In a recent incident a ham operator, W7AU, broke his leg while backpacking in the Cascades. He used his QRP CW transceiver to send a signal to another ham 400 miles away in Montana who notified the police. The injured operator was then rescued on horseback because the location and weather conditions did not permit a vehicle or heli rescue. So, morse and horses.. both are still pretty useful, apparently.

It's surprising to see an ex-teacher wear his prejudices so proudly; I suppose this is just his way of letting off steam after a life of forced political correctness. Technical points aside, the one major truth to this video is that all hams are not nice people; they have their curmudgeons and trolls and malicious provocateurs in just about the same dosage as the general population. Burt, K1OIK, seems to have a strange addiction to climbing rocks, which has absolutely no redeeming social value nor any practical use. However, that is no reason to condemn him nor to even suggest that his life is pathetically pointless. No, I really think Burt's just bored and enjoys stirring up anthills. Or, maybe Burt's found a way to make money off his page hit count.

I am a ham operator...I have been since I was 12 years old, back in 1965. Back then, ham radio was totally different than it is now. Back then, I'd stay up all night and work whatever stations I could on CW, and it was fun. I only had a 25 watt homebrew transmitter and an old Hammerlund Super-Pro receiver, but to me, this equipment was like gold. Ham radio matured me a lot quicker than anything else I could have imagined because ham radio taught me responsibility and etiquette for others on the radio. I love to rag chew and I also hate contests since they take over the bands and don't allow ragchewers to make contacts.(why do they need to have so many contests anyway?) I have never run more that 100 watts of power on the HF bands, and the best antenna I have ever had was a three element, tri-band beam antenna on a home made 35 foot tower. When that got knocked down in a heavy storm, I put up a parallel dipole and that's what I use now. I am also involved with HEARS (Hospital Emergency Amateur Radio Service) so that in an emergency, I can help with communications between numerous hospitals. Yes, I am fat, but I wasn't when I got into ham radio. I got fat because I got old....just like most people put on weight as they age. It has nothing to do with ham radio, it has to do with aging. I exercise every day by pedaling my stationary exercise bike for 60 minutes since that is the only exercise I am able to do...not to mention cutting the grass every week in the summer (over 1 acre), and shoveling snow in the winter.( my 140 foot driveway). Ham radio is still fun for me, so I will continue making contacts and enjoying the hobby as long as I am alive. 73's to everyone and I hope that you all are also having fun with the hobby.

You've pissed off a lot of people with this video. Please make more just like it. I can't stand self important ham dweebs.

Hahahaha.... A lot of provocative relativism in here! A lot of humour and exagerration. Or do we hear a lot of frustration or both? Who cares what somebody thinks about VoIP HAM radio at a cosy fireplace, or chosing to sit on the roof in a storm to adjust an antenna? It's a hobby and it is what YOU make of it...

I laughed at the 'CQ DX' comment...I have fallen foul to the operator calling 'CQ DX'. A few years ago, as an M3 (foundation licence here in UK) I heard a Portugal (CT) calling 'CQ DX' after several attempts at a contact with him his reply was 'To the M3 station, you obvioulsy have no idea what is meant by DX' bear in mind he wasnt calling for DX outside Europe, my reply was to the point 'To the CT station, last I looked Portugal wasn't exactly next door to the UK' as I unkeyed the most eloquent of English accents came on 'Oh Bravo Sir...!'

Can't believe I even watched 2 minutes of that. You must be a real hoot at the parties.

