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Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by W5JDX, Jun 19, 2021.

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  1. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Ahem...

    ...try again.
     
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  2. VE7KKQ

    VE7KKQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    I don't understand what all the complaints are about, the carry bag has got to be close to $100 considering the labour costs to sew it together.
     
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  3. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

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  4. KC5NYO

    KC5NYO Ham Member QRZ Page

    Man ‘everything’ has skyrocketed in $price! Groceries, gas, and especially restaurants! Inflation is robbing me!
     
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  5. WA8FOZ

    WA8FOZ Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    We have to except them as they are

    Spellcheck + bad proofing. But I think my point stands. Ham radio needs hams to prosper. And fewer people today have the kind of background that we had. So some may need pre-made antennas to get started as hams. OSISI.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2021
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  6. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

    I give up. What's OSISI?
     
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  7. US7IGN

    US7IGN Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    This is a really big problem. I am very happy to have taken up radio before the internet, where any idiot considers himself an expert. I went to a local club and the old people were always happy to help me and teach me everything, even come to my house with instruments and help me make an antenna. I also now see a lot of beginners who watch theorists' YouTube and just don't believe that something cheap and simple can be effective. Moreover, all their achievements are reduced to chatter on repeaters.

    This is a different problem. I grew up as well. I didn't have time for clubs and girls. We had little money and I always helped my father fix cars, build a house, etc. And in my free time I read. But we lived in a house and there was no internet. My son grew up in an apartment and is not interested in anything other than the Internet and online games. In addition, it is easier for him to ask me for money than to go and earn at least a dollar. It's hard for me to judge him. I don’t want him to sleep a little because he has to work too hard. I'm glad he doesn't starve like I sometimes did. And I'm not at all sure that the ability to do something with his hands will really come in handy for him. He studies well and I hope that with his head he can earn enough to buy whatever he wants. However, I made him learn to do at least minor repairs around the apartment, so that he could differ from a woman not only by the presence of a penis ...
     
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  8. WA8FOZ

    WA8FOZ Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Or so I see it. Sorry.
     
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  9. WA8FOZ

    WA8FOZ Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Unfortunately, this is often the case. Young people feel the need to enhance their résumés with things other than entry level employment or handwork. They see parents call in a tradesman because it may cost less for them than to take time off from their work. Where I live there are many people who are too busy to cut their own lawns and whose kids have decided that cutting lawns will not do so much to get them into a top-tier university as will other things.

    Meanwhile, master plumbers are making six figure incomes, and are sometimes hard to find. Go figure.
     
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  10. US7IGN

    US7IGN Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Exactly!

    I may be paranoid, but I always waiting to hard times. And sometimes they come. It is better to be ready for them, and to acquire skills in advance.

    As a child, I read Turkmen fairy tales. This is a very ancient and wise oriental people. Among them was a story when a king forced his son to learn some kind of craft. He chose carpet weaving. Once upon a time, their city was attacked and taken into slavery many people, including the king's son. But he, thanks to his skill, had better conditions than an ordinary slave, and according to his mark on the carpets, he was once found and rescued.

    I am a lawyer, but in my youth I had to work hard. I learned how to repair cars and electronics. I never had a need for pocket money and always had the motivation to study well in order to earn a normal money using my head.
     
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  11. KI4POT

    KI4POT Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Not this white boy. I have an MBA, I make a 6 figure salary (not that impressive when you consider the area I live), and I have nearly a year's salary in the bank on top of my retirement and other long-term investments. I don't say that to brag about my income or anything but to frame what I say next...

    I can afford to pay someone to do my manual tasks. But, I'll do any repair or manual labor job that needs doing in my house as long as I have the tools and the know-how. I do the yard work (granted, my yard is tiny), I work on my vehicles (oil changes, general maintenance, and any repairs that don't require highly specialized tools or knowledge). I'm currently teaching myself to MIG weld (welding sheet metal is challenging) so I can patch up the cancerous body rust on my 4x4. I grow a small amount of vegetables in my backyard (this year it's beans, onions, and peppers). I've repaired appliances and done plumbing work (including replacing my water heater). I keep cars much longer than average because having done most of the maintenance work on them, I'm intimately familiar with the cars, their condition, and what is likely to fail next. My parents and grandparents were similarly wired (my mom, at nearly 70, still mows her own lawn and will not hesitate to climb a ladder and get on the roof of her house to do some minor repair...dammit mom, stop that!).

    There are a few things I won't do though, such as carpentry and painting. I'm not particularly good at either and do not have the patience for it.

    I don't push my kids to do such things because they're girls and I also believe you have to have an inner desire to do that sort of work. However, I do set the example that people *can* do their own work and not hire jobs out every time. People should have skills beyond their "day job". Even if it costs more to do it yourself (that whole opportunity cost of doing it yourself vs working and earning more money), there is value in knowing how the job was done in case you need to do similar things later. Even knowing that it's a tough job you should hire out next time is useful intel (like replacing the rear shocks on a 3rd gen 4Runner...I did that myself the first time, I paid someone the 2nd time 15 years later).

    I don't know that I would have gone down the route of a tradesman, but I do wish such things were more openly discussed when I was a kid (this was well before the whole "dirty jobs" thing). I have been very open with my kids about college, return on investment, and if they're going to go to college to pick a career that justifies the expense. College has become a bit of scam with kids graduating with high 5 figure and even low 6 figure debts they'll never pay off. When I showed my oldest daughter the math in what that does to your budget, she got it immediately, but many kids don't.

    Chris
     
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  12. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thank you very much for that posting, Chris. It's refreshing to hear from a like-minded soul who isn't afraid of a bit of sweat on the brow or dirt under the fingernails.

    Your kids will ultimately thank you, too - especially about cluing them in about the scam that is much of academia these days and the dollars, cents, sense, and nonsense of it all!
     
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  13. W9CDK

    W9CDK Ham Member QRZ Page

    I dunno, man. I just built a qrpguys multiband endfed and it cost me like $35 in parts total.
    My go-to is a linked dipole made up of about $15 worth of parts.

    Maybe I should start making and selling antennas if I can let them go for that kind of markup!
     
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  14. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Naw. Don't feed the beast or the narrative.

    Better yet, encourage others to take the plunge, purchase some basic tools and parts, and get some skin in the game by building something!

    The pride and self satisfaction of actually making contacts with something homebrew will spur 'em on and so encourage others.
     
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  15. KI4POT

    KI4POT Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Thanks! That's just how I grew up. My parents and grandparents were wired that way. There was also no division of labor between the sexes. My dad would be just as willing to cook dinner, clean the house, and do laundry while my mom mowed the grass or did other yard work or vice versa.

    My kids are great, they get it. Both of them have good heads on their shoulders and are completely lacking in any entitlement mentality.

    Chris
     
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