Re: [IRCA] Censoring ourselves (was KXEL, etc. etc., etc.)

[Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

kevin redding wrote:
> Well, I can honestly say that I have never written an engineer for  
> anything in at least 10 years if not more. I don't QSL because I  
> record everything. Last time I asked an engineer for anything was to  
> run a test when I was with Lynn Hollerman doing the job that Les does  
> now. I do have to give Les kudos though. His ability to schedule  
> tests is better than mine was.

Les is indeed doing yeoman work, and deserves to be paid at least twice 
as much as he's now getting for it <g>...

I want to clear up a misunderstanding here about engineers: I know a lot 
of them. I deal with them frequently in a number of contexts - as a 
consultant to them on various issues, and as a journalist covering their 
industry for Radio World and other publications.

While no generalization is perfect, I can say with confidence that the 
vast majority of engineers are anything but thin-skinned. Most of the 
engineers I know are delighted when ANYONE takes a real interest in what 
they do, because it so often goes unappreciated, even (especially?) 
within the walls of their own stations. I've been consistently impressed 
at how many have opened their doors and given generously of their time 
when I've come calling for a tour. (On the way out to the convention 
last year, there was one engineer in one Oregon market who didn't have 
time to go out to his transmitter site with me, so he actually gave me 
the code to the lock on the gate and to the transmitter building door so 
I could have a look around - now that's a generous bit of trust!)

Most of the engineers I deal with are hams, and many do at least a bit 
of DXing in whatever spare time they can find for themselves. A fair 
number of them first developed an interest in the business through 
DXing. A few are still in one or another of the clubs.

A lot of what DXers perceive as resistance from "station engineers" is 
really coming from higher up the food chain. Like most businesses these 
days, radio stations are increasingly corporatized, and that's put all 
sorts of new strains and demands on engineers. Something as simple as 
getting a new batch of QSL cards printed can turn into a nightmare trip 
through corporate bureaucracy, and it's the engineer who still gets the 
blame when the cards don't go out. Les is quite correct to note that it 
doesn't help our case as DXers at all when the engineer then gets abuse 
from DXers as a result.

My point here is pretty simple: there's no reason for DXers to avoid 
contact with engineers, or to treat them as some exotic species of 
thin-skinned alien who spits fire whenever he's spoken to the wrong way. 
Treat them with courtesy and respect, and understand that they're 
sometimes limited by factors (time, finance, intransigent upper 
management) beyond THEIR control, and most engineers will respond in 
kind. That's not so complicated, is it?

s
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