I don't even know where to begin. I guess firstly let me just break the stereotype of the sort of unfortunate picture you paint of ham radio hobbyists in general. I'm a 29 year old male, I run a 6 minute flat mile, and my biceps are probably larger in diameter than your neck. I'm also married to an attractive woman. I'm not under any delusion that my ham activities are a public service. In fact, I don't personally know too many hams who aren't into the hobby for the same reasons I am. It's just something to nerd out on. There's a thrill to be had from utilizing your own self contained radio for long range communication purposes. If you don't feel that way, you might want to reflect on why you're involved in the hobby. Some people don't get it, and in fact I get why they don't get it (the whole internet/phone argument). Despite that though, people who are into the hobby understand why there's a difference. I frankly don't care if people understand or agree with my interest in it. I'm not even sure if I fully understand it myself. All I know for sure is the first "toy" I ever wanted as a child was a pair of walkie-talkies and it just never ended. Your video is just oozing with resentment. I can see the equipment on your desk, and the pictures of you and your daughter show that your participation in the hobby goes back quite a while. I'm not sure what happened that caused you to do a 180 and start throwing daggers at other people who are interested in ham radio.. Why do people like anything? There are people who enjoy the technical element of computers and like to tinker with them. Same with cars. People take hobbies to extremes in all types of genres. You also have fat disgusting people who mess with cars, computers, and whatever else. I'll concede that you'll probably find a more than proportionate amount of social and physical "eccentrics" on ham radio, due to both the social and sedimentary nature of the hobby. Some people's motivation for being active on the 2m repeaters (from what I've been able to gather) is to be social. Imagine giving the lonely old guy (who likes to talk) in your area a ham radio.. What do you expect to happen? Also, for the "physical unfortunates" ham radio suits them as well for obvious reasons. Some of us however have a more pure and genuine interest in radio itself. I'm licensed, but I spend more time monitoring HF for various unusual and difficult things. I'm not terribly interested in "making ham radio friends", because I'm not lonely. I have the handful of people who I know and have brief exchanges with, but usually only long enough to get a report back and see how my stuff is working. That's the only point to me. The people who are saying CQ DX are not doing so to be spiteful of people in the US, they just want to make contacts that are further away, and that's kind of the point. I'll tell you what, I began this message with some steam but I'm not really sure if there's a point in going any further. It seems like you have a laundry list of lame grievances that you've bundled together in an attempt to kind of slam the hobby as a whole, but even after hearing the aforementioned CQ DX gripe again in my own head and how bone-headed that sounds, I don't see the point of entertaining it any further.. Oh also, I don't believe your story about the rain coat. And even if that were true, what are you like, tough? I mean to even share that is just so incredibly lame. Was that your big tough guy moment in life? Yeah you really showed everyone in your rain coat that day! How about this for a theory.. You were a crazy bastard in a rain coat on a sunny day! And then suppose someone did tap the crazy rain coat guy on the shoulder, what were you going to do, get into a fist fight at a ham fest? Who's really the loser? Confront that truth..

OK what you say is mostly true, but then again, what's the use of this rant ? If you don't like the hobby anymore, why not just leave it ? Do something which pleases you more, practice whatever fits your current idea of having fun. I'm not a native english speaker, in my language this state of mind is called "désabusé" and it's something i find rather sad.

I'm taking my test this weekend (Tech/Gen), wish me luck. This was an interesting video. I was a commo chief in the Army for 12 years, learned code, worked crypto, RTTY, FM, SSB, MSE, Tacsat, and TA-1 field telephones... I just hope my no-nonsense habits from running Army commo doesn't get in the way of enjoying ham and really being ready to assist others. I have two personal goals - one is to talk to the ISS, and two is to reach Mount Athos with a QRP rig on a mountain top here in NC.

He is entitled to his opinion. I don't understand the personal attacks on the "type" of people that are radio operators. Calling everyone interested in amsteur radio fat is just flaming and obviously trolling for angered responses. If an operator calls CQ for DX it is not a vendetta against domestic operators. If he has the DXCC award then he must have called CQ DX at some point. Everything else in the video was just a rant that was mostly unfounded. If we are trying to generate interest in the hobby this is defeating that purpose. He thinks that he is the measure that we should weigh ourselves against? This was just a lot of whining without purpose. If you have no tolerance or understanding that the random group of people involved in amateur radio will vary widely in many ways, you can choose to stop participating in it or simply avoid what you don't like.

"I was hated by many HAMS and you can understand why" Dude I'm in tears laughing over here! I've worked in the electronics field for around 35 years so I've worked on a LOT of radio repair and in the shops everybody held their ticket with the exception of me but they were inactive by choice and when I asked why they chose to be inactive and it is pretty much for the reasons you are discussing here. When I started monitoring the HAM bands I was kind of disappointment because everybody was too damn interested in calling out their call signs then they were with just talking so to me that was a no no. You do here a few clusters of locals that do actually have a real conversation late at night on 10 Meters in my area but rarely. I do enjoy my SSB on the regular ole 11 meter bands and you see the same good and the bad and the ugly there too so It's a shame that holding a ticket doesn't exclude jerks. I still work in RF but it's for the cable industry now and the only radio stuff I will service is my own gear. Anyhow enough of me gabbing here. I have hurt myself laughing at this video. Good day sir.

