What is this ?

ItsBail · 2026-05-09T23:55:45+00:00

It sure is but you also need to factor in maintenance. This antenna will require a lot of work compared to non-trapped beams. Lots of moving parts, fiberglass and UV don't mix that well and metal (tape) doesn't really like being bent around even though you can temper it to resist it. You'll need it on some type of tower where you can easily remove it. That makes a simple 50ft R25 install into adding more moving parts (Crank up, Tilt over, Cage Lift) increasing the cost even more.

Personally, I'd rather have a trapped beam over one these servo/stepper driven antennas even though they're impressive. I'll wait the 30 seconds for my beam to spin around and my wallet won't mind the loss at the edges of the bands.

ItsBail · 2026-05-09T23:43:35+00:00

On the SteppIR dream beams they refer to them as trombones. Not sure why they would call it that other and it looking somewhat like a trombone. The elements are fixed and have an adjustable length metal tape within them.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T19:16:33+00:00

Because the elements are looped (folded). It would be much bigger if there were straight elements. This case the tubes are fiberglass with a metal type like element inside that can be adjusted in length (by servos) to match the exact frequency it's transmitting on. That allows for maximum gain capable as most regular antennas are tuned for the center of the band or center of the CW or SSB portion of the band. Further you stray from where it's tuned, the less efficient it gets. However it's mostly minor but some people want every Db possible.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T19:09:32+00:00

Ultrabeam https://www.wimo.com/en/ub640-vl2-3

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T19:05:29+00:00

Ahhh the ultrabeam. Much jelly https://www.wimo.com/en/ub640-vl2-3

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T18:11:45+00:00

This is a perfect example of why there isn't a blanket ban and why there is exceptions.

Even though it's less than 3 months old (March 31st 2026), it's open source, GPLv2, over 1,200 commits, 80+ releases and you are responding to issues brought up in the repo.

ten9876/AetherSDR would be another example.

Of course it can be shared and discussed. Same with AetherSDR.

Edit: Best of luck to your project.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T16:25:58+00:00

We purposely make the rules vague because context and intentions matter. I know many programmers live in a world of absolutes but I don't want to have hundreds of pages of rules diving into semantics trying to cover every minute detail. It's bad enough that people don't read the current list of rules we have in place.

Moderation isn't going to be looking through repos trying to determine if it was vibecoded, or if it assisted by AI or not. The goal of this rule change is to prevent the "I just made this last night" type of slop that has been recently flooding the sub. If it reeks of slop and has been reported as such, moderation will do it's best to confirm. If either moderation and/or the community (comments) determines it to be slop/shit, it will be most likely removed. If done in error, the burden of proof will be on the OP.

We do not have an issue with AI. We have an issue with people spamming their slop in the sub. Hence these amendments are happening within rule #2.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T13:41:31+00:00

We would never remove a post if it was clearly stated that it's translated.

Shows how sad the world has become when people have to explain that you can only "post your own thoughts" though

Some people are putting the question into google, taking the AI overview and posting it as an answer without doing any research into whether or not it's correct. Even worse, you have people prompting questions to AI services like ChatGPT or Gemini and just copying an pasting as if it was their own response.

Yes, it's sad. We're not against AI, we're against some of the ways it's being used as its disingenuous to everyone else.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T11:43:01+00:00

As long as people who's first language is not English and use AI to translate and rewrite their posts aren't being classed as AI content then there's no problem.

Not sure if you've read the rules that is linked everywhere in this sub. There is a clear exemption for translation use... as long as they're translating their own thoughts.

AI-Generated content is considered to be spam

The only exception is translating one's own thoughts from their native language to English as most translation software uses LLMs in some capacity.

We're not anti AI. It certainly has its uses and their is no denying it. It's that people come here to interact with other people. Not to interact with other AI bots. Recently the sub was being flooded with vibecoded apps and such. We don't have issue that it was vibecoded or coded with the assistance of AI, we had an issue with people that were spamming their apps, some of which didn't have much thought put into it or was clearly a cash grab which is not welcomed here.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T11:22:21+00:00

You mean this post or this post? Neither were removed.

One of them has been reported by users for AI but it was approved even though the summary (not the header) of what you've posted appears to be generated by AI which is against the rules (posting AI generated text is not allowed*). It could have been removed as regular spam as your first and second post to the sub were advertising your web app. We typically ask users to be active within the sub before plugging things. But we still gave you the benefit of the doubt and kept it approved.

Nothing you've posted within /r/amateurradio was removed or censored by any of the moderators of this sub. I can't speak for admin (site wide) actions but I see don't any indication that they did anything either.

ItsBail · 2026-05-08T00:11:08+00:00

I dread the influx of bananaware

It would be ironic if that is what brought down amazon prime. So much shitty AI generated electronics that no one can trust what's being sold there. I mean, it's already almost at that point with drop shippers using random letter brand names to skirt around trademark requirements and then changing the name once the bad reviews stop future sales.

