PVRC Reflector FAQ's

 

 

 

How do I CHANGE my subscribed ID ?

  •  Simply SUBSCRIBE your new ID.

NOTE: If you wish, you can simply add the second id, setting one of the id's to NOMAIL.
 
 

What is wrong with posting to the contest reflector and adding additional recipients ?

  • A really lousy idea. What happens when the (other) recipients are not subscribed ? Spells bounced emails.
    Please send your post solely to PVRC contest reflector and send a separate email to your buddies not subscribed !

  

How can I subscribe or unsubscribe from the PVRC contest reflector ?

  • Assuming your call is encapsulated in your email address and your are a PVRC member, click below. Else notify W3DQ then proceed as below:
    The reflector is a standard Mailman robot driven by your specifications. Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe from the PVRC reflector.
    Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe from the PVRCNC reflector.
    There is also an email-based interface for users of the PVRC
    reflector; you can get info about using it by sending a message
    with just the word `help' as subject or in the body, to:
    [email protected]
 

How do I get to archives of the reflector ?

  • note: you will be asked your password (mailed to you first day of every month).
  
 

What content should not be posted ?

  • Please post information that is germane to everyone, preferably related to contesting.

  • Part of the PVRC success story is maintaining team comraderie.
    As such, name calling is strictly forbidden.
    Questions of a specific nature, such as logging program problems are usually best handled by the experts on the appropriate logging forum.
  
 

I use GMAIL. I cannot see my posts ?

  • This is a characteristic of the way GMAIL threads messages. to view your posts, go to the PVRC archives (above)

 
 

Why must I subscribe to the reflector ? Must my call be in the email-id ?

  • Our club officers have judicated that the reflector shall be open only to PVRC members. What this means is that, IF YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS DOES NOT ENCAPSULATE YOUR CALL SIGN, you must send email to W3DQ to let him know what your callsign is.

 

Why should I not CC: when posting?

  • Using CC: on a reflector is bad netiquette.
    Look at it this way-- The recipient is already subscribed so the CC: is redundant -OR- The recipient is not subscribed, but when they do a REPLY ALL, the reply will bounce !!
    PLEASE CONSIDER TWO EMAILS, one to PVRC reflector and a second email to the CC:'s.
    By using CTL-C (COPY) and CTL-V (PASTE) this should be an easy enough process and would be GREATLY appreciated by the editor.

  • Cross posts to multiple reflectors should be especially avoided

 

My posts bounce with something about being 'Not Subscribed', if this is the case Why am I receiving updates off the reflector?

  • You are probably subscribed under one ID and attempting to post from
    a different ID. The bounce message forwarded to you should show this in
    the header information.

  

My post to the PVRC contest reflector never showed up !

  • Ensure the address you posted from matches the address you have subscribed ?
    Any non-ascii characters will produce a bounced message. This can be because
    MIME ATTACHMENTS are being used. Use COPY/PASTE to copy text into your messages.
    Mailman will attempt to STRIP HTML off the message but html usage on a mail reflector is discouraged.


  • Additionally, ensure your post is not longet than 40K size ! This means no graphics !
 

I do not understand, What is HTML ?

  • Hyper Text Markup Language uses TAGS, built within text, to provide special function,
    such as text formatting, colors, or direct links to webpages.

  • Most email programs provide the option of turning HTML ON or OFF.
    Turning HTML ON provides richer function, but takes more space and is the choice of spammers and virus's.
    REF: http://www.harley.com/turn-off-html/

  • Reflectors (PVRC included) remove or refuse HTML to protect from Virus infection and Spamming. It is considered bad netiquette to use HTML on email reflectors.

  
 

The PVRC contest reflector unsubscribed me, what happened ?

  • Possibly your ISP was down or your mailbox filled up.
    There is a problem with AOL where this routinely happens.
    This produces bounce messages to the administrator each time traffic goes over the reflector.
    After a while, the administrator (or Mailman) may UNSUBSCRIBE the id. There may be no way to notify you of this,
    as your email address is not receiving ! Just re-SUBSCRIBE.

