At 12:11 16-02-98 -0500, K3ZO wrote:
>When I started ham radio, everybody sent their QSLs direct, usually in
>postcard form, and without SASE or other remuneration. It was the "regular
>way of doing things."
>>>>>snip<<<<<<<
>What we have is simply a
>greater degree of selfishness which no amount of intellectual gloss can hide.
>>>>>>snip<<<<<<<
>Too bad our new hams can't be exposed to the hobby the way it was when I
>started.
They can Fred, and people like yourself (and myself) and lots of others are
the way it happens. I too try to be sure and send QSL's unbidden.... and
I'm always more than a little surprised when I get a domestic QSL that has
am SASE enclosed.
>
Please don't take this as "preaching", but it seems to me that the simplest
way to change some of the things we don't like about the current state of
the hobby is just to act differently, act in a way that reflects the
situation as we would like it to be. Then, little by little, the standard
of the "way things are" will be a little closer to the "way we want them to
be".
I seem to remember something about a "golden rule" as being applicable here!
73,
Bill, W1HIJ
Newport Beach, CA, DM13bo
ex WN1HIJ, W7GEG, AC6UH
Newport Beach RACES (ass't R/O)
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>From William Shell" <n6ws@msn.com Mon Feb 16 20:35:29 1998
From: William Shell" <n6ws@msn.com (William Shell)
Subject: [CQ-Contest] QSL'ing
Message-ID: <001001bd3b1a$6cd92300$7e5dbece@chris-1>
Flames??? What flames???
How could reasonable person with any amount of common sense flame such an
astute description of what we all have observed. Well put Fred!
73, Bill
N6WS
n6ws@msn.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Laun K3ZO <aalaun@ibm.net>
To: Contest Reflector <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Subject: [CQ-Contest] QSL'ing
When I started ham radio, everybody sent their QSLs direct, usually in
postcard form, and without SASE or other remuneration. It was the "regular
way of doing things."
I have been a ham for 45 years and I still love QSL'ing. Just because
times have changed doesn't mean that everything that I used to love doing
has to be thrown on the trash heap of life.
I still gladly answer QSL's I receive direct with direct QSL's of my own.
And I go through several thousand QSL blanks a year.
All the talk about how people should send an SASE if they expect a QSL in
return just shows how mercenary we have become as a society. I can't see
where people are worse of economically than they were 45 years ago when I
started -- most of them are a lot better off. What we have is simply a
greater degree of selfishness which no amount of intellectual gloss can
hide.
Too bad our new hams can't be exposed to the hobby the way it was when I
started. They are all exposed to a bunch of mercenaries right from the
start. No wonder they go somewhere else for their fun and the hobby is
drying up.
I can see that those who are managing QSL's for others or for a club
station or special events operation would want to have their expenses
covered, but as for the others handling only their own QSL's, my sympathy
for their presumed financial plight is not forthcoming.
Let the flames begin...
73, Fred, K3ZO
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