Amateur Radio in 2012: What is to come? More Youth, Digital Rivalry, Cheaper Rigs!

He must mean Romeo Stepannenko-- glorious DXpeditioner proved fraud, and profoundly dishonest. Under tight lockup in NYC. Throw away the key!

73,
Chip W1YW

 

As Yogi Berra so wisely observed, "Predictions are difficult, especially about the future." However, for ME, I know it's going to be great. My book, "Radio Science for the Radio Amateur" will be out, and it will get a lot of hams doing what they do best....experimenting and twiddling the ether.

Eric

 

Cheaper rigs, eh? I last dipped my toes in the ham radio shopping lists in 2007, when my shack was destroyed by a wildfire. At the time, every vendor seemed to have a race to the bottom of the price sheet going on, new IC-718's were going for $395. Now they're almost double that, and everything else seems to have taken a quantum leap in price but not performance. Sad to say, I can't even get a replacement for my beloved little PSK-20, apparently Dave hasn't recovered from building a shack that can withstand New England winters either. Sad, very sad.

Glad to hear Ham Radio is continuing to grow. Maybe after the next house I'll be able to afford the sport again.

 

You're absolutely right about one thing, the Brits thought that the people leading the call for independance were criminal for daring to cross the Crown. I certainly don't feel there is any similarity between the two. With anonymous, it's simply about tearing things down and punishing those with whom they disagree. There is no thought to building anything, just the fantasy of this etherial "paradise" of fairness that these nut jobs are using as an excuse to commit larceny and vandalism. If you cross them they will wipe out your data basesor post your credit card on line . It's an excuse for bad behavior. Different from those "protesters" burning cars and smashing windows in Oakland and elsewhere only in the type of clean up required when they're done.

Mark
KA5EOD

 

Dave,

I find myself agreeing with you. Despite Yaesu's claims to the contrary, D-Star isn't just about the GMSK modulation used; it's about a worldwide linked network of repeaters, reflectors and gateways, as well as the ability of a ham in Andover Ohio to connect with a ham in Port Lincoln South Australia by simply putting the other ham's callsign in the radio and pressing the PTT switch. I've said on a number of occasions that I would rather see all the manufacturers sell radios using the JARL developed protocol and technology, instead of them developing their own.

 

Re: the peanut gallery comment...Obviously some of the OM's here are not OT's. As I remember the old Howdy Doody show the audience, both in person and on TV, were called the Peanut Gallery. Hmmm, maybe these OM's were before TV; that could be possible...

 

don't forget about the AM'ers (ancient modulation)
viking II/S38B operator
kd5pnt

 

I think we are going to see an all coverage radio emerge from China in competition to the big 3. The Wouxun radios have sold well (even though they lack in a lot of area's) so I think it's only logical that the Chinese manufacturers will take advantage of the rising number of Hams and produce a HF/UHF/VHF radio aimed at those who cannot afford the extortionate prices of the big 3. Many of the dedicated big 3 users will balk at a Chinese radio but the Hams that want a piece of the action at an affordable price will snap up the Chinese offerings and the "Written in Chinglish" manuals that will come with them. A bit of competition in price for what is available is long overdue.

73 and Happy New Year to all.

Bob
WQ4BOB

 

U need to score an Icom IC-375a

 

As one of the handful of people who got to cleanup after an "Anonymous" visit last year, I can assure you they're just thieves, nothing more. Stealing credit card information is NEVER EVER EVER "well-intentioned." If you listen to what their spouting, they're basically protesting any movement that limits their ability to steal the work of artists, producers, set designers, tradesmen, and the thousands of other job titles of the people who work to make movies, tv shows, music, and games. While I'm the first to agree that the RIAA and MPAA are luddites who would rather bury their head in the sand than have original thoughts about how to sell creative work online, they ARE at least trying in their limited, bone-headed way to protect all of these thousands and thousands of people who work to create 'entertainment products.' Anonymous, on the other hand, are really nothing more than a bunch of thugs who don't like having their ability to steal these products thwarted, and they're not afraid to break laws and hurt people to get what they want.

A thief by any other name, would still smell as foul.

 

people are getting ready..

people are getting ready for the limits of communications in government rules, a cell phone and internet kill switch.. ham radio and c.b. radio could be quite possibly our last mode of free communication. it is making it very popular in some of the church groups such as lds as well as the prepper community getting ready for possibility of the fall of society and government in this country...

 

The big three will never narrow the field of operators by offering a rig that is narrowed to those bands that the "Tech's" have privileges. That would be analogous to selling phones now that do not have INET/data abilities (if they are still selling them, they were built years ago and will be completely obsolete soon!

 

I have a phone like that. Makes and receives calls, and texts. Thats about it. £9.99. Nokia.

 

Agreed. I also hope that the "new Heathkit" or other manufacturers would also start producing more kits. I'm talking real back to basics kits, with original foolproof Benton Harbor instructions for people like me who are missing some neutrinos (okay, more like large hunks of gray matter upstairs). How about a kit HF rig (80 -- 10, WARC), sideband and CW only, 50w, with nothing more than a keyer, RIT, PBT, dual VFO, and basic speech processing. All in for under $500. Some of the kit could be modular, such as with the Elecrafts.

I'm wading into the IB4TL, but I'm convinced that young hams should try to learn learn CW. Like a lot of Zedders I became a ham as a teen. Code was required then. It isn't now. That's all good. However, in many cases, CW is still a way to get on the air with much less equipment and antenna investment than sideband. CW, along with the digital modes, are stealth ham radio. Lots of students are cash-strapped. CW (and data) can help get more young hams on HF.

 

I am ALL FOR cheaper rigs!

I want a FTdx5000! But I don't wanna pay SIX THOUSAND BUCKS for one. I might be able to scrape up THREE G'S for one if I sell my soul to the Devil. We need a DRASTIC change in the Dollar towards the YEN, so I can score one for 3Gs.