On 11/13/13, Joe <n...@mwt.net> wrote: > I agree on that also. > > Now I'm not picking on them here. But I am a member of Four local > Amateur Radio Clubs. And have been an Amateur since 1975 and have seen > this "Hobby" change a lot through the years. And in all four clubs 90% > of the newly licensed get into this Hobby now, through the Public > service aspect of the hobby. IE: Skywarn, communications during > disasters, support like in parades etc. While there is nothing wrong > with this. But these newcomers do not seem to get the thrill of just > getting on the air, and throw out a CQ just to see who comes back. Just > for the thrill of the unknown. And that is sad. > > I feel that Amateur Radio is more to them as the Service part of the > Amateur Radio Service. Not the experimenting and exploring part.
I often get a similar reaction when I talk about amateur radio, particularly from younger people. They can't quite grasp why I'd want to put together a station and, perhaps, talk with someone when there are easier ways of doing that. Even if I don't have any contacts, I like to find out just what the hardware can do and how far my signal can go. It's fun to know that I can reach a satellite that's, say, somewhere over the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia putting only 5 W into my Arrow yagi. Many peope, I suppose, have become accustomed to the plug-and-play aspect of electronic devices and expect to have clear 2-way conversations every time. Tinkering with something in order to hear or be heard is likely something they wouldn't like or would be too bothersome to them. Then again, my interest in radio began as an SWL while I was still in high school over 40 years ago and I listened to broadcasts from, as the song says, "far away places with strange-sounding names". It was fun bragging to my classmates that I listened to, say, Radio Australia, not that any of them paid much attention to it. 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ@ DO33FL <snip> _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
