"Dying Hobby Saves the Day Again!

I live in the Danville,IL/ Vermilion County area which sustained a severe storm on Tuesday July 13th. About 3:30 p.m. Central time the storm hit with heavy rains high winds and several funnel clouds. Power was knocked out to most of the county, and many trees and buildings were damaged, as well as vehicles and homes. Thankfully, no injuries or fatalaties have as yet been reported, but parts of the county are still without power today. Several people who have well water are not able to access it because of the outage.
Many local amateurs were out in the storm just on the way home from work or going on errands when it hit. We passed more damage reports than I could count and some emergency calls as well. Here is the irony, we do not have any organized ARES groups here, just amateurs who worked together in the moment to help out in the emergency. I am very proud of the local amateur community for this, and that is an understatement. We may not get much credit for our part, but I know each amateur must have gotton the true reward, the sense of satisfaction for being able to help a little. Just think if we actually were organized, what we may have been able to do! Unfortunately in this area we are not seen as the greatest asset by our emergency services. Perhaps little by little we will be better received.
My question is how can a hobby ever die which performs so much in the pinch for our communities? Yet we are perceived by numerous people as obsolete.

 

Asprin is obsolete too. New uses for it keep popping up every day. Obsolete often means indispensible.

 

Ham radio is in a "sagging" mode, where more of us die than currently come into the hobby.  I think new modes and new hardware will provide interest.... we tend to think boredom will kill us off, but the few tinkerers (and programmers) left will hopefully enthuse the rest of us to get busy and innovate.  As for Danville and Vermilion County amateur ops, I am VERY happy you are there.  My wife's folks live there, and one of my relatives there recently suffered a heart attack and subsequent surgery.
With hams like you in place and willing to work, I worry less about their welfare.
Jim W5AOX

 

Just goes to show that if people are given the chance of helping others out,good things will always happen out of desperate situations.Ham Radio will never die out because of its versatility and dedicated ops.

 

Organized ARES within this hobby is good, But as you say a dying hobby is correct also. What is the age of most of these ARES groups ? You would think that they would be in the way more than a help. As amateurs we are always willing to help if there is a need to. But most have lost interest due to Ego issues. And like you ,will help in our own ways.

 

That's great! As long as we keep the standards high---testing, code etc...we will keep the lids out and the hobby and ars will roll on forever like a big muddy friendly river! Oh--and no bpl too-----get up--stand up for your rights! KE6IRP

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KB9REE @ July 15 2004,18:24)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I live in the Danville,IL/ Vermilion County area which sustained a severe storm on Tuesday July 13th.  About 3:30 p.m. Central time the storm hit with heavy rains high winds and several funnel clouds.  Power was knocked out to most of the county, and many trees and buildings were damaged, as well as vehicles and homes.  Thankfully, no injuries or fatalaties have as yet been reported, but parts of the county are still without power today.  Several people who have well water are not able to access it because of the outage.  
Many local amateurs were out in the storm just on the way home from work or going on errands when it hit.  We passed more damage reports than I could count and some emergency calls as well.   Here is the irony, we do not have any organized ARES groups here, just amateurs who worked together in the moment to help out in the emergency.  I am very proud of the local amateur community for this, and that is an understatement.  We may not get much credit for our part, but I know each amateur must have gotton the true reward, the sense of satisfaction for being able to help a little.  Just think if we actually were organized, what we may have been able to do!  Unfortunately in this area we are not seen as the greatest asset by our emergency services.  Perhaps little by little we will be better received.
My question is how can a hobby ever die which performs so much in the pinch for our communities?  Yet we are perceived by numerous people as obsolete.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Promoting Amateur Radio

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KF7CG @ July 20 2004,05:34)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Asprin is obsolete too. New uses for it keep popping up every day. Obsolete often means indispensible.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

You could have not hit the nail on the head any better.  I am one of net control op's for the ET Skywarn group here in Knoxville TN.  We have a good group of regulars who help us help them in times of need.  

I send my person best to the group that help in the event.  I know you will never hear the praise you desirve, but it coming from you peers I hope will means just as much.  73 and way to go.   Moe Brewer KE4CQW  

Always listening on 50.125.

 

The problem is, just like with aspirin, the hobby has been around so long that the public at large just assumes that newer technologies must be better.  They fail to see the most important element, the human spirit that steps up the plate in times of need and makes things happen.  That aspect of the hobby will (hopefully) never change.  It was once said that the microprocessor and PC would replace Amateur Radio as THE technical hobby and we've found how the two interests have joined together quite well.  We just have to keep ourselves in the positive spotlight and generate a good image and promote the various apsects of this great hobby.

 

The problem is that so many of you folks believe Ham Radio is a hobby.

Collecting stamps is a hobby. Working crosswords is a hobby. Cross-dressing might even be a hobby, I don't know.

But Ham Radio isn't a hobby. It is a life style. If you don't know that, I don't see how you can seriously consider band plans, BPL or licensing structures.

Phil Chambley, Sr.
K4DPK

 

You mean that your average Joe Ham can actually help in an emergency without being a member of an ARRL officially sanctioned group? I thought that to help out in a disaster, you had to be a member of an officially sanctioned ARRL group. WOW! I guess the ARRL is not as essential as some would have us believe!

Bravo guys!

 

Phil....you are so correct!
Amateur Radio is certainly not a hobby....a hobby is something you do when you don't have anything else in your life to do and you are so bored that you can't spit any more.

As such, I don't have any hobbies.

 

Its a Hobby Are you paid money for your services ?

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kf4vgx @ July 23 2004,23:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Its a Hobby  Are you paid money for your services ?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Interesting. Would you consider volunteer fire fighters hobbyists? How about reserve police officers?

Kevin, K9HX

 

Amateur Radio is still a great hobby, and thanks to dedicated hams like in your area we can work to help our communities.  Amateur Radio must continue to keep itself fresh with new ideas and operators who do things to let the communities know that we are there.  We must think of new ideas for special events and public services that make the communites and world aware of what we can do as amateurs.  One good area to do that is working with the military to let our troops know that we stand by them, and support them.  We need to get more involved with helping those who serve make contact with their communities back home.  One way to do so is through Amateur Radio Military Apprciation Day.  Amateurs around the world should join in and allow our citizens to show VOCAL support to our military members LIVE during various Special Events around major holidays.  We could greatly enhance awareness of our hobby this way if we would work together with events that help our communities, and at the same time show what we can do as a service.  We need to get outside of the BOX, and push for events that will help us get media attention, and growth as a hobby.  Most events in ham radio are limited to those in the hobby, we need to expand and do thing that include our communities, and announce it when we are active.  Most communites are not aware of Skywarn, ar emergency nets.  Contact the media, and let them know we are here.  Most important, lets work together and do events on a nationwide and worldwide scale that promote groth and sheds light and attention to amateur Radio.  For information on ARMAD see www.geocities.com/kb9ibw.

Thanks again to all that provide emergency service via Amateur Radio.  Let's work together to grow or hobby, and quit sitting around watching and expecting it to die!
73's

Emery / KB9IBW