When you look for the worst in people or hobbies - You'll find it. When you seek the best - You'll find it. I work CW mostly so a lot of misfits are weeded out - But for the most part the folks I talk to are respectful interesting and enjoyable - It's probably best if you move on to another hobby and work hard to ruin that one as well...

I just sent this video to a ham friend who just told me on the local repeater "Well I'm gonna let you go ..." LOL.

I'm surprised to see this clip still around. Yes; ham radio has annoying idioms and yes a lot of trivia gets handed around but guess what; those folks are enjoying what they're doing not unlike what this "gentleman" is doing with his rant on youtube. I've been involved with the hobby and for the most part that is what it is, since the late sixties/early seventies, was first licensed in '72. I have never handled "emergency traffic" but have been on hand when genuine emergency traffic was being handled. I have built radio gear, repaired gear, often wasted a few hours wind bagging on the air, and actually enjoying myself. Sometimes I don't sleep well so I listen to hams beating their gums endlessly. It's akin to hours wasted watching TV or the Sports channel. Recently we were left without power for a couple days. Since phone and cellphone service is all dependent on the great electric titty, they were out too. What was not out was my vhf gear powered by a trusty backup gels battery rescued from a communication utility. I found it very useful getting local messages out. All I can say to poor burt2481 is please get a life. What we have is short. Try to find a hobby which is not trying to demean and put down others.

Always a "red flag" to me when people become too serious in regards to religion, hobbies, themselves etc.

After 25 years as a SW listener I finally took the ham exams in 1989. With an Extra ticket I volunteered at The Franklin Institute Science Museum station and was a VE. Most of the hams I knew personally were either retired or engineers at radio and TV stations. On the air was a different matter. 2 Meters was flooded with ex-CBers. HF wasn't much better. I don't blame anyone for calling CQ DX. I sold my gear in 1991. I have no love for them, but Hams are a class act compared to the internet.

Burt, thanks for speaking the truth. 20 years into the hobby and I am still using code, still building my own rigs, and AMAZED at the things that go on. Not everyone is like that, of course, but a majority. Thanks for posting.

I total agree. If code and schematics were put back in the exams we would have more intelligent hams and not these no brainers.

VK3CQ here. I competed in three national field days here and won three years in a row, CW, All Bands, Single op, 24hrs. Just to see if it could be done. Also wrote a Morse column in our national magazine for 5 years (Pounding Brass). I loved it and it was a good way to escape from the kids into my shack. Now I still have the shack and rig, but no antennas up for a few years. But most of what you say is very true.

Here is one QSO I heard just yesterday. "Hello. This is x#xxx and thanks for coming back. Your signal is 20 over S9." the other ham said "Hello. This is w#yyy your signal is 5 and 4." The other ham then said...."5 and 4? Is that all? Well then your signal is NOW 3 and 3 and I can barely hear you." I could hear the previous 20 over ham and he was still 20 over S9. Signal envy and pride is rampant on ham radio.

Hands down my favorite thing about ham radio is how butthurt hams on the internet get. Many of whom appear to be overly sensitive, and absolutely foam at mouth for the opportunity to finger wave on others for merely discussing radio mods and hypothetical "having to tx out of band during an emergency". These same guys also can't wait to show off how well they've memorized fcc regulations. Its easy to tell who has a life/goes outside fairly quickly. I mean just look at the amount of dislikes this video has, and he hasn't said a single thing that isn't true! 🤣

Well 9 or 10 years later I will comment again. I have been a HAM now for years I suppose 2014 when I got my ticket. Everything that Burt states in this video is absolutely 1000000000% Accurate. I am not even joking. I have acquired the same exact pet peeves and have taken long hiatuses from the hobby due to just being maximally annoyed.

The "Hi Hi" and "fine business" thing is one thing that i deplore...

