QRZ! Ham Radio 3/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 3.iso/digests/infoham/931287.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-06-04 | 29KB

Date: Sat, 30 Oct 93 01:30:06 PDT
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: Info-Hams Digest V93 #1287
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Sat, 30 Oct 93       Volume 93 : Issue 1287

Today's Topics:
                            BAUD VS BAUDS
                      Contact with Space Shuttle
            German new Zip Codes(?) QSLing and Greenstamps
         handhelds (was: Questions regarding CTCSS, DTMF ???)
             How to monitor police digital communications
                  Is the band dead -- or nobody on?
                        MOTOROLA PRESS RELEASE
                           Spread Spectrum
                    Tom McMullen, W1SL, Silent Key
          Was 'Vanity' Call Signs, now paying for call signs

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1993 22:29:28 -0400
From: newsflash.concordia.ca!altitude!altitude![e-mail]
Subject: BAUD VS BAUDS
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (The QRPer) writes:

>From article <2ajofp$[e-mail]>, by [e-mail] (Matthew B Cravit):
>> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Roy) writes:
>>>IS THE TERM BAUD LIKE MOST PEOPLE USE OR IS IT BAUDS LIKE THE ARRL FOLKS
>>>USE?
>>
>> As I have always used it (as a computer person soon to hopefully be a
>> technician-class ham), I have always said "baud" as a synonym for
>> "bps" or bits-per-second. It would seem that "bauds" would be like
>> bits per second^2, or a measurement of the change in the transmission
>> speed of data. Of course, I may be wrong.
>>

>Actually, a baud is a SYMBOL per second.  In a binary system, that is
>the same as a bit per second.  If you transmit more than one bit per
>symbol, a baud does not equal a bit per second.  Such is the case for
>V.32 (9600 bps) modems which transmit at a rate of 2400 bauds
>(+/- 0.01%).

>Again, "baud" if you're speaking about one, "bauds" if you're speaking
>about more than one.

>73,
>Bob K2PH

>--
>----------------------------------------------------
>Bob Schreibmaier K2PH  | UUCP:     ...!att!mtdcr!bob
>AT&T Bell Laboratories | Internet: [e-mail]
>Middletown, N.J. 07748 | ICBM:     40o21'N, 74o8'W

Close, but not quite.  Baud is the number of cycles per second, ie: 1200
baud means that the signal goes through 1200 cycles per second.  That,
however is NOT the bits per second, since you can have more than one bit
per cycle.  9600bps modems are actually 2400 baud modems with 4 bits per
cycle.  It is more apropriate to talk about bits per second than baud.


--
======================================================================
Marc Lombart                            T'is better to debate without
Internet: [e-mail]         Resolution, than to resolve
Compuserve 70702,1603                   Without debate.

------------------------------

Date: 28 Oct 1993 17:00:24 GMT
From: spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!xlink.net!scsing.switch.ch!swidir.switch.ch!epflnews!tcommac2.epfl.ch![e-mail]
Subject: Contact with Space Shuttle
To: [e-mail]

Hi there,

Can anybody tell me what equipment is needed to make 2-way contacts with
the space shuttle ? (I mean by that how many elements in the antenna and
what power)

Apart from automatic packet operation, I am wondering what time (UTC) of
day the probability is higher to hear phone QSOs. I suppose the crew has
a more or less regular "daily" schedule.

