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Please use the Discussion feature to discuss changes to the scope of the site, rather than the announcements feature. @jkj @jrdioko – Adam Davis Jul 6 '11 at 14:39

This proposal is now in the Commitment phase — example questions are locked!

76 Example Questions (10 closed)

active oldest votes

up vote 22 down vote

added by kaerast Jun 3 '10 at 12:00

Would need more details about which license and which country – kaerast Jun 3 '10 at 12:00

I think this is ok as a general purpose CW question where we can send (and attract) beginners. – Adam Davis Jun 15 '10 at 17:23

If the question is more specific as to country, it should absolutely be considered on-topic! +1 if I had votes left! – Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 21:52

up vote 21 down vote

added by Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 10:46

This is a great example of the format: "What are the [advantages, factors, considerations] relevant to [insert specific topic]", as opposed to "What is the best [product, design, approach]?" or "How should I [do something]?", which invite all sorts of subjective input and/or detail that is not relevant to the original questioner's specific situation. – ninly Aug 23 '10 at 18:42

up vote 20 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 3:49

up vote 19 down vote

added by AI4QR Aug 23 '10 at 14:36

up vote 18 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 3:47

A definition of software defined radio would also be a decent question. – Jim A Aug 23 '10 at 17:32

up vote 14 down vote

added by Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 10:52

up vote 12 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 3:51

up vote 9 down vote

added by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jun 2 '10 at 17:57

	(EME: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) – WikiSpeedia hang-around Jun 2 '10 at 17:58
	I think that is part of what would make this a useful question. With a little tweaking, this could be one of the definitive EME sources on the Internet. I'd upvote it if I could. – Jesse AC2DE Jul 18 '10 at 9:30

up vote 8 down vote

added by NM5TF, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 24 '10 at 8:51

up vote 6 down vote

added by kaerast Jun 3 '10 at 12:01

up vote 6 down vote

added by Nate N0NB, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 24 '10 at 8:58

There are two very similar questions about learning Morse code, both with up-votes. – jwernerny Mar 10 '11 at 3:23

up vote 5 down vote

added by Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 10:49

	Thanks for the fix, Peter. I didn't catch it. – Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 21:53
	You are hearing digital packet radio - APRS operators use 144.39 MHz somewhat as a calling frequency. - dididahdahdidit.com/aprsfrqt.php - aprs.org – Dennis Snell Jul 21 '10 at 11:51
	I'm considering changing this question to the following: "I've heard of APRS, but don't know much about it. How can I best incorporate it into my emcomm group's oooperations?" Would this be a better question? – Jesse AC2DE Aug 30 '10 at 3:39
	Yes (if your intent is on-topic); "organization" is ambiguous and could refer to a business not allowed to transmit on amateur frequencies. – PleaseStand Nov 30 '10 at 0:32

up vote 5 down vote

added by Nerdling Jul 25 '10 at 1:00

up vote 5 down vote

added by AI4QR Aug 23 '10 at 14:14

This has great potential as a consolidated resource for the entire ham community. I can't tell you how often I've heard something strange and scratched my head, completely at a loss as to what the heck it was I was hearing. This one could end up having a lot of outside links, but that's fine if they're both reputable and stable sources. +1 if I could! – Jesse AC2DE Sep 13 '10 at 19:13

up vote 5 down vote

added by Jim A Aug 23 '10 at 17:28

up vote 5 down vote

added by Dr Paul Brewer Mar 13 '11 at 7:47

up vote 4 down vote

added by Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 10:45

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporadic_E_propagation This question would be more useful to this context if it asked more specifically about how sporadic E may be recognized or used on the relevant bands. – ninly Aug 23 '10 at 15:51

@ninly, good point. Is this better? – Jesse AC2DE Aug 23 '10 at 18:14

up vote 4 down vote

added by Jesse AC2DE Jul 17 '10 at 10:47

closed as off topic by NM5TF, Dave, PleaseStand, user31931, Dr Paul Brewer Apr 6 '11 at 6:38

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

This is intended to be an example of an off-topic question which would be immediately removed because of its illegality. – Jesse AC2DE Jul 18 '10 at 8:47

Doesn't sound off-topic to me. The issue should be carefully explained, not simply removed. Also, such modifications are not necessarily illegal - I believe it depends on the specifics of the modification as well as the operating locale. – sgeek Jul 19 '10 at 20:59

Good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. This is why this community structure works well. – Jesse AC2DE Jul 20 '10 at 2:48

This is illegal in the United States, though, Just sayin... – Dr Paul Brewer Mar 13 '11 at 7:58

up vote 4 down vote

added by AI4QR Aug 23 '10 at 14:35

A refinement to this question might be to ask which countries might you operate in, what the agreements are, etc... Of course there isn't room for all that here, so I encourage others voting on this to take that into account. It also encourages follow-on questions on specific destinations, DXpedition planning, and the like. I'd upvote if I could. – Jesse AC2DE Aug 31 '10 at 7:05

The ARRL has a pretty concise document about US amateurs operating abroad. I assume that it's OK to reference these documents which are outside of the stackexchange site? I would think that when there's a high probability that the referenced document will be maintained, it would be OK. – AI4QR Sep 12 '10 at 14:44