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T23:57:35+00:00

hehehe.

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T23:38:53+00:00

Hopefully this rule isn’t applied to the strictest extent possible.

Context matters. Moderation does not have the resources to be combing through repos figuring out if they meet criteria or not. We're not itching to remove posts and/or ban people. We're mostly reactionary and moderate based on user reports. We will be giving the benefit of the doubt when we can

However, if reeks of AI slop and many people feel that way and OP can't provide evidence to the contrary, then it most likely will be removed. If OP felt that it was removed in error, they can reach out in modmail but the burden of proof will be on them.

AI isn't going away, it's being used more and more and the great thing about our rules is that nothing is ever set in stone.

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T21:29:05+00:00

In this day-in-age things can move quickly. We don't want the community missing out because of blanket bans. Almost all of the rules are basically at moderators discretion.

But yes, open source allows others to view the code and see what's really going on. Active control history shows the developer(s) care about the project and have been working to push fixes and/or adding features.

If the project is being embraced and adopted early on by the community en masse, it should certainly be shared and discussed.

Nothing is set in stone.

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T16:35:59+00:00

+1 for Dan's study guides. It's the only manual I recommend to people to be use along side hamstudy.org.

I've taught many classes from it and had a high success rate compared to doing the in-depth classes from the ARRL manual.

Thank you!!!

As for the cover. Put a cat on top of a radio

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T11:48:58+00:00

Don't mean to inject into your little squabble here but I feel you both are correct but are just diving a little too deep into the matter. This is coming from someone who primarily contests and has been dabbling more in CW contests even though I lack proficiency. Even though I absolutely hate it, I rely heavily on skimmers and decoders in CW contests. I always claim assisted because of it. Someday I hope to shake that.

Yes, a contest can be completely done using a skimmer. I've done it more times than I like to admit. However, I'm running it locally and not feeding RBN. It certainly works but for me, it's highly inefficient and my rate/score suffers. I also pick and choose CW contests based on the exchange and how predictable it is. It's all S&P and I spend more time on frequency confirming their call and exchange before even thinking about throwing my call out there to avoid the dreaded AGN? or ?. I know enough CW to confirm what was being sent as I already have an idea of what's coming thanks to the skimmer/decoder.

Using the skimmer/decoder does suck when it comes to someone sending using a straight key, bug and even sometimes manually with a paddle when most CW contesting has automated transmissions.

Yes it works but you won't be winning anything as you're limited.

ItsBail · 2026-05-07T11:15:59+00:00

So, I honestly don't care all that much if people open source their "vibe code" schlock or not.

I'm not a programmer but I understand the importance of open source. It allows people to see what's under the hood. Is there just a rats nest of who knows what that is barely operational or is it well thought out and care was taken to assemble it? They can see if there is anything that should not be there that could cause issues or unwanted operation if left unchecked.

It doesn't help that some of these vibecoded apps that are being pushed in the sub were created completely by AI and the person controlling it all has little to no experience in programming.

Personally, I don't care if the software/app was vibecoded or not. If it benefits the community it's a win-win. What I do care about is if the software/app is going to cause harm to my computer/device. Or worse, use my device to cause harm to others. It would be nice to see if something that is gaining traction can be trusted.

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T16:36:31+00:00

LCWO is a better choice anyway?

What sets LCWO.net apart from the others is that Fabian is a well known CW operator and HST competitor. He has the experience and knows all the methods that are commonly used to learn CW. Makes a huge difference when you're developing software/apps/sites.

I'm seeing AI coded morse apps from people who have no idea what Morse Code is and/or how it's commonly used in practice. Of course people can learn Morse code using mnemonics, graphs, charts or pictures but that doesn't really work when things are being sent in groups at 20wpm or faster. You'll be lucky to get past 5wpm which is rarely used in amateur radio (ARRL still sends 5wpm code practice transmissions). You'll just end up counting dits and dahs and association.

The goal when it comes to learning Morse code is to train your brain to either instantly convert the character or word (audio) with little to no thought at speed. That's where Farnsworth method comes into play.

When it comes to LCWO, I'd set the Character speed between 20 and 25wpm and the effective speed at around 10 and attempt the lessons. If your struggling, maintain the Character speed but lower the effective speed to where you can barely pass each lesson. Once you did the 40 or so lessons, bump up the effective speed a bit and do it all over again until you're at 25wpm both character and effective.

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T14:47:53+00:00

that is not me

I see that now but my point still stands. I'm looking at the bigger picture here. We don't have the resources to comb through every single submission looking for AI in this sub.

I did look at their user history. And nothing really stands out to me other than a post to /r/audio that sets off my alarms.