Thanks
Rasti

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rasti SLOSIAR                            I Telephone : [phone]
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne I Telefax   : [phone]
Batiment ELD, Laboratoire TCOM           I Telex     : 454 062 EPFE CH
Electricite                              I E-mail    : [e-mail]
CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland            I HF Calls  : HB9IIL,
ex.OK8APE,VK2GOU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------ X.400 : S=slosiar; OU=elde; O=epfl; PRMD=switch; ADMD=arcom; C=ch
------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rasti SLOSIAR                            I Telephone : [phone]
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne I Telefax   : [phone]
Batiment ELD, Laboratoire TCOM           I Telex     : 454 062 EPFE CH
Electricite                              I E-mail    : [e-mail]
CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland            I HF Calls  : HB9IIL,
ex.OK8APE,VK2GOU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------ X.400 : S=slosiar; OU=elde; O=epfl; PRMD=switch; ADMD=arcom; C=ch
------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 12:47:27 CET
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!xlink.net!math.fu-berlin.de!uni-paderborn.de!urmel.informatik.rwth-aachen.de!gmd.de!dearn!esoc![e-mail]
Subject: German new Zip Codes(?) QSLing and Greenstamps
To: [e-mail]

Don't worry too much about the new postal codes in DL land.

Just keep on using the old ones until you have the new codes.

Mail may be slightly delayed, though, but what is a day or two?
In an interview earlier this year, on the occassion of the
introduction of the new postal codes as of July 1st, 1993,
the German PTT minister stated that all mail using old codes
will still be delivered, although sorting by hand may be required
causing delays.

73 and keep on mailing,
Wolf.
DL3ZBJ, AB6EL, VK6BGV (just back from airing this callsign for
four beautiful weeks)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1993 19:38:04 GMT
From: mcsun!sun4nl!relay.philips.nl!philica![e-mail]
Subject: handhelds (was: Questions regarding CTCSS, DTMF ???)
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Dan Romanenko) writes:
>I understand the crossband repeat terms, but what does "full duplex
>cross band operation" mean?
>I'll take a stab at it (tell me how far off I am :) This allows the
>HT to receive a signal on 14x and re-transmit it on 44x, and any
>signal received on 44x be re-transmitted on 14x.

This misfeature behaves as you describe. I am not very thrilled by it,
because it allows for unidentified 'holes': you could per accident
send on another frequency because you just might trip on one (happened
to me several times), and because this 'repeater' does not ID, it is
very difficult to trace.

Also, handhelds these days are not made for high-duty service. This means
that the power amplifier runs very hot if you transmit for a long while.
This is not a problem for a HANDheld (if you can't hold it, it's time to
go QRT for a while.. 'bio-dynamic transmission time limiter'), but in
repeater mode you could damage the unit running it this hot.

>Another question: This unit can operate with two frequencies in the same
>band (e.g. UHF + VHF, VHF + VHF, and UHF + UHF). How important / useful
>is this? Although not mentioned, can the unit do an in-band (correct
>terminology?) repeat?

In-band repeat probably won't work because the transmitter noise will block
the receiver. For a 'real' repeater, one needs some fair large filters..

>In the VHF freqs. it lists the RX as 118 - 173.9995 Mhz, TX 144 - 147.9995
>Mhz. What can you hear in the 118 - 144 and 148 - 173 Mhz ranges?

All kinds of non-amateur services can be heard there. Think of the rig
as some kind of scanner
I personally find it a disadvantage. The wide-band receive, conbined with
the high sensivity required by the amateur market, will cause intermodulation
problems, even with lower field strengths. And, looking at recent USENET
discussions, intermod is a problem for most rigs these days.
Well, I am afraid you cannot choose because all hamradio handhelds have
a wide receiver input. It is cheaper that way.

>Memory Expansion? Worth it? (You go from 50 memories to 250. 5x increase.)
>Typically, how many memories do people use on their HTs?

I use only two or three per band. Your mileage may vary.

>Yes... more questions: When purchasing an HT, do you typically buy
>additional battery packs? (I'm assuming this would be a yes. :)
>If so, what types? High power, Long life? A mix? Why?

I usually buy battary packs that can handle AA battaries. This allows
an easy change of battaries if a cell goes bad (most battary packs are
glued together these days. Also, if the pack breaks (see below), it
is cheaper to change this way. Finally, one can get Nickel Hydride
cells that have a capacity of 1Ah instead of the regular 500 mAh
obtainable with NiCad cells. If you are unable to charge, you could
replace the cells with regular AA's.
A drawback is that this pack cannot be charged with a rapid charger.
If you have two packs, that is not a problem. If you run down
two packs in 14 hours, it is time to get a rest anyway :-) (and you
could get other AA cells). Highly recommended.

