FAQ

Why this site?

  • Maybe for improving my typing skills? And if everybody else can brag about his/her exploits, why couldn’t I?

Why do I want this site to be W3C compliant?

  • Because if everybody uses the standards life is so much easier. And, sorry to disappoint you, Bill Gates does not set the standards!

Why doesn’t this site look OK in Microsoft Internet Explorer?

  • Maybe because I don’t really care and never checked? First see the answer to the previous question and then download and install a better browser.
    Should you find any incompatibilities with one of those better browsers, please let me know!

Why HAM radio?

  • It’s far better for my mental health than the usual junk all 30+ TV stations try to make me watch at night

What is HAM radio?

  • Have a look [here], last time I had a look there were some 2 910 000 answers.
  • Wikipedia also gives a pretty accurate answer

What is the difference between HAM radio and CB?

  • Now it gets more interesting! A CB-operator uses a small black box, lots of cables and a piece of aluminium to talk to his friends.
    A HAM does the same… only, (most) HAMs try to know what happens inside the black box and the piece of aluminium and some HAMs are even crazy enough to try to make the black box or piece of aluminium themselves.
    The black box is usually called a transceiver and the piece of aluminium an antenna. Transceiver + antenna + cables + … are called a station.

Hey, I heard you can’t talk about religion and politics or transmit music, what do you guys talk about on your radio then?

  • We talk about what happens in the station mentioned in the question above, or, we brag about the performance of the new black box we bought or made…

You also do contests, what is that all about?

  • In contests we usually try to make as many contacts as possible in a certain limited span of time, for example 24 or 48 hours. Is it really communication? I don’t know but it’s the best way there is to see how good our skills are and how well our station (see above) is doing… And, again, it gives us something to brag about. Some of us even get their picture in QST after a contest!

What is this fieldday-thing?

  • Ham-Radio (=amateur radio) is the only fail safe communication system in the world! To keep it that way us radioamateurs regularly have an emergency exercise we call fieldday. During fieldday we set up a radiostation the same style we would in case of a disaster. To make it interesting we also have a contest so we can measure our skills with the other participants. Wikipedia also has a pretty accurate description.

You also go on DXpeditions, what’s the use?

  • If you have never been at the other side of a pileup it is hard to understand this. It gives a serious kick to have half of the world calling you at te same time!
  • We go to parts of the world other people will probably never see
  • It gives us something to brag about, yet again!

I see strange lines on my TV sometimes, is that your fault?

  • Nope, check for crop circles in your neighborhood, it’s probably an attack of the Borg. {Resistance is futile – you will be assimilated}.
  • Seriously, if there’s a HAM in your neighborhood, pay him a visit. Most of us are nice people and we will be glad to try to help you out in solving the problem.

Why is this site in English and not in Dutch?

  • Some stupid commission is changing the spelling rules in Dutch about every 6 months and I can’t keep up with them anymore…
  • “Pour les Flamands la même chose” (If you don’t understand this, never mind, all Flemish people do)

Why is there no hitcounter on this site?

  • Most (freeware) counters are only made as spyware so they jeopardise the visitors’ privacy
  • There are only 2 types of people who care about their number of visitors:
    • 14 year olds – and even if I maybe sometimes act like one, I’m a little more than twice that age…
    • People who make a living out of their website(s) – and, yes, I have a fulltime job and this website is just for (my) fun…

Will there never be a Tips & Tricks page on this site?

  • Wasn’t there a “Bond, James Bond” movie about this topic?

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