4.  73 from California, the land of fruits and nuts.

Yes, KG8JF, I may well have too much time on my hands, but I have the situation well in hand, if you know what I mean.