Referencing outside sources is perfectly acceptable. As you said, they should be reputable and long-lived as well. From what I've seen, though, an answer with just a link is usually pretty weak. It seems to be best to summarize the linked info, then direct to the link for more details. (Example: I'm not going to click on every link I see. I want to know if those precious seconds spent following the link will be worthwhile. And I'm too lazy.) – Jesse AC2DE Sep 13 '10 at 19:00

up vote 4 down vote

added by Kamal KA6MAL Aug 26 '10 at 19:41

This is a good question that could have a concise answer - Perhaps the length formula, a short discussion of its derivation from the wave equation and velocity factor, and a paragraph about radiation pattern and the effect of height above ground. – AI4QR Sep 12 '10 at 14:46

up vote 4 down vote

added by KJ4JTN Jan 18 '11 at 15:59

Could someone comment on how this is off-topic? I know it is not possible to operate a secure AP under Part 97 due to the requirement that all transmissions be sent in the clear, but I believe there are ways to operate an unencrypted AP within the bounds of FCC rules. The only requirements it needs to meet are to not use encryption, and have all stations identify at regular intervals. Come to think, this would also be an interesting way to explore an example where Part 97 privileges could overlap and interact with Part 15 privileges and devices. – KJ4JTN Feb 18 '11 at 5:31

up vote 3 down vote

added by Dennis Snell Jun 29 '10 at 17:02

up vote 3 down vote

added by KJ4JTN, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Mar 1 '11 at 20:34

Disclaimer: This is my web site. morseresource.com has daily podcasts of short CW content, downloadable files of same, and a text-to-morse converter. – AI4QR Jan 24 '11 at 14:03

up vote 3 down vote

added by Noah Mar 16 '11 at 16:18

up vote 3 down vote

added by ninly Apr 25 '11 at 21:26

up vote 2 down vote

added by AI4QR Aug 23 '10 at 14:31

up vote 2 down vote

added by Martin AA6E Aug 23 '10 at 22:58

	I consider this not a good example question, as it is too vague. Many details need to be known, in order to estimate the cost of building a station. – KJ4JTN Sep 22 '10 at 3:23
	This is a great on-topic example. It is vague, but a question that will come up very often. Most people new to ham radio see these very expensive rigs and pictures of ham shacks that are quite elaborate and feel the cost of entry is very high when in reality one can start in ham radio for a very small investment. – zoopster Jan 31 '11 at 16:23

up vote 2 down vote

added by NM5TF, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 24 '10 at 8:53

up vote 2 down vote

added by NM5TF, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 24 '10 at 8:50

up vote 2 down vote

added by devin Aug 25 '10 at 15:14

By complex sampling, do you mean I/Q or quadrature sampling, as in how software defined radios work? – Jim A Aug 25 '10 at 16:44

up vote 2 down vote

added by Dave Nov 19 '10 at 22:23

up vote 2 down vote

added by Jaime Soto Jan 10 '11 at 19:35

up vote 2 down vote

added by jwernerny Mar 7 '11 at 1:05

up vote 2 down vote

added by jwernerny Mar 10 '11 at 3:20

up vote 2 down vote

added by zoopster Apr 21 '11 at 18:43

up vote 2 down vote

added by Pearsonartphoto Apr 28 '11 at 18:45

up vote 1 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 3:52

closed as off topic by harmanjd, Jeffrey Hulten, Cho, Marve, sgeek Jul 1 '10 at 19:02

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

	Consumer grade equipment or consumer usage could be answered by this community, but it is not a question an amateur operator would ask, or want to answer. – Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 3:54
	@Adam: Really? FRS ia a License Free low-power UHF Radio Service. It is an extension of the 'regular' CB Radio Service. GMRS is the 'original' Class A Citizens Radio Service, and uses professional type UHF-FM radios at up to 25 watts. It was created before the 27MHz Class D CB Radio many folks are familiar with. 27MHz "CB Radio" was created as a lower cost alternative to the expensive UHF equipment. FRS was created as a low cost, 'not technically complicated' form of very short range communications without interfernce from distant stations. – RAYMOND N6NQR Aug 5 '10 at 5:28
	This question/topic is an EXCELLENT example of an "Off Topic Question" that should be allowed to remain posted, and not removed. Just because something is off topic does not mean it is of no merit or use to the community reading this topic. Remember Adam, there was once a point in your life when you didn't know the difference between "Ham" radio, "CB" radio, and "GMRS" radio either. :D – RAYMOND N6NQR Aug 5 '10 at 6:34

up vote 1 down vote

added by Nerdling Jul 25 '10 at 1:01

closed as off topic by AI4QR, NM5TF, André Paramés, Dr Paul Brewer, moberley Apr 13 '11 at 18:00

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Need more info, please. If you made a commitment to one club, and blew it off to operate at another clubs' station, then YES! Definitely "Bad Form" old chap! Do you do similar things regarding Birthdays, Weddings, etc.? If you 'visit' a rival clubs station and give the main ops an hour rest break, Bravo! Good Sport Old Man! If your original intent in asking this question is because your Wife is a Cancer born after the Cusp of Gemini, FORGET IT! You don't have a snowballs' chance.... – RAYMOND N6NQR Aug 5 '10 at 7:24

I was thinking more along the lines of simply not having a dedicated station for each year. You'd definitely follow through on any arrangements that you've made—I hadn't considered that aspect. – Nerdling Aug 6 '10 at 2:39

I think that this depends a lot on how competitive your local club is, how involved you are with them, and a lot of other local social and political factors. I don't think there's a universal answer. – AI4QR Aug 23 '10 at 21:58

This is an interesting question, but as per StackExchange's general policies I'd see it as being in danger of getting closed as "Subjective and Argumentative". – KJ4JTN Jan 18 '11 at 15:54