How do you explain this and similar comments? "I really appreciated your video. It makes a lot of sense. I'm guessing from the other comments most ham radio operators don't have a sense of humor. "

Congratulations! You've inspired me to make sure I'll never be "part of the disaster", instead of "part of the response". As for contests, I don't do them myself, but are they any less meaningful than a football game? Collecting QSL cards is kind of like filling photo albums with your vacation pictures; you might like to have them, but don't expect anyone else to appreciate them the way you do.

One thing about this guy. He isnt Liein, he speaking the truth

I am a recently licensced amateur radio operator and a lot of what you say is true, I have found. I talk on 2 meters right now because I have limited funds and I want to stay local and regional and I do want to be useful in an emergency. Pride is largely what drives hams to contest. Field days are good for recruiting new hams and for practice for emergencies (at least for operators like me.) Now, for myself, I am working towards building my own transmitter and working QRP. In my mind, being able to work some schlep like me on a tropical island like Easter Island, using a homemade rig using 1/4 of a watt with a homemade key and a long wire antenna from northeastern U.S.A. is just awesome. That`s pure ambassadorship.

Burt, I thought about how excited you must have looked as a young kid with a fresh ticket and thought how sad this video is in contrast, Damned shame

Amateur radio: The hobby of not knowing how radios work, and selling broken radios to each other.

"Hear hear" about contesting, I've never understood why people like it. I didn't get into amateur radio so I could exchange my callsign with somebody who gives me 59 when actually I am probably only 45, it's pointless, a waste of time and most of all completely wrecks the weekend for those of us who don't contest. Contesting is for people who really can't be bothered to enter into a conversation and learn something about the person they are talking to. It would be a great day when contesting was completely scrapped forever.

my favorite is when it a contester asks for my call 5 times and then finally gets it and says 59! like what it took me five times yelling into the mic theres no way I'm 59 lol

Burt, you hit the nail on the head. discontinuing the code requirement was the death blow to our hobby. it was the only thing that kept the rif raf out. we have a bunch of new new hams but they're all CB'ers...80% of the guys are appliance operators..plug and play...makes me want to puke

This came out around the time I was getting back into radio after a 20 year hiatus. I laughed my ass off at the time. Just came across it again and still funny. Love picturing someone picking fights on the air and wearing a raincoat to have a duel at high noon.

How about being prepared for communications during disruptions of internet, cell, and conventional communications? Amateurs who go on field day are practicing for something useful. Here's hoping they stay useless. But what if they're really useful some day? It sure beats playing Candy Crush on your iSlab, as hobbies go.

I love this video. I still watch it once or twice a year for a good laugh. Well done, sir.

10 wasted minutes.

..and exactly what is the point of this diatribe?

You mentioned Field Day.....WHAT A JOKE ! Field Day used to be about emergency preparedness, and how to operate under emergency conditions. It has turned into a weekend-long outdoor DX contest merely to see how many points one can score. Another peeve of mine is hearing "How am I making it into the repeater ?" Well, schmuck, if I can hear you, then you're "makin' it" into the damn repeater ! I absolutely agree on the "for ID" remark....what the hell else is reciting one's call sign for ????? I've heard a few say "for FCC repellent", which is completely nuts.

85% of Germans approved of harming the Jews, that made it right?

If it bothers that lid so much, turn the damn radio off and take up stamp collecting.

Reading the comments....interesting how many haters post - you apparently are striking many nerves here Bert. I watched this vid twice and laughed out loud both times. Was at a local hamfest just this weekend and was telling a non-ham friend about the staggering number HUGE people. And with most of those personal hygiene is not a top priority. Using canes and sporting backpacks they blindly try and push you aside to get a better view of a flea market table - all while not making eye contact. Not one or two mind you - most of them. Zero social skills or even common manners. If this were anywhere but a hamfest I would take offense. But you look around and normal professional, average sized people are in the distinct minority. While I love ham radio, all but a few of my fellow hams are people I would ever associate with. You should do a vid on why that is. Why do so many odd people gravitate to amateur radio? 73 and gud DX. :-)

Remarkably, this is super accurate.

