HAM: The Next Generation

Aaron:

I too would throw in my vote that the hobby has become more rude over the years. Whether or not that's a reflection of society I don't know. I just feel that when I started 17 years ago, people were more willing to jump in and lend a hand, donate equipment, swing by the house and help me put up a dipole, etc. Now I find more often than not, if I throw out a question to an internet board or to some of the hams on the air, I get an argumentative and demeaning type of reply. I find the internet is far more hostile than on the air, but the trend is still there. I also have a heck of a time getting people to come by for an eyeball QSO.

It used to be that hams would gladly swing by after work to chat a moment about the hobby, check out my new equipment, or whatever. Now I feel I live more or less in isolation. Some of the old-time ham friends from 20 years ago are still there, but much of the new breed seems less inclined to socialize and are always "too busy".

Most of the more easy-going and polite hams I tend to meet on the air and not on the internet and certainly seldom at club meetings or functions. They've tended to reside on the WARC bands like 17, 12 and 30m, or on some of the niche areas like 6m or weak signal 2m and up, etc. Many do not attend meetings, and many do not get on the air except to grab a new country/grid or to try out new equipment. Just my observations.

For me, I will always stay in the hobby (till the FCC canceles the ham radio service!). I won't let malcontents force me out of it. But my focus is more on the technology and propagation, not on socializing with other hams. Except for a few on-the-air pleasant encounters, I no longer put much energy into making friendships through the hobby. Which in a way is kind of sad, but at least for me, I have no desire to be around folks that can do nothing but argue and belittle. We all get enough of that from work, we don't need it in a hobby!

73s and gl,
Bert

 

I got my ticket in 1978 (started as a tech) and went inactive around 1980 or so due to family, work, etc.. I've been active again for the last 2 years. I love it. I was grandfathered in as a general and shortly there after passed my extra.



I'm not saying that you will never hear anything rotten on the ham bands. I ocassionally hear vulgarity and rude and inappropriate comments on the air, both on hf and vhf and uhf. You will never have a perfect system anywhere, even in ham radio.



The important thing is that 99% of the hams on the air are nice folks, and are great to be in contact with. The other 1% is the nasty boys that get wrote up on the "ham" sites on the computer. It's just like the newspaper, you only write about the bad stuff, thats what sell the paper....



The worst I hear most of the time is older hams talking about their ailments, but then I get on the radio and some one ask's me how am I doing, and by golly I'm one of them complaining about my bum back and sore feet!!! so go figure



I have recieved tons of help from other hams and I also have helpped other hams my self. As long as we all help each other and have patience with the rest, things will be ok. Go for your upgrade, get the code learned, and have a ball ( go to this site for a super program to learn the code, you do 2 letters till you get 90 % then add a letter , it called the Koch method and this is a great FREE program - http://www.g4fon.co.uk/ - ) I am not saying you will never hear something bad on the air or read about it here. What I am saying is that the good is so much better than the little bit of bad that it is no contest.. Ham radio is a blast.



Even on a tech ticket, you can work 6 meters, the magic band, 2 meter sideband weak signal (how about calif to hawaii on 2 meter ssb, ?) 6 and 2 meter eme (moonbounce) , fm satilite, ssb satilite, slow scan tv, fast scan tv, vhf PSK31, 2meter and 440 repeaters (fm) and lots more, such as antenna development, feed lines and so on. and thats just stuff above 6 meters.



Don't get discouraged, get out there and have fun.



Remember it's not about radios, its about people who use radios... 73 good luck tom N6AJR

 

Here is the root problem:
Hams used to be able to do things no one else could do.
Talk on the phone with a portable radio.
Talk to a boat at sea.
Talk to remote areas of the planet.
Talk from car to car over many miles.

Now just about anyone can do this stuff. The supply of people who appreciate the "magic" is diminishing by the day.
73
Don't give up though, it is still cool!

 

Hey Aaron,
Fortunately there are many out there that feel the way you do, and I am one of them. Unfortunately, there are many out there that have the opposite view you do. I feel Ham Radio is like any other hobby..You get out of it, what you put into it!!
I too , am active duty Navy, soon to be in your area! As you well know from your Navy experience, there are those that have different opinions then you and some of those will do any thing to get you to agree with their opinion and not respect your opinion.
There is divisions in the Ham crowd too. Those that care and want to ram it down your throat how the "suffered" to get where they are and that you should "suffer" also. For example, 20 WPM requirement for Extra Class now reduced to 5 WPM.
I am not saying all Extra class Hams are like that, just some. My Elmer (W1ZM) is 88 years old, has been teaching me the code. Great guy. If all Elmer's were like him, the hobby would grow very fast (at least I think it would).
To all those Ham's out there who take us under their wings and teach us. Thank You!!!!!

