Extra class licensee here. On phone (Single Sideband "SSB" or FM typically, for those not familiar with the terminology, where you use radio for voice rather than data/Morse) I've heard all kinds of absolutely reprehensible things. In one single conversation where a man was ranting about mask mandates, he managed to throw in derogatory use of the word "retarded," toxic masculinity insults, homophobia (including equating it to bestiality), racist innuendo, and even a call to arms to kill our governor if they wouldn't stop this mask mandate. Myself and others tried to temper the conversation and return to civility, but they wouldn't have it. It's one thing when people say these things in two-way conversations on HF, with lots of frequencies available to change to if you don't like what you hear. It's another when it's on the local FM repeater with a single frequency shared by thousands of people.
In order for amateur radio to thrive, it needs to be a welcoming and inclusive place to everyone. Young scouts - children! - of all genders, races, and backgrounds are learning ham radio and tuning into their local repeaters or working HF. I can't imagine what they or their parents thought if they happened to be listening in at that moment. Hams need to all be good to each other, and keep the negativity, insults, bigotry, and politics for your social media pages. Let's get back to talking about propagation, antennas, RFI in the shack, debating FT8, doing emergency prep, or even just discussing the weather.
CW and FT8 are generally best if you don’t want to deal with that sort. CW is much harder to put the effort in to be a dick and FT8 doesn’t have being a dick built into the protocol.
An automated system for recording and archiving these public transmissions with their call signs attached as tags would probably be a good first step.
People like that say the things they say for the attention it attracts to them. They are not ashamed of their dumbass bigoted opinions otherwise they wouldn't be transmitting halfway around the world in the clear. If you engage them in any way, even to try to shame them, you have already given them what they want. They are the trolls of amateur radio.
The right thing to do is what most of us hams do: spin the dial and find someone more pleasant to talk to.
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/iatqth/a_lot_...
social ostracization and penalty has its time and place, and this is one of those occasions. Same reason cars have number plates.
At the moment there isn't a financial incentive to perform this at any reasonable scale, but this doesn't mean that it can't be done at all.
Not discriminating here, just want to make it easier to correlate statements to the public record with public call signs.
Mention about the independent country of Taiwan or the autonomy of Hong Kong on radio.. well you've enabled the punishment of said behavior on a very real level. (In this case that would be invoking the national security letters recently introduced)
Is this really worth it for a few people with terrible opinions?
My stance: Let people have stupid opinions, let them blow off steam, recognize that you don't agree with them, don't be their opinions.
If it crosses the line where it wouldn't be allowed on over-the-air TV, it's not allowed on HAM radio spectrum. You can report it, and with evidence it can lead to nasty fines and/or revocation of license.
> Myself and others tried to temper the conversation and return to civility, but they wouldn't have it.
You're feeding into their behavior. IMO We're seeing a huge conflict in culture: one side that is authoritarian against unpleasant language and the other that doesn't accept that (or the suggested changed). (That's a very simplified view of it)
Phone frequencies are a real cesspool most of the time.