[Towertalk] The Ham Radio Business (Longer post laced with personal opinion)

[Jim White]

....if you like "real ham  radio" I recommend you check out your local
contesting club...it may be the last vestage of HF operators who still know
how to make dipoles or dip finals!

73,

Jim, K4OJ


----- Original Message -----
From: "gb" <blueis@sprintmail.com>
To: <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 8:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Towertalk] The Ham Radio Business (Longer post laced with
personal opinion)


> On Monday, April 01, 2002 3:24 PM  Henry AA9XW stated:
>
> > 1.  Ham radio has been dying for over 30 years.
> I believe that the current state of ham radio reflects today's society...
> just as it has reflected our society for the past thirty years!  In my
first
> voice contact as a newly licensed General class, I broke into an 80 meter
> conversation of some W4s... looking for a VOICE signal report -- my
first!.
> After announcing my call (de WA3___ ), the one W4 replied "Who cares!"
That
> was in the mid-60s.  Nowadays, if you're not part of the 'clique', you
don't
> get recognized by anyone in the QSO.  It's sad!  How many Extra Class or
> Advanced class licensees make trips into the Novice band for QSOs?  I
would
> listen to the 40m static for hours... hoping to hear/contact a General
class
> licensee.  Ham radio used to be the haven for experimenters and the
> inquisitives.  We were all 'Elmers'.
>
> > 2.  There is almost no interest in ham radio by anyone out side of the
> hobby anywhere in the world.
> What is there in ham radio to attract new ham radio advocates??  Learning
> code won't help you get a job... the coastal CW stations are all but gone!
> 'No-code' allows you to be licensed by learning some theory, but that
won't
> help you get a job either.  Electronics jobs today require a more formal,
> thorough education.  WHAT organization today repairs at the component
> level??  Who needs electronic theory?  CW?  How fast can you TYPE?  Please
> don't ask me what is exciting about ham radio for a non-ham because I'm
> having trouble thinking of anything.
>
> > 3. If you take into account the 10 year lag between license renewals and
a
> > percentage for SK's that arenot yet reported as such, most are never
> reported
> > until the 2 year renewal grace period is passed,  you find that the
> "active"
> > ham population is about 1/3 less than the stated "licensed" hams.
> This would not surprise me.
>
> > 4.  Stores including the big names are all reporting sales are down
> 30-50%.
> If all other things are equal and the NUMBER of consumers is declining,
> sales WILL go down.  Also, companies that do not keep up with the buying
> practices/procedures of those willing to spend money are destined for
> declining sales.  ANY 'walk-in' store (except perhaps the likes of the
food
> stores) are faced with competition from the I'net and 1-800.  I personally
> would rather buy off the Internet than drive 10 miles into town, *hoping*
> they have what I want, and try to find a parking space.
>
> I'd really like having one of the gee-whiz radios produced today... but I
am
> appalled that I would have to spend a recognizable portion of my take-home
> pay for one??  Never happen!  Do we really NEED all those whistles and
> bells?  WHERE'S THE CHALLENGE??  I guess it's a matter of taste and pocket
> size.  It's discouraging... ham radio is being undermined by the
technology
> we espouse.
>
> > 5.  There is little effort to get any substantial growth in either
> activity
> > or new hams. the same old contests, sweepstakes, and OSCAR stuff has
> almost
> > no interest to non hams and although I don't keep track of entries, I
> would
> > like to know if the number of contest and award logs are going up or
down.
> My
> > guess is down.
> I used to hold classes for CB'ers... to help them with the code and
theory.
> As a math teacher I started a ham radio club at school and again held
> classes open to the public.  Both of these scenarios are predicated on the
> fact that there is an interest base... that someone is willing to work for
> the privledge of operating a ham radio.  Interest is frequently driven by
> incentive... remember when the first 2m phone patch went into operation??
> Now THERE was incentive!  I see no incentive now.  How many of *your* kids
> have cell phones???
>
> > 6.  [Snip] If the bulk of hams were not over 60 and too old to do
> > much more than sit and drink beer and fart on 40 meters, we could mount
a
> > good terrorism emergency plan that might be of interest to the non ham
> world
> > and the Government, but I don't see anyone, let alone Newington leading
> the
> > charge on that one either. just the ususal MARS, RACES and 2 meter HT
> > repeaters.
> There remains an emergency mission for ham radio!!!  As the state's
warning
> and communications officer in the 80s, I know all too well about the need
> for flexible, deployable communications when traditional communications
> fail.  Unfortunately, no one else sees the need.
>
> And if you DID try to set up an emergency net adjacent to some of the
> 'slugs' on 40m and 80m, you would get harassed and QRM'ed to death for
> interferring with their 'regular sked'.  Ham radio's demise has been aided
> by the FCC.  Their inaction... their 'police the bands yourself'
attitude...
> has over time allowed the ham bands to digress into 'private frequencies
> obtained by squatters rights and Alpha linears'.  There is not much to
like
> about these bullies.  The river of disdain runs deep.
>
> > 7.  If it weren't for the CB'ers buying ham gear to operate on 10, 11
and
> in
> > between, at power levels to 25 KW,  most of the HF gear sales would be
90%
> > lower also.
>
> > 8.  When those of us who are over 50 die, the ham population will be
under
> > 125,000 and ARRL membership will be less than 15,000.  new hams do not
> join
> > ARRL.  no code hams do not join ARRL.  they also do not buy magazine
> > subscriptions, or expensive gear, usually a 1-2 band HT, a mobile
antenna
> and
> > an amp if the repeater is more than a few miles away.
>
> At almost 60 years old I guess I'm disillusioned.  Ham radio used to be
> great fun... it was thrilling.  I remember waking my wife up at 2 in the
> morning to tell her I had just gotten another state on 40m CW!  There is
no
> skill necessary to become a ham today... perseverence, yes.  But no
> challenging skill to attain.  This is one reason why I opposed no-code
> licensing. Heck, you can easily run all mode on all bands at 10dB over
full
> legal power for a mere $12000.  All it takes is a checkbook.  And don't
> forget the 'power mike' and keyboard for 'CW'!!
>
> TowerTalk revived my failing interest... it rekindled the flame called
> curiousity.  What TowerTalk has given me is the desire to experiment... in
> this case with antennas.  For instance, what effect would a magnet have on
> the radiation pattern?  If I took a insulated circular magnet and
positioned
> it at various points along a dipole, what effect would this have on the
> feedpoint impedance??  What effect would it have on the radiated fields?
> And lastly... how can I convey this desire to learn -- to try, to
> experiment -- to my kids?  To others??  Because they, like the rest of the
> world, are too caught up with the Internet to really care.
>
> gary b
> k3gb
>
>
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