"Then there is the lowest form ham radio operator" the ones that make KZfaq videos bashing other hams that enjoy the hobby in ways that they don't agree with. I'm sure there are plenty of other hams that hold the same opinion of of these lowest hams. And note they are no more or less correct then anyone else...

Wow! You people need to stop taking yourselves so seriously. One man shares his opinion and you act like he has issued a fatwas against the entire ham operator community. Every hobby has its share of participants who poke fun at themselves and the hobby that they and others partake in. It has gone so far that there are people suggesting that he should commit suicide. You're giving validity to his opinion and you don't even know it.

First of all let me start by saying I'm not a ham operator. I do own some radio communication equipment and tinker with it but that's about it. I listen to the hams in my parts and you nailed it with your observations of what the majority/average ham has in common. I always could understand the allure of wireless communication systems but I always fell short on wrapping my mind around this so called ham community. I usually find any ham I talk to very arrogant and holy crap watch out when they find out I dabble with radios and I didn't waste my time memorizing the multiple question database to pass a trivial test. I've never transmitted in the ham band so off into the sunset of fresh fuck offs I send them forth. It's refreshing to see a ham like yourself call the reality of this past time. You seem like the type of guy I'd like to buy a coffee. Keep up the great video posting and take care.

Bert, you are spot on 99.9 % of your stuff. I agree - there are many hams who think because of their wallet , they are better then the rest, which is a sad thing, kinda puts a damper on the smaller station which can have just as much as importance as he, the one with the amp, As we all know the antenna is the real key, not the amplifier. Also for those think he complains, guess what - there are many others on 75m, so he's no exception to the rule.

I've been a ham radio operator since 1970. Ham radio is a hobby, It's fun, esp. contesting.. When it stops being fun I'll get a new hobby. I think this guy seriously needs to get a new hobby.

Lmao this video is hilarious. I'm definitely going to get a ham license now.

Burt - You make a lot of valid points BUT you also miss the boat on some others..... FIRST - TRAFFIC NETS - Lest you forget there's a reason WHY these nets exist. It's called EMERGENCY SITUATIONS where normal communications infrastructure either doesn't work OR is completely non-existent. Disasters & the maritimes are exmples are examples of both SECOND - CONTESTING - These people have neither the time nor desire to engage in ragchewing as long as they're in this mode of operation (This is ESPECIALLY true with Field Day style contest stations). Their intent is to make c ontact with you, exchange info & MOVE ON !!! Now do I like the idea of ENTIRE BANDS being clogged with contesters ?? Not really. But that's the nature of contesting..... I could on but I think you kinda get the idea (And I think I'm running out of characters) so I'll just post this. 73 :) P.S. Note I didn't say 73's above ?? 73's really is SEVENTY THREE'S (Sometimes pronounced with a Z at the end) whereas 73 is just SEVENTY THREE, which is THE PROPER way to say it (Some hams INCLUDING MYSELF at one point, make THIS mistake ALL TOO OFTEN)

I wonder who PISSED in his corn flakes that morning?

Let me sum up this video for yall -Salty man angry about hobby -Insults how ham operators look -Hates this hobby yet has equipment for it around -I'm not sure why this guy doesn't just sell the equipment and find a new endeavor.

You said in this video many, many things I've thought (but never said, lol) over the years. In addition, another beef of mine is volunteering to work some community event where local hams help, like marathons, long distance bike runs, etc. The hams act like they are military, some big belly with a crew cut starts bossing around all the other ham volunteers. Just ridiculous. I still have my ticket, but have been off air for quite a while now. Thank you.

I love when opinions are presented as "truths", and the endless generalizations against hams - too funny. Every group has its outliers but, for example, to accuse every contester of gladly forgoing a loved one's graduation for a contest is just silly. Although there's certainly a hint of truth in many of the statements, to anyone who really knows amateur radio, the overarching accusations say more about Bert than ham radio. As far as the argument regarding Amateur Radio being "service", that's mostly a red herring. The FCC calls just about everything a "Service". It's defined as a service because it is "a system supplying a public need". In between responding to "public needs" hams are supposed to have fun with it, tinker, etc. The FCC itself refers to hams as "persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim... these services present an opportunity for self-training, intercommunication, and technical investigations". Contesters, the target of much of the malice, extend the state of the art by their experimentation with antennas, computers, and networking. The international camaraderie aspect of contesters is second to none. But recognizing anything that "good" is too positive for someone with an agenda. This is rant and a troll for the most part. I'd say Bert was trying to be funny, but that would be insulting to funny people!