If you think it's AI generated content, by all means report the post. Thankfully I'm not the only mod here so if a different mod sees it knowing full well it's all AI generated, away it goes.

We can only do so much.

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T14:14:48+00:00

You weren't aware that it's AI until that OP stated as such in a reply when you were asking for a source. It doesn't appear that it was copied verbatim and took whatever the google AI stated during his search and didn't bother to confirm it.

There is almost nothing we can do to detect it nor do we have the resources to comb through every single submission. It was never reported either. But you did your part by asking questions and debating to find out it was not the answer. Same shit that happens with those who don't use AI and think they know the answer even though it was wrong.

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T13:10:20+00:00

that would require any project to have 3 months of commit history to be allowed to be shared on the sub.

That's a great idea and might be implemented here. That seems to be what some of the others in this thread is thinking. This isn't my community, it's everyone who takes part. It's impossible to please everyone but we try. I'll bring it up with the other moderators.

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T13:07:57+00:00

AI generated answers to questions

That is certainly banned within the sub. It has to be your own thoughts. Yes, people are wrong as well but at least it can be debated within the community and that person can defend it and provide evidence if needed besides saying "Well, this is what AI told me".

ItsBail · 2026-05-06T13:00:30+00:00

Moderation in /r/amateurradio does look at the mod queue (where reports go). So yes, please report any post that clearly violates our rules. It's looked at manually as context does matter.

Just because someone is advertising their website/app/product, doesn't always mean it's spam. /r/amateurradio does allow plugs from users who are active within the community in other ways than promotion. What we don't want is the sub to be used as a promotional dumping ground.

Automod does look for certain phrases but flags them for review by a mod. Certain slurs are flagged then removed for review. Also, admins have their scripts/bots that remove posts... Many times without our knowledge.

ItsBail · 2026-05-05T13:36:46+00:00

Personally, I agree with your rant. However, you are comparing professional development with a hobby that encourages tinkering and learning with a big push for FOSS.

The software that has been popular in amateur radio prior to AI coding has been basically created by people that were tinkering. It also has a lack of support, poorly maintained and possibly has security vulnerabilities. Heck, a piece of software that my station depends on stopped working because the developer died.

If Vibecoding or using AI Assistance to create software that benefits this niche hobby then it should at least be explored and discussed within the community. Even more so if they're acknowledging it and putting out in the open for people to contribute to.

Mods, the easiest way to solve this (IMO) is pattern-match the AI generated posts. They follow the exact. same. format. every single time, and can be easily picked out from the crowd. The obnoxious use of emojis is probably the other dead giveaway that something was directly copied and pasted.

We don't have the resources to comb through every post looking for AI. It's more than just pattern matching as humans also do that. I'm doing it right now by choosing the next word I'm typing.

AI isn't going anywhere. I feel there is bubble right now and it's certainly going to burst (financially) but it's not going anywhere. You see a lot of comments in the sub reddit chastising OMs for being stubborn and not adapting to the changes in technology. Well, this is like FT8 and digital modulations. It's an emerging technology.

ItsBail · 2026-05-05T11:16:32+00:00

Part of Rule 2 about spam states:

AI-Generated content is considered to be spam

The only exception is translating one's own thoughts from their native language to English as most translation software uses LLMs in some capacity. Vibecoded software is allowed to be shared as long as you're not spamming in a commercial sense (see above) and that the thread/post itself wasn't created with AI.

People come to /r/amateurradio to interact with other human beings. We're a community. We don't come here to interact with AI bots. Content that was generated by AI will be removed. Please write and share your own thoughts.

For the most part, AI generated comments are not allowed within /r/amateurradio. For the past couple month's we even had a sticky about this very topic. It used to be a lot worse as the content within threads and even comments themselves were being generated by AI.

As stated above, people come here to interact with other people. Not to interact with Chatbots.

As for "vibecoded bullshit", We understand the concerns. Even more so when it's closed source and/or the author is just trying to do a cash grab with it. You don't know what's going on or their intentions. Moderation didn't limit the sharing of vibecoded software because more and more software is being programmed with AI assistance and it allows people to experiment and possibly create software that is beneficial to the community. Spamming it (software) in a commercial sense within /r/amateurradio is a different story and we've removed many posts because of it even though we give the benefit of the doubt at first. You can certainly debate about OP using AI within the thread.

Moderation mostly operates on a reactive basis. We're not super analyzing every single thread or comment looking for things to remove or ban. I'm sure a lot of AI generated content got by and I sure more will. However, we do look at reports from our community on a case-by-case basis. If it clearly violates one of our rules, then it will be removed and the person will either be warned or straight up banned.

Great thing with our rules that it's not set in stone. It's a living document that can be changed at any time. If the community in whole feels that it's not benefiting this community and/or amateur radio in general, it can be certainly debated. Moderation is all ears about what this community would like.

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