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[IRCA] UltraLight Yahoo Group or Similar
- Subject: [IRCA] UltraLight Yahoo Group or Similar
- From: "John H. Bryant" <bjohnorcas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:33:43 -0600
Colin mentioned using his fine site for a UltraLight Forum or that he
could assist with the formation of an UltraLight Yahoo e-group, if
there is appropriate interest. I hate to see the UltraLighters
abandon the IRCA list, because it has been great to talk
enthusiastically about something and clearly get excited on line
about an aspect of DXing... UltraLight has been very good for
IRCA.... I know a couple of very serious DXers who bailed outta the
IRCA list because of all of the dead horse beating over IBOC and the
general lack of DX content.... UltraLight has been good for this
list... IRCA has been good for UltraLight, too.... how could this
fun phenomenon possibly have happened without the existence of an
already established on-line community of MW DXers??? UltraLight has
exploded and added to our hobby enjoyment immensely, thanks to the
IRCA list. Personally, I'd hate to see discussion of this topic move
exclusively to some other venue.
HOWEVER, I find the mechanics and limitations of the IRCA list very
frustrating for a highly specialized interest group. The IRCA list
works well for a general DX channel, but it is hampering and
frustrating mechanically for more specialized interests. For instance:
1. There may be a way to search an IRCA message archive to find
message information that has already been posted (like the alignment
procedures for the '59, for instance) but I don't know where the
archive is (if it exists) or how to search it with key words or by
string, etc.... VERY FRUSTRATING and probably my fault. The Yahoo
group format is well known and footers help you get to things quite
easily... I search archives there alla the time.
2. The lack of a group common file area is hugely frustrating on the
IRCA group, though this is probably impractical for a large and very
diverse group. Another Yahoo group that I manage has 100 MB of files
area for the sharing of things like those alignment instructions, the
schematic for the '59, etc. The file area is FREE and very easy to
use and open to all.
3. The lack of the ability to attach files to the IRCA messages
probably makes sense for a general interest group, where one would
not be interested in 75% of the attachments, possibly. With a Yahoo
group, you can run attachments normally. The seriousness of this
limitation was brought home to me yesterday when I couldn't remember
who had physically modified a '59 to have a large circular dial wheel
(using a jar lid !!!) and, of course, I couldn't search for it.I
thought that Gary DeBock had done it and mentioned that on-line. Gil
Stacy was nice enough to contact me off the IRCA group and share
several photographs with me.... Geez, you should see his
fabulous SRF-59 set-up, with a plastic turntable, an optional larger
ferrite bar and everything but the kitchen sink AND a HUGE dial! I'm
mad as hell that I did not see that sooner..... it has really
stimulated my thinking about '59s and other analog UltraLights. Me
not seeing those photos with the original post is directly
attributable to the limitations of a general list.
4. I'm also very frustrated that we don't have a formal means to post
EXCLUSIVE UltraLight loggings.... Personally, I'd like to see weekly
loggings of only UltraLights, posted by individual DXer, not smushed
together in a general "by frequency" list. I was blown away by the
possible Venezuelan catch yesterday... sorry, I forgot who posted
that and I can't search for it. I was also blown away by the fact
that Dennis Vroom already has 50 stations in his UltraLight
log..... Routine posting of lengthy UltraLight logs is probably best
done on a separate channel.
Yet, I don't think that it would be all that healthy for either IRCA
or the UltraLight phenomenon to give up the discussion of UltraLights
on the IRCA list. WHY NOT DO BOTH, at least for a while????
Establishing a Yahoo group, open to all interested parties, would
give us a place to do alla the important cumbersome stuff that I
mentioned above, but we could maintain general discussions on IRCA???
Well, I'll take my soap box and slink off into dawn's early light....
John B.
Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
Rcvrs: WiNRADiO 313e, Eton e1, NRD-535(kiwa-mods)
Antennas: 700' NE/SW mini-Bev, Wellbrook Phased Array (pre-production version)
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