If George Carlin had done a comedy bit on Ham Radio, this 9 minute video nails it!🤣

He reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, a little man hiding behind a keyboard.

Excellent. This should be compulsory viewing prior to being allowed a ham licence.

when you asked "Who would want to send a message in this day and age" paraphrasing what you said almost make me choke. How about a family that is sailing around the world and happen to be in the middle of the Indian Ocean, unless you know a secret there is no phone service there so a couple of days after a large typhoon blows through that area a message home to loved ones is a very likely thing to happen. When you say that hams basically talk to much, does that make you a bit a hypocritical since you are wasting words on ham radio talking about wasted words.

I bet its great to talk to this guy on the radio. A real joy for sure.

This guy speaks the truth on many points. I have been to some ham fests and seen what this person is talking about. I personally do not like contesting because if i am going to burn like 1K on a radio, i want to use it to max potential, not just send RF to another country and get a reply and move on to next person. What fun is there in contesting? I want to have conversations with people, not some check in.

This dude is right on, I have listened to Ham radio, these people are the most boring on the planet. Time to get a life.

I can tune up and down the bands and find any number of butt hole operators, 10 meters and that dufus from near Atlanta is perfect proof, or how about the jammers that frequent 40 and 80 meters. However, do we as Hams really need to worry about splitting hairs on how we talk and the lingo we use, seriously ? Come on friend, get on the air and make some QSO's. Fine business eh ? 73's

The truth is that Hams are the worst ambassadors for their hobby. I used to enjoy listening to SW broadcasts during the heyday of the 60s and 70s. I enjoyed the political interchange and the challenge of hearing domestic broadcasts from obscure nations with weak signals. One day there was a ham flea market in my area and I attended to see if there was any equipment available to enhance my reception. While looking at some antenna tuners, some lumbering oaf asked me what kind of transmitter I used. I told him I was a shortwave listener. He then in a condescending tone asked "When are you going to move up and get your ham ticket?" I didn't reply out of politeness, but I thought to myself "When are you going to wake up to the political and culture aspects of the world instead of engaging in idle chat with your good buddies?"

One of the problem with HAMS, is they hoarde equipment, which drives up price, and keeps others out of the hobby. Pick out your favorite transmitter and favorite receiver, keep a second of each as backup as your second favorite, and give away or sell the rest. Give away some of your junkier equipment to kids. That's why there are nothing but old Elmers left in the hobby. Kids would love to set up pirate radio stations. There's that whole space between 7mghz and 20 that is a desert wasteland!

I am surprised this video has not gone viral. It is soooo true! I especially liked the yellow raincoat.

I would love to hang out with you.. You are awesome even my girlfriend says ur right on the money lol.You are my Elmer.........

"I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?" "I'm outta here?"

Answer the question, What did I say not based on fact? Ham radio is so insignificant it cannot "hurt", me. How was my video self serving, support your allegations

YOU EARNED A SUBSCRIBER

listen and look at you, with all your gear, go find another hobby, no one's making you stay, you look like your going through your mid life crises, I've had a lot of great conversations with people from all walks of life you get what you put out, my Dad plus myself and wife, we all have tickets, it was a great way to stay in contact with him three thousand miles away and have something in common, it really was a bridge builder to share and those memory I cherish, I still have tapes of the killer signals we had buddies from many country's, and local, all color, in fact the man who got me involved was a black man, an x marine who worked up at the VA hospital as a cook, W6PW home station! after seven years conversing with these people, they all came to San Francisco, it was great to put an eyeball on all the guys and gal's, we had a great time, during that period 89's earth quake, Hawaii storm on Kauai, those days we did a lot of good service and and if something big happens, the only ones who might be able to get out are the hams. i don't recall all these big fat people you putting down, I'm still 155lbs, a little cognitive dissonance would help you, maybe help you move on? or look at it different! I like short wave radio as well, and either we keep and use the frequency allocations, or we lost them to big corporations, too bad for you! your missing out on the big picture, try stepping away, that might help, I'm 58 i beat Lyme disease, I beat brain cancer, I ride bicycles up to fifty miles a few days a week. don't be so hard on everything, perspective change, which I'm sure you understand, put your indifference on the side, be the bigger man, be the change!. Tony P.S. I have to many good memories, Phone patching the uss enterprise crew till everyone got to say hello for Christmas, Sailboats in distress in the middle of storm, you could hear the fourth foot swells stay with them till i got the coast guard up on frequency, give peace a chance!

