That’s because operators like me, are smart enough to see the value of a good antenna and a microphone.
There’s a Damn sight more to radio than 599. I get to have a rag-chew with DXCC’s such as VK, ZS, ZL and W.
HTH
There’s
No
Such
Thing
As
A
Free
Lunch
Au contraire…
Can’t do it, wont do it, will bitch about it.
It’s OK it’s humourous when they bitch Mikel
Of course not, that wouldn’t be humourous at all!
See, it get’s a bit tiring Brian. But it’s all a laugh isn’t it. 
Care to tell me how long it was between you obtaining your “B Class” licence and learing Morse?
Other way round Mike.
The spelling “TANSTAAFL" is a classical allusion. Well, classic SF. It is from Robert Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”.
Morse? Sigh. I was out of amateur radio from 1972 until 2009 because of the Morse barrier was just too much work. In the meantime, I got an EE degree in digital signal processing.
I made a start on learning Morse this year, but I’m not sure it is worth months of effort. It is insanely hard for me. About as pleasant as trying to do US income tax forms while drunk.
K6WRU
’ activity should buck up in a week’s time!,
What date does Winer Bonus start?
73 Chris M0RSF
In the UK, 1st December.
Yes, I’ll be out pounding brass shortly afterwards.
Sorry no microphone in my SOTA kit 
1 Like
Hello Karl,
Perhaps remember the (for us/time wise) overnight activations. Tonight some VKs which you should be able to work.
Propagation is completely different here in the UK in the early hours.
Of course if you stay up overnight your signal will travel far but you may fall asleep when day comes and lose some daytime activators/summits… 
For me the evening meal, some TV and then to bed.
Now for me the only time I am around overnight is when I am in DXing mode!
Night night
Mike
No, I stand by that, Andy, that’s why we have an SWL section, or you can just lurk and read the quality literature on the Reflector, so no obligation to use any mode.!
FWIW, I got up to ten wpm between passing the RAE in 1962 and getting my B licence in 1964, but I was never able to break through the 12 wpm barrier to get my A licence and eventually stopped trying, it being more fun to operate. I find it amusing that now after a couple of years hard work with the G4FON software (infinitely better than the long playing records that I had in the 60’s!) I can now just about read Tom and Andy but frankly my sending is best described as spastic! I splash dots like I was using one of those hopefully extinct bugs. I get the same problem with a keyboard but hopefully catch all the repeated letters before hitting send.
Brian
My problem too; exam passed in 1970, licenced in 2009 when I discovered that Morse was no longer essential. However, the old legs and back would prefer a lighter load so maybe some QRP CW one day if I last that long 
73,
Rod
Just for the record, what you’re saying is - you passed your Morse exam first and when you passed your RAE, then you were given a Full Callsign?
Nope. In answer to your original question, -20years (minus 20 years)
You were a scout?
Brian
Which “you”? I’ve been a Scout, a Scoutmaster, and now I’m training Scoutmasters in outdoor skills and packing lighter.
SOTA and Scouting seems like a perfect match, but I haven’t managed to get the fuse lighted here in the US. There are at least a dozen summits in Philmont and one in the new Summit Bechtel Reserve. None have been activated.
K6WRU
Behave Brian! I was 9 (maybe 10) and a school friend got a pair of keys/buzzers for Christmas. The code was embossed on the key base. I had a copy of The Boy Electrician which had the code in as well. ISTR each unit had a single cell (U2 size in those days). It took a few afternoons to memorise the alphabet. We played with them over Christmas holidays till the friend’s mother was driven to despair with buzzing. We got taken swimming/cinema if we stopped using them. That would be c. 1969-71
First serious use of Morse was 1990. We had 2 machines that had to talk bidirectionally. Only 1 free signal pin. I was waiting for licence results at the time. Machine 1 sent 256 bits of 1:1 duty cycle that the other used to get timing from, then machine 1 sent the data as hex data in Morse with 1:3 timing in fixed length blocks, then the line direction swapped, there was 256bits timing data from Machine 2 and then the reply. Repeat. Worked a treat. One of them showed 73 on the LED display when you dropped it out of engineering mode. 
First licence 1990.
First Morse QSO on air 1992. Aurora on 2m. GM4 something, need to check log book in loft.
First Morse DX QSO 1996, 5T5LC (Mauritania anyway, suffix may be wrong) on 6m multi hop SpE
Morse test 2002 (or 2003 can’t remember) just before WRC, IIRC. Used it on 40m, followed by no activity till 2006.
First Morse SOTA QSO 2009.
I am behaving! Being a Scout is something to remember with pride. I got my kids into the Sea Scouts, enjoying the irony that in Birmingham you cannot be further from the sea!
Brian
in Birmingham you cannot be further from the sea
Red rag, bull etc. A shocking statement that cannot be left unchallenged.
The residents of Urumqi in China have a strong case in disputing your fanciful claim. But perhaps that’s just me being pedantic, and deliberately taking your remarks out of context?
You just meant in the UK, or in England did you? Well if you did, that distinction goes to Church Flatts Farm near the village of Coton in the Elms in Derbyshire.
Personally, I believe that all of us on here should accept that the place in Britain that is furthest from the sea, is the summit of GM/WS-001.
I thank you.
I humbly bow to my superior in the noble art of pedantry!
Brian
Hi Andy,
If you were a really serious telegraphist you would use a sounder and join the august body of Morsecodians.
Most of us using morse today would not last until morning tea in a telegraphy office. No lunch at all I’m afraid.
However, that’s all beside the point. Our hobby is for personal enjoyment and if someone tries to encourage a particular mode of operation this should not be the trigger for bickering.
If you want to keep pushing the CW vs SSB debate then I suggest a long bracing cold shower is in order. Ah but then that’s what operating in the UK at this time of year is like isn’t it?
If anyone wants lots of SSB and some CW chasing/activating in clement weather come to VK.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
-.-
You clearly didn’t read my comment above then 
. You should have gone portable and set up outside the MOT station, now that is commitment ! Its not like you needed to lug up a 19’S onto a summit after all
There should be more than enough points coming your way in approximately < 72 & 1/2 hrs time, you will probably have difficulty keeping up with them all - enjoy it Karl.
Jonathan.