STSC(SS/SW) J. P. Costello. USN
WH6QV

 

Hi Aaron!
Hamming is great! I've been at it for 12 years now and my interest didn't fade at all. I talk to a lot of good people all over the planet, I go on portable operations , I rag chew, chase paper, experiment with antennas, I've learned english, I know more about propagation, auroras, geographie...and I could carry on.
So this hobby will last for many many years to come whatever the doomsday people say!!!
It's not like it was 30 years ago but 30 years ago people were saying that it was not like 30 years before! In 10 years we will be saying the same thing. So enjoy "this" golden age!!!

 

Aaron,

I've been around a little bit and I can tell you this. Go for your goals and don't let the sour grapes make you go away.
Ham radio has taught me patience more than anything else. Remember that you are dealing with people. You know how that goes!
I have gained friends around the world. Some of them are uncles to my kids. They became a big part of my life.
If I were to weigh and measure, I would say that my existance as a ham has been 99.9% favorable.
Also, I want you to know that there are other things that you can do with your ticket besides sitting on your duff and chewing rags.
Is the hobby dieing? I think that depends on the individual. For me it's getting better.
Get the HF priviledges and it will open up a whole new world. ENJOY!

Mike

 

There is an old saying: The more things cange, the more they stay the same. Futhur back than most people can remember TV channel 1 (48 mHz to 54) mHz  was taken away from the TV broadcast industry and most of it was given to the hams. At that time some nay-sayers forcast the death of VHF television. What really happened was the death of channel 1.  Then in 1957 came the birth of CB with 11 meters being taken from the hams. Again the hams of the day were forcasting the death of ham radio.  I didn't happen then.  Now there are talks of ham bands being sold off to commercial groups.  Recently it was the 220 band.  Fortunately that was shot down.  At the moment it is the 432 to 438 segment of the 70 CM band. This is the area used for SSB and real time television and some other modes.  Will it happen?  We just have to wait and see.
As far as etiquette or lack threrof on the bands,  almost from day 1 of hamdom there has been a disruptive element. They say "There is power in numbers".  Look at from this angle, in the 50's the number of radios and operators was very limited,  and radios very expensive.  The surplus market hadn't evolved yet. Heath Kit, Eico, Allied Radio (Knight Kit) and a few others were just emerging.  Mass produced, affordable ham radios were all but non-existant.  If you wanted to get on the air you almost had to build it from scratch, get a kit or get surplus gear.  Electronic parts places were very common as the radio receivers of the day were tube type.  The television industry was limited because TV sets were very expensive.  As the decades advenced the number of kit suppliers multiplied like the proverbal rabbitt. So the number of affordible devices and people obtaining them has grown by magnitudes. Proportionally there are probably no more bad eggs on there air as there were 50 years ago, just more of them in the same limited space on the HF bands.
The mass produced radio began to emerge in the 70's, tubes gave way to the transistor. The transistor gave way to small sacle integration, then medium sacle integration, then large sacle integration, and now very large sacle integration.  The narrow tuned circuits gave way to broad band.  These technological changes did for intent kill most of the kit suppliers and open the door for mass produced ready made systems.  It has come to the point that is less expensive to purchace almost any electrical device than to make it yourself.  However,  there are still a few kit suppliers out there for those that want the satisfaction of saying "I built it myself" and a few parts suppliers for those who want to say "I built it of my own design"
Yes,  Ham radio is evolving. It may, or may not be dying, but lets not burry ham radio until, or if it dies.
Remember: They have been forcasting the end of the world for hundreds, if not thousands of years.  There have been a number of large rocks fall to earth with devistating results,  yet the earth survives.
There have been a number of changes to Ham Radio that have had a negative impact from time to time,  yet it survives.  As long as it exist,  no matter what the changes, enjoy it and make full use of it.  Promote it with a positive attitude. Burry it only if it dies. The end of the  Morse Code requirement, if it happens, need not spell doom for the hobby. After all, you don't have to demonstrate knowledge of real time television to operate that mode. So long as people want to operate Morse Code I believe there will be space alloted for it.
Again: enjoy what you have and utilize it to the fullest.

 

In the previous post I noticed most of the advice was to check the Internet to judge the state of Ham Radio. Odd, I would have thought if you wanted an unbiased opinion you would get on the HF Bands and consult the Hams who are active and patricipating in Ham radio,and those who have been around long enough to give a stable impression of the possible future.For those not aware Ham Radio is an International Past time and I don't think an inquiry on the local repeater as to the future would be any more than an echo of ones own opinion. In this particular post the Ham Call letters are obviously omitted,one might evaluate by considering the source of the information presented.
Yes TOTO we are not in Kansas anymore,but does that mean we are exploring new regions or are we just lost ??
For the original poster and others with the same question,study and work on getting your Extra Class ticket and then go forth in to the World of Ham Radio and form your own opinion of the future of Ham Radio,you have nothing to lose and look at the knowledge and good realationships you will aquire in the process.
Very Best of Luck in your studies......    73,   ORV

ENJOY!!! Life is too short for QRP.....

