In a message dated 2/22/2007 11:40:17 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > The number of active ham repeaters in my area is way, way down in > comparison to levels of 10 years ago. It isn't uncommon to monitor a > repeater frequency and hear no traffic for weeks. Some clubs & > individuals have just walked away from coordinated pairs. > > However, there are a few repeaters that have remained active, although > certainly not to the extent they were in the past. Interestingly, even > though traffic is way down, there's still a waiting list in my area for > coordinated pairs on all bands. > > Questions: > > 1) Has there been a decline in traffic and the number of active > repeaters in your area?
No. If anything, there are more repeaters. But the activity is about the same, so there are now 'busy' repeaters and 'quiet' repeaters. (And then there's the paper repeaters...) > 2) If so, what do you feel the primary cause is? It is true that people communicate more on the internet then just picking up a mic...sorta like right here on the list...;c} > 3) What can be done to generate renewed interest? I don't see a lack of interest in amateur radio as such, but there is a lack of interest in public service events and emergency communications. The number of hams involved in that area has dropped off. Do I have an answer? No-if I did, I'd do something about it... [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > The reason for the waiting list for coordinating pairs even in the presence > of declining repeater usage is because there is generally no requirement for > a repeater to maintain a threshold activity level after coordination. > Implementing such a requirement to retain coordination would undoubtedly > free up > pairs, but man, it would get ugly. And would be an incredibly stupid idea. The vast majority of the repeaters whose owners are pro-actively letting their repeaters be used for emergency communications are the least used. And that's a good thing, because then it's available when it's needed. While I firmly believe that a radio system needs to be used on a regular basis so people are familiar with it, by the same token, if it's tied up all day long with superfluous chit-chat between a couple of truck drivers that don't even live in the area, and wouldn't know how to help in an emergency anyway, the repeater is of little use either. > <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free > email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at > http://www.aol.com. > What the heck is this? Please post in plain text, not HTML! -- Jim Barbour WD8CHL
