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Author Topic: When to take away the microphone?  (Read 17221 times)

AC4BB

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When to take away the microphone?
« on: July 22, 2016, 11:31:49 PM »

   Last few times I've been on two meters there has been an operator that has shown they've  lost the concept of when to key the mic and when to unkey it.  You know to hear the other station you have to stop transmitting a signal.  I don't know if, it's dementia or something else but it causes problems for sure?
  When someone gets incompetent to drive you take away the keys, Should it happen when someone gets incompetent to operate a radio too?

    When you have to keep telling someone to Un-key the Microphone something's wrong.
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DL8OV

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2016, 01:10:28 AM »

Sticking PTT switch?

There's a radio ham back in the UK who I once knew and when it comes to stuff on 70cm and up he's an expert, the 'go to' guy if you have a problem. Well, one day I was tuning around 70cm and I heard a voice I recognized, it was our technical expert who had turned his rig on and hit the MOX switch by accident. A quick phone call solved the problem because he sure couldn't hear me.

There's two examples of what could be causing the issue.

Peter DL8OV
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AC4BB

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2016, 03:35:02 AM »

   No. PTT works fine he's just "Losing his marbles" as they say.  Forgets to unkey.
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W1JKA

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2016, 03:47:29 AM »

As soon as you learn Morse well enough to operate via CW.
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N8YX

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2016, 10:50:50 AM »

Free speech and civil rights...you scary.
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K7MH

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2016, 10:57:40 AM »

  No. PTT works fine he's just "Losing his marbles" as they say.  Forgets to unkey.


Maybe time for a doctors appointment!!
« Last Edit: July 23, 2016, 11:02:46 AM by K7MH »
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ONAIR

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2016, 01:37:10 PM »

   Last few times I've been on two meters there has been an operator that has shown they've  lost the concept of when to key the mic and when to unkey it.  You know to hear the other station you have to stop transmitting a signal.  I don't know if, it's dementia or something else but it causes problems for sure?
  When someone gets incompetent to drive you take away the keys, Should it happen when someone gets incompetent to operate a radio too?

    When you have to keep telling someone to Un-key the Microphone something's wrong.
    It's important to understand that many of today's hams are really getting on in years.  Perhaps it's a hearing issue, Altzheimer's disease, dementia, neurological problems?  Instead of trying to get the poor old chap's license revoked, why not just help him get a VOX set up?
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AC4BB

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2016, 02:01:49 PM »

Notahearing issue within the past two weeks.
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AA4PB

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2016, 03:14:48 PM »

How do you tell him to unkey the mike when he can't hear you because his mike is keyed? Maybe he's got a sticking mike button and doesn't realize it. I've known mobiles to get the mike jammed in the seat and keep the transmitter keyed without the operator knowing it. In the packet radio heyday I've known TNCs to go belly-up and keep the radio keyed. I used a mobile direction finding system to track one down about 15 miles away that had the repeater keyed solid for two days. Poor fellow was out of town. His wife let me go in and turn off the radio.

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Bob  AA4PB
Garrisonville, VA

KJ6ZOL

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2016, 11:03:35 PM »

   Last few times I've been on two meters there has been an operator that has shown they've  lost the concept of when to key the mic and when to unkey it.  You know to hear the other station you have to stop transmitting a signal.  I don't know if, it's dementia or something else but it causes problems for sure?
  When someone gets incompetent to drive you take away the keys, Should it happen when someone gets incompetent to operate a radio too?

    When you have to keep telling someone to Un-key the Microphone something's wrong.
    It's important to understand that many of today's hams are really getting on in years.  Perhaps it's a hearing issue, Altzheimer's disease, dementia, neurological problems?  Instead of trying to get the poor old chap's license revoked, why not just help him get a VOX set up?

It could simply be a very old rig with VOX issues, such as a sticking relay. In the era before HT's became all the rage, 2m base stations were all the rage. A local radio club uses a big, old Kenwood 2m rig to monitor their repeater on Field Day. I believe that it has a separate plug-in mike, unlike a HT. Old PTT external mikes can and do quit. And then there's the relays, having owned a 1980-era Kenwood I know that the relays can up and die in them. My TS130 finally blew the entire RF board, and in that situation when I keyed up in SSB my watt meter would peg at 70w. Absolutely no modulation. So, old ham, old equipment.
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KD8IIC

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2016, 12:00:57 AM »

 Some how he missed this point during his Ham-In-A-Day course.
 I don't find Lids, Drunks and Phonetics hacks when I'm doing CW.
 So happy I made myself learn Morse.  VY 73  from lane.  de n8aft  sk  ..  :)
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AC4BB

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2016, 02:00:51 AM »

   Last few times I've been on two meters there has been an operator that has shown they've  lost the concept of when to key the mic and when to unkey it.  You know to hear the other station you have to stop transmitting a signal.  I don't know if, it's dementia or something else but it causes problems for sure?
  When someone gets incompetent to drive you take away the keys, Should it happen when someone gets incompetent to operate a radio too?

    When you have to keep telling someone to Un-key the Microphone something's wrong.
    It's important to understand that many of today's hams are really getting on in years.  Perhaps it's a hearing issue, Altzheimer's disease, dementia, neurological problems?  Instead of trying to get the poor old chap's license revoked, why not just help him get a VOX set up?

It could simply be a very old rig with VOX issues, such as a sticking relay. In the era before HT's became all the rage, 2m base stations were all the rage. A local radio club uses a big, old Kenwood 2m rig to monitor their repeater on Field Day. I believe that it has a separate plug-in mike, unlike a HT. Old PTT external mikes can and do quit. And then there's the relays, having owned a 1980-era Kenwood I know that the relays can up and die in them. My TS130 finally blew the entire RF board, and in that situation when I keyed up in SSB my watt meter would peg at 70w. Absolutely no modulation. So, old ham, old equipment.

   On a fairly new rig,  No VOX, No relays.    Old ham yeah, old equipment no.
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N1FM

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2016, 01:19:26 PM »

Perhaps it's a hearing issue, Altzheimer's disease, dementia, neurological problems? 

Drugs, alcohol, mental illness, incompetence, rudeness, deliberate trolling.

You name it; it's out there.
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K8AXW

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2016, 09:53:59 PM »

I have a difficult time going along with the "sticking(y) key thing.  Every rig I own, VHF or HF has an indicator of some sort.  Then there is the "dead radio" if the right doesn't revert back to the receive mode.

I think there is something else going on here.  If he does ever give his call, how about telephone call to ask he what his problem is?

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A Pessimist is Never Disappointed!

KB0TXC

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RE: When to take away the microphone?
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2016, 05:12:27 AM »

All I will say in this situation is that if it is an organic problem with the operator, (such as dementia or something like that) then try not to be angry at them, but do try to get his or her care taker to at least monitor their usage of the radio.

If on the other hand, it is like a situation here in Kansas City a few years ago when there was one particular soul  who would get drunk as a skunk and tie up the old 82 repeater for hours with monolog (now SK... his liver turned to concrete), then that is when legal action is warranted.

Best,

Joe KB0TXC
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