P.S.
For the poster with the obviously negative attitude,maybe you should reconsider your selection of avocations,possibly a more appropiate choice can be made by giving the selection a little more thought. Lot's of luck on your choice....ORV

 

The things you will hear on the amateur bands are vastly different from years ago.  But the same can be said for television and radio broadcasts, and the movies you see in theaters.

Don't let the mean-spirited people on amateur radio ruin your good time.  Go ahead and get your license upgrades.  You don't have to spend a bunch of money on radio gear, and if you're in the Navy you probably can find a Navy Amateur station available for your use.

Just don't talk to the jerks on the air.  There are lots of frequencies around.  Talk to who YOU want to talk to and leave the jerks to be jerks.

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KD7EFQ @ Oct. 12 2002,13:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (jxs2151 @ Oct. 08 2002,10:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The lack of courtesy we see on the bands nowdays is just a reflection on society as a whole. We are a cross section of society, and those bad habit are likely to be on the sir, just as much as they are in the workplace, highways, and other public place. [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

And as long as we continue to condone boorish behavior in this way, nothing will change.  It is far too easy to excuse the behavior prevalent on ham radio this way and this is becoming the big lie of ham radio- that we are merely a 'cross-section' of society as a whole and our discussions will invariably contain 'some' malcontents.  While this comment sounds very learned and seems to preclude disagreement, it is false.  Ham radio discussion contains an inordinate amount of personal attacks, rude behavior and anger.

A good long look around show that few hobbies have as many rude, obnoxious people as ham radio.  It is time to face the facts- a *significant* portion of amateur radio operators are maladjusted.  

The discussions of hams on the Internet provides a window to the soul of Amateur Radio and cannot easily be dismissed.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I'm beginning to think this guy is on the dole from the
corporate conspiracy that is trying to  BUY away our band
allocations. His "Abandon all hope all ye who enter here"
attitude fits right in with what companies like Sprint/UPS/
Wireless internet companies want, so they can take over
for profit motives. This is amateur radios real and
iminent danger, the commercial boys wanting to make
us look bad in the eyes of the gov't so they can buy out
our bandspace. Hmmm ...1.5kw HT's on 440 to get over
Sprints interference of a shared band...Maybe even light
sabers too...Just figuring out the right power source is
the challenge...HI Hi 73's. KD7EFQ [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
That is so cute, instead of focusing on the issue at hand you wish to allege that I have 'connections' with "those evil corporations trying to steal bandwidth"  from us hams.

You can continue to be paranoid if you so choose but that does not make the issue go away.  Do you see conspiracies *everywhere* you go?


I will say it again and again until those who wish to hide their heads in the sand see the truth:

"A good long look around show that few hobbies have as many rude, obnoxious people as ham radio.  It is time to face the facts- a *significant* portion of amateur radio operators are maladjusted."

Those willing to disagree with the premise will be answered, I will waste no more time on 'conspiracy theorists'

 

We get out of the hobby/service what we put into it. Nothing more, and nothing less. If another ham get PO'ed because someone is having a QSO on "his" frequency, he's just like the old man down the street that sits on his porch and yells at the kids who ride their bikes on the sidewalk in front of his house. The RF spectrum is a community, just as full of young folks, old geezers, jerks, soccer moms, crazies, philanthropists, shut-ins and malevolent souls as is your home town.

Cars are a great hobby too, but unfortunately the roads are full of jerks. Having a license (drivers or radio operators) doesn't require passing an element on Civility. Freud would have a field day (no pun intended) examining the similarities between big cars, big cigars and big amplifiers.

If you take the time to mentor, to serve the community, to be friendly and courteous, you'll have fun and meet some really wonderful folks. Turn down the juice and work QRP - you'll improve your skills. If you take the time to understand the science behind what we're doing, to experiment and learn, you'll be a pioneer.

 

People got into, are into, will get into, and will stay in ham radio for many reasons - even different reasons in all of those phases. In 1968, my older brother urged his siblings to create a family communication system independent of land lines. And although I enjoy other aspects of ham radio, this remains my greatest interest. For this reason, I feel that point-to-point communication - across the room, across the street, or around the world - is the single greatest direct benefit of ham radio.

 

Aaron

I am new to Amateur radio as well. I have had my ticket for over a year. And although I spend all my time on VHF
I have had only a few bad experiences, mostly from long time operators that don't like the new licensing scheme and therfore they do not care for us Tech's. Even had an old aquantence of mine that is a ham, blow me of when I asked him for advice, his only comment was I don't do VHF so I can't help you, as he raised his holyer than though nose in the air.

Other than that most Hams old and new have been great. Offering sage advice and helping me along the way. It is my opinion that if the naysayers put as much energy into Elmering new hams as they do trashing the state of Amateur radio today, maybee things would turn out a little better.

The most negative things I have found in Ham radio so far have been on the internet rather than on the air.

And another interesting thing I have noticed on this site is that the most negative comments seem to come from posters using an alias rather than their call sign. I wonder if this tells us