From his house you can't see any neighbors. Does this surprise anyone?

Burt, what about the ones that tell licensed amateurs that aren't really hams if they aren't into the aspect of radio THEY are ( CW or non-electronically inclined). I got into amateur radio because I like to talk to people on the radio ... but I've been told I'm not a "real" ham because I don't want to use code or am not able to repair or build my own equipment. Sheesh, you're right about them being like the Wizard of Oz.

Why are hams so fat and out of shape? I've yet to find one one that is normal like yourself.

Ham radio does serve the public good by keeping all the psychopaths and sociopaths that normally would be out in the world doing evil cooped up in their basements yelling and screaming at each other instead. Just listen to 14.313 and you can see this at work.

I've got news for you - that weird insular hobby-obsessed creepiness that you describe occurs in any interest-based subculture. Stamp collectors, gun enthusiasts, joggers, miniature pink porcelain railway collectors, you name it. (And it takes one to know one, as they say). Another thing - you're really broad-brushing here. Maybe the title should be 'Truth revealed about hams I know'. Not ham in general. I'm a ham because ultra-long distance HF propagation has always fascinated me and I want to do it legally. I'm not fat, I don't contest, don't belong to a club or some 'waiting for a disaster' network, and I've never said nor heard this "hi hi" thing. And I know quite a few others like me. Having said all that, I give a thumbs up to the video because I like a contrary voice, I see you trying not to laugh at times, and it always makes me smile when someone pricks a hole in all the hot air that surrounds exclusive little clubs. So hi hi to that. Cheers

Burt: The new exam is so easy an 8 yr old like my daughter can pass it. Truth: His Daughter passed the old exam. Burt: Hams are Fat. Truth: Many American Hams are fat, not the majority of Hams worldwide. Burt: In an emergency ham radio has been replaced by cell phones, telephone and the Internet. Truth: As we know from 9/11 and earthquakes around the globe. The first thing to go down is cell phones and internet. All 3 of them depend on fiber optic lines, if one goes they all go.

When little Miss Burton isn't espousing her fallacies about ham radio, she likes to cross dress as General Patton while having tea and crumpets in her Cape Cod dollhouse and reimagines martial history. Such a snobby, know-it-all little girl she is!

A Ham Operator using a CUE CARD is pretty ignorant. Also, younger kids learn faster than adults, so CW is easy for them, just like learning another language, they accomplish it a lot easier that adults. Stop pissing people off....no really.

Useless nets. Check in and share what radio you're using. Like anyone cares? Great, you have an IC-7851. You spent thousands of dollars just to check into a net and tell everyone what you had for dinner. LMAO

Follow up: I've been listening to several 2m nets over the last couple of weeks, checked in with several, and although they ask for traffic, they never have any. The one tonight had a net operator and two check-ins. All they talked about was the wx. The guy sounded kinda bummed-out. All the while I was thinking "What traffic are they expecting?" I did find a group of guys on in the morning that are far more fun than the "nets".

Hi, For over 40 years working as an airline pilot working HF VHF GPS Inertia systems ,I have never been asked to show my licence, But having to take a radio test in the ham population was a joke, just to convey unless info. pitiful .

I hear you on many of those points, Burt. I got into ham radio as an extension of my love for electronics. I was never interested in contesting. But I see the hobby as one that should be for all different types of people even if we don't all share the same reasons for being on the air. - 73, Jim - WA2WHV

Hi Burt! I’ve been a ham operator for over 45 years and have watched this video multiple times and love it because it’s true. God bless you and 73! Steve (K1KTF)

You know Mr. Fisher, we could go back and forth for all day, and if I lived closer to Cape Cod, we could even get together for a face to face, but lets just leave at this-your entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine.Thats the trouble I have found with retired teachers like yourself, they love to express their opinions but are loathe to listen to anyone else's.Like I said in my previous reply, if you don't like criticism, DO NOT post such moronic videos.