High power packs are useful if you want to hit a far repeater, but I
recommend using a better antenna instead. This saves much energy,
weight, and allows the receiver to gain from it as well. Also, you don't
want 5 watts so close near your head, will you?

>If I get a lighter cord, will the batteries recharge while the HT is
>plugged in? Or, do they charge only when in the recharger?

The ICOM W2e I have charges also in the HT

>How well do the HTs stand up to abuse? (e.g. being dropped, shaken,
>rattled, accidently getting wet)

Ham radio handhelds mostly are just toys. They cannot compete with
professional, rugged handhelds that you can use to pound nails in wood
(they also cost less). You should treat them as such and be gentle
with them. A weak point is the battary connection; this is what usually
breaks if the rig drops (and believe me, that happens to you too).
You should check what breaks if you drop the rig under a 45 degrees
angle. With the W2e, the battary pack breaks. This is not a problem
(as described above, the battary pack is cheap); I have seen other
rigs that break the wrong way around.
You very probably want a protective case to protect the rig from scratches.

Some other things you might want to check:
- Does the rig have a battary indicator? (my W2e doesn't, and I miss it)
- Does it come with a decent ducky antenna (the W2e doesn', but the W2a's
  antenna is much better. You might have to spend some money on a
  Diamond antenna or such)
- What is the idle current of the receiver, and when does it switch
  to idle mode? (my W2e doesn't save current if in priority channel
  mode; the receiver draws 80 mA when on, so the power saver is called for!)
- Is the display readable in the dark?
- Most manufacturers put in all kinds of weird features, and want
  extra money for those. When selecting a transceiver, think you want
  a *transceiver*, not an alarm clock, melody generator or pinball
  machines. Extra hardware features draw current and can break. Extra
  software features must still be payed for.

Mind you, while I give some remarks about the W2e, it still is a nice
rig. If I would have had a TH78, I'd probably complain about it too.

See if you can borrow the rig you are thinking of so you could try it.
If nothing else, it helps to make up your mind.

Good luck, and when you bought one, why don't you describe what you
feel about the rig? Various people have done so, and it was nice for me to
be able to look at those descriptions while selecting.

Geert Jan

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 02:52:04 GMT
From: netcon!bongo![e-mail]
Subject: How to monitor police digital communications
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] whines:
>
>Any help on the subject would be appreciated, as well
>as suggestions for the acquisition of the appropriate
>equipment.
>
>This pertains to the systems used by the corrupt
>criminal cops of southern California.

 Geez, another tedious "no balls" anonymous post.

 Which "corrupt criminal cops" of southern California" are you
talking about? LAPD, Sherrifs, San Fernando, Pasadena, Monterey Park,
Hawthorne, Burbank?

 It seems that hiding your identity hides your thinking too. You
need to try to be clear when making requests of others.

--
Julian Macassey, N6ARE. [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 28 Oct 1993 17:59:04 GMT
From: olivea!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!news.ecn.bgu.edu!anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Is the band dead -- or nobody on?
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, Pete Rossi wrote:
>I was talking to a friend about how dead the bands seemed lately - 10 meters
>especially, yet we both noted the following:
>
>Why is it that the band can be open to a specific area of the world yet you
>only hear a very few stations from that area??
>
>For example, the other night I was tuning around 15 meters about 9 PM local
>time (0100Z) and it sounded pretty dead .. but then I heard this one "PY"
>station.  He has a reasonable signal but nothing else was on the band.
>It is hard to believe that in the whole continent of South America this
>was the only station on.  I could not hear the W station he was working.

Propagation is one of the most fascinating aspects of HF Dxing.
The PY signal propagation is probably a case of low lattitude propagation
This is somewhat common.  It may occur for a variety of reasons.