  
 

Why am I receiving TWO copies of each posting ?

  • Because you subscribed two id's. Look at your email header and determine which id you wish to unsubscribe.

  
 

I subscribed but receive a 'not subscribed' error back when attempting to post.
What's going on ?

  • Probably, your subscribed ID is different from your email server address (Or you have been dropped from the subscriber list).
    Try sending another SUBSCRIBE in from the erring ID

  
 

Where can the current FAQ be downloaded from ?

 
 

I'm overwhelmed by the number of PVRC messages showing up in my reader ! Any options ?

  • You can unsubscribe from the reflector and SUBSCRIBE to the digest. You could also specify NOMAIL and read the archives.
    The archives selection is on the main PVRC webpage, but you must have your password available--
    sent to ALL subscribers on the first of every month by the robot.

  
 

I am getting an error saying my post was blocked. Say what ?

  • Your IP (if shared) is possibly blocked because of SPAM.

  
 

What are the repercussions of using one of the free ISP's ?

  • The first potential problem is SPAM, but you probably already anticipated that.
    The potential for blocked postings with free ISP's is slightly higher because of the spam generated from them.
    Predicting whether a particular ISP will be blocked is problematical as it is dyanamic:
    QTH.NET wisely uses an real time black hole list (RBL) as documented at http://www.qth.net/rblfaq.htm
    What this means to you is that if spammers use, say Yahoo, and it gets blacklisted - your mail (to any qth.net reflector) may bounce until the ISP cleans things up. I completely support KA9FOX's decision as the only leverage against SPAM is to blacklist ISPs that carry it. The rbl is dynamic, if a ISP requests removal and does not again spam the blocked IP range will again work and emails will go thru the reflector.
    Most likely the free ISPs will work but they may occasionally be temporarily blocked if SPAMMERS attempt to exploit the service (most of the time the yahoo or hotmail id's of spammers are merely spoofed.
    The RBLs look at the actual IP address and are not fooled into blacklisting unless the spam REALLY came in off the ip adr range belonging to the ISP.
    You may go to http://openrbl.org and enter some ISP names to check their current status.

  
 

I get a 'list not found' when trying to access the archives.

  • One tip that might especially help new members involves the PVRC reflector archives, accessible under the LINKS pulldown of the main PVRC webpage. Most browsers now exploit multiple tabs. If PVRC website is already referenced in another tabs' cache, when you attempt to select specific archives you will receive the annoying message 'No such list'.
    You can circumvent this w/o recycling your browser:

  • when archives selection panel comes up, select the hyperlink: "You can get more information about this list".

    • Select the hyperlink at the end of the first paragraph that reads: "To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the PVRC Archives. (The current archive is only available to the list members.)"
  
 

I own a small company, can I advertise on the reflector ?

  • Good day, everyone: I was recently asked by one of our members whether he could post a message on the PVRC Reflector about a ham-radio related business he is starting.
    The trustees and officers of PVRC have decided that we need a policy on members use of the reflector for "commercial" purposes.
    The policy that we have established allows the following "commercial" uses of the PVRC reflector:

  • Personal for-sale items

  • Estate sales

  • A BRIEF announcement of ham-radio related products and services provided by companies substantially owned by or employing a PVRC member. Such an announcement can be repeated every three months.

  • The presence in an e-mail signature of a web site or short informational line about a ham-radio related product or service.

  • A brief response to a relevant question on the PVRC reflector mentioning the ham-radio related product or service provided. An example might be a member who performs tower climbing services responding to a posting asking about tower climbing services.
  • All other "commercial" uses of the PVRC reflector, including announcing non ham-radio related products or services, are not allowed.  Please make sure your subject lines are clear about what is included in the message!
  • I hope that this policy will allow our members who work for or own ham-radio related businesses to make our members aware of them and I believe that they are consistent with our previous practice.