Thank you for all your help to this point Burt. It is very appreciated, and I am almost at my wits end with all my testing meters tube testers and such. Oh just a quick note I do Fly drones, I build them and fly them in races, it’s a blast. I also fly a real plane the family has hangered in Venice. God Bless and thank you so much DOUG

>says more money >holds chinese wage

What gets me is all the guys going on the net with their own bullshit phonetic alphabet. Still remember two years ago when this one guy said "Sugar Queen" instead of "Sierra Quebec" Absurd.

Hilarious! I hope there's a "Truth revealed about ham radio 2"

I agree with about half what you said. I used to skinny, even at retirement I was thin. I had a back disability for about 15 years then after having a stroke the pain that I suffered post retirement seemed to have vanished. Over that 15 year period I gained weight and went from a waist size of 36 to 50. I have been 6'04" most of my life. At age 12 I stopped growing vertically. After retirement though my spine shrunk, the doctor's terminology so I would understand, and at 72y I stand just over 6'-02". I lost 1.25 inches. My injuries from athletics and other ventures are beginning to pop out as I age. Those injuries healed to a point but not completely and now as my body ages I realize I can do as much nor stand as much pain as I did when I was younger. I used to be able to carry 50 lbs or more, yet now I find it takes great effort to lift and carry 25 lbs (the weight of each bag of dog food I buy every other month). Buying 2 bags is better. It requires more effort but I usually can make from car in driveway to food pantry in kitchen and only set the bags once in the 50 distance. I would be one of those FAT hams you see at hamfest, not literally because I live in a different State. When contesting I agree about the RS for phone and RST for CW. That should be omitted from the exchange. I hate receiving a 599 when the station asks me for my information more than twice because my signal is weak, there is fading, or any other non-perfect copy. Some other phrases I hear on phone, mostly above 30 MHz are "let me take a standby". Why ask for my permission? Why not just tell me that you to go for a while. Why phone operators say "QSL?" instead of "Roger"? The fallout... guy says you've p****d off a lot of people with this video. I disagree. Even referring to a group of hams at hamfests as being overweight, a category that I now belong, is not an inaccuracy. But what does that have to do with price of tea in China? There is no weight requirement to become a ham. I see problems with the different modes worked. Less with CW than phone, and even less with digital, but all the modes have problem areas. Most has to do with discourtesy. People treating the frequencies as if no else can use them without another's permission, so QRM is intentionally introduced. Many childish traits are displayed. Sad. This has been my two cents rebuttal. de KB8AMZ

When I was a RM in the Navy, we used to joke about Hamsters.

I worked in a ham shop in1982 (in Indonesia), and, yes, I found out that those people with the 'call sign's were pompous. They looked down on every other people outside their ham circle. I'd been glad to have been able to detach myself from that surrounding (which, now, 3 decades apart) had left nothing to its occupants.

This person is exactly right. I first got my license in 1966. Still have my license but I haven't been active since 1996. Got out of the hobby for the reasons outlined by this person. Amateur radio used to be fun years ago, It is not anymore.

And food truck in the cornhole! This is why we use those hambeviations!

This is what getting old and bitter looks like, folks. I revisit this video every now and then for a chuckle. I promise to stay off your lawn, Burt. Don't ever change.

No. You keep forgetting NA only represents about 30% of the Global ham population and if even 2/3 of them are fat that still means only 20% of hams are fat. Why do you keep thinking that the USA represents all hams?

Vietnam did not end well because Nixon was forced out of office. If Nixon had been in office in England with its lower morals he would have finished his term. I have visited 15 countries but not England as I admire bravery not cowardice.

"Ham radio is not life. - Neither is KZfaq. "Hits is a measure of popularity on You Tube, which means you have little." - Congratulations on having around 1/40th of the popularity of some teenage airhead named Boxxy.

If you call CQ DX in the US and a US station answers they caller will be pissed.

Lol this makes me want to get a HAM radio so I can find one of the shit talkers and invite them to meet me in a parking lot to fight :D.