 - Trans-equatorial Spread-F propagation (TE)  QSOs have been made into
   UHF using this mode.  Physics is not well understood and may have
   to do with fattening of the F-belt near the equator during the low-sunspot
   times/years.

 - Sun spot/storm effects manifest themsleves differently at different
   latitudes.  There are times when propagation across the poles or high
   latitude propagations is almost non-existent and yet it is reasonable
   for lower lattitude paths.

>
>Again, about a week ago I was tuning 15 meters in the early evening.  Here
>were these *two* JA's coming through working U.S. stations.  Now, here it is
>8 or 9 o'clock in the morning in Japan and you are trying to tell me that
>only *two* stations in all of Japan are on 15 meters??   Really??  They are
>supposed to have more hams than we do!
>
>The more my friend and I kept talking we expanded this observation to
>other bands and times.  Think back to how many times you tune the band
>and you hear this *one* nice loud station from an area and nothing else
>from that area.  WHERE IS EVERYONE??

We tend to generalize a lot about propagation.  And yet idiosyncratic factors
play a great role.  Ionospheric ducting and other special conditions can
cause random stations to come through.  Location, angle of radiation etc
may play a role in `selecting' the origin-destination pair.

>
>Sometimes I really wonder if the bands are *really* dead.   Maybe everyone
>is listening and nobody is transmitting ;-)
>
It is this wonderment that is the fun part of HF Dxing.

>When is the bottom of the sunspot cycle predicted for anyway?  '95?  '96?

I think that late '90, early '91 was the peak.  If the trough were symmetric,
which I do not think it is, then the bottom of the trough would be at Mid '95.


Rajiv
aa9ch
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1993 21:42:51 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ennews!mcdphx!schbbs!mothost!pts1!sce16.comm.mot.com![e-mail]
Subject: MOTOROLA PRESS RELEASE
To: [e-mail]

The following is an official press release from the public relations office
of Motorla's Land Mobile Products Sector.  Any questions relating to this
press release should be addressed to Pat Schod of Motorola Public relations
at [phone].

*******************************************************************************


Reference:      ADM9371                             Pat Schod
Date:           October 14, 1993                    [phone]


MOTOROLA FILES INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT

     SCHAUMBURG, IL -- Motorola, Inc. said that it filed a lawsuit in U.S.
District Court in Los Angeles against two firms and three individuals for
infringement of various Motorola copyrights and trademarks and
misappropriation
of Motorola secrets.
     The complaint alleges that Communications Consultants Systems, a
company
called "CCW", Harold Pick, Gerard Pick and Milton Bell, copied copyrighted
software to modify identification codes in Motorola two-way radios that the

defendants sold to others.  This enabled them to illegally use the radio
communications systems operated by either Motorola or its legitimate
customers
without paying Motorola for that use.  The modified radios were sold or
rented
as genuine Motorola products.
     The case centers principally on the unauthorized copying of
proprietary
Motorola software designed to program individual customer two-way radios
and
communications systems, related trade secrets and the trademarks used by
Motorola to identify the source of the products it markets and sells.
     "This action is part of a program to enforce Motorola's intellectual
property rights against their unauthorized, illegal and misapplied use.  We

continue to strive to protect the rights of our customers -- from public
safety
agencies to small businesses -- who rely on the integrity of their radio
communications systems," says Anthony J. Biell, manager of software
protection
for Motorola's Land Mobile Products Sector.  "The unauthorized use of
Motorola's
proprietary software could compromise the performance of our customer's
systems.
In the case of public safety, that could result in serious consequences."

                        #          #          #

     Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of electronic
equipment,
systems and components for worldwide markets.  Products include two-way
radios,
pagers, cellular telephones and systems, semiconductors, defense and
aerospace
electronics, automotive and industrial electronics, computers, data
communications and information processing and handling equipment.

------------------------------

Date: 27 Oct 1993 16:30:17 -0400
From: newsflash.concordia.ca!altitude!altitude![e-mail]
Subject: Spread Spectrum
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Keith Hargrove) writes:



>Is there a news group for spread spectrum
>I would like to do some spread spectrum expermiting
>but info on ss seems hard to come by
>I see a blip once in a while in a HAM mag but never a working project
>and is there a C program to genarate PN codes??

>thanks
> -Keith N7QLR

 My knowledge of Spread Spectrum is quite limited, but my
understanding is  that it would probably not be viable as a HAM node,
seeing as it takes many times the normal bandwidth for each "channel."
The main use of Spread Spectrum is security, not communication.  At
least, that is what I know from the little I have found on the subject.



--
======================================================================
Marc Lombart                            T'is better to debate without
Internet: [e-mail]         Resolution, than to resolve
Compuserve 70702,1603                   Without debate.

------------------------------

Date: 29 Oct 93 19:19:54 EDT
From: psinntp![e-mail]
Subject: Tom McMullen, W1SL, Silent Key
To: [e-mail]

I've just learned that Tom, W1SL, passed away two weeks ago.
If you've been a ham for a few years, you may remember Tom.
Starting with a brief stint as a W1AW operator in the 50s,
Tom later worked at ARRL as a tech editor in the 70s, where he
specialized in UHF and microwaves. Tom was a pioneer on 432-
MHz moonbounce, using a 28-ft dish on a gigantic Wurtzberger
gun mount (24,000 lb!). The dish was a landmark for general
aviation and the Corvette rallies that used to run past his
house. A 2-meter power amplifier he designed still appears
in the British _VHF/UHF DX Book_. Another well-known design
of Tom's was the "Tramplifier," which used a varactor tripler
driving a conduction-cooled tetrode to generate about 100
watts on 432 MHz from 10 watts drive on 2 meters.

Tom left League employment in the late 70s to become managing
editor of _Ham Radio Horizons_, a spin-off of _ham radio_
magazine. When "Horizons" folded, Tom relocated to Florida,
where he worked for Motorola. He continued to contribute a
column for beginners to _ham radio_ until that magazine's
demise a few years ago. While at Motorola, Tom helped provide
a 2-meter handheld for use by Shuttle astronaut Owen Garriott,
W5LFL.

Tom was the kind of person we could all aspire to become: a father
of three, he was active in his church and had many other interests,
including antique firearms, gunsmithing and flying. At his death,
he was building a Vari-Eze plane, which he hoped to fly to Dayton
next year. Tom read widely, and was always open to new ideas,
though never reluctant to express an opinion. While he still lived
in New England, we spent many happy hours together, talking about all
manner of things. People like Tom are too few. Not just amateur radio,
but the world at large, has lost a good man.

73,
Jim, KR1S

--
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1993 22:32:26 -0400
From: newsflash.concordia.ca!altitude!altitude![e-mail]
Subject: Was 'Vanity' Call Signs, now paying for call signs
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Doug Faunt N6TQS 510-655-8604) writes:

>The only valid objection to paying for licensing services from the FCC
>that I've heard is that young people will be discouraged by one more
>financial barrier to getting and keeping a license.
>I think a fee for the license, that goes into the general fund (FCC
>expenses come out of the general fund) is a perfectly reasonable
>thing.  It alos gives us a slight advantage in that we can then state
>that we're not getting a complete free ride.  How many other countries
>have free licensing?  I know that the UK license is pretty expensive.
>How about others?

>73, doug
 I know that in Canada we pay about 25$ per annum for our license.
Which is not expensif but not cheap either.  Well, it's pretty cheap, I
shouldn't complain.


--
======================================================================
Marc Lombart                            T'is better to debate without
Internet: [e-mail]         Resolution, than to resolve
Compuserve 70702,1603                   Without debate.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1993 20:16:53 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!torn!nott!cunews!freenet.carleton.ca!Freenet.carleton.ca![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <2ajofp$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <2akme8$dfk@a
Reply-To : [e-mail] (Bill Macpherson)
Subject : Re: BAUD VS BAUDS


In a previous article, [e-mail] (Steve Holland) says:

>I don't know if anyone else eentioned this.   On asynchronous
>lines the start and stop bits contribute to the baud rate,
>but do not contribute to the bit rate of usefull information.
>This is one reason synchronous lines are more efficient, there
>are no start and stop bits to waste bandwidth.
>
No just synch characters, flags, frames, checksum frames, and stop frames.
Depends on the volume of data.

--
Bill VE3NJW, VE3NJW@VE3KYT.#EON.ON.CAN

------------------------------

Date: 29 Oct 1993 13:22 PST
From: sdd.hp.com!math.ohio-state.edu!cyber2.cyberstore.ca!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!unixg.ubc.ca!erich.triumf.ca![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>riumf.
Subject : Re: BAUD VS BAUDS

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Kenneth Stuart) writes...
>Well, someone can follow up on this comment, but when I got started
>in digital, back in the 6502 era, BPS represented the number of actual
>BITS being transmitted, including start and stop bits, and BAUD represented
>only the number of DATA bits being transmitted.  Therefore, a word format
>of 8 data bits plus one start and one stop bit (10 bit total) being
>sent at 100 BPS would actually have a BAUD rate of only 80.
>
>Of course, this is assuming standard RS-232, etc.
>
>Any comments, corrections on this?  Let's hear from the group.
>
a Baud has always (even with a 6502) been one signal transition per second,
whether those signal transitions represent data or stop or start bits.  With
300 and 1200 baud modems, each signal transition represents one bit, so the
baud rate and bit rate are identical.  With fasaster modems, 2 or 4 bits are
encoded into each signal transition, to the bit rate and baud rate are no longr
identical.




Peter Bennett VE7CEI                | Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight
Internet: [e-mail]   | of one another only when one can be
Bitnet:   bennett@triumfer          | observed visually from the other
TRIUMF, Vancouver, B.C., Canada     |                          ColRegs 3(k)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1993 15:21:57 GMT
From: mustang.mst6.lanl.gov!nntp-server.caltech.edu!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!news.ecn.bgu.edu!willis1.cis.uab.edu!right.dom.uab.edu!@nntp.ucsb.edu
To: [e-mail]

References <2ajofp$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <2akme8$[e-mail]>sc
Subject : Re: BAUD VS BAUDS

I don't know if anyone else eentioned this.   On asynchronous
lines the start and stop bits contribute to the baud rate,
but do not contribute to the bit rate of usefull information.
This is one reason synchronous lines are more efficient, there
are no start and stop bits to waste bandwidth.

------------------------------

Date: 29 Oct 93 15:51:21 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!col.hp.com!fc.hp.com![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <2ap28h$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Subject : Re: Homonauseated (Was: Newsline #842)

Tim Ikeda ([e-mail]) wrote:

: Genetics isn't so simple most of the time.  Any single gene can have
: multiple roles and effects on an organism's "fitness."  Besides,
: there's not likely to be any single gene that affects a particular
: set of behaviors.  Most likely, it's a combination of factors.


I am in violent agreement here.  Like the discovery of Cold Fusion, I
choose to let Science take its course.  I have yet to see research done
aimed at rebutting the claim that homosexuality is genetically
predetermined.  In the current Politically Correct environment faced by
researchers looking for funding, I am dubious that it will happen.

In any study of genetic aspect of homosexuality, some apparent anomolies
need to be explained.  The most obvious is that homosexuals as a group
are less likely to pass their genes to the next generation.  Since the
population appears(?)  stable over time, there must be some other
benefit that balances the reproductive disadvantage.  The question then
becomes "what are these advantages?"  They must indeed be powerful, such
as in the case of sickle-cell vs malaria.

I patiently await the answers.  Until then, using genetics as some sort
of "justification" (as if it were needed) is on shaky ground.


Yes, this has drifted away from Amateur Radio, but this is Usenet after all.


Perry
AA0ET

------------------------------

End of Info-Hams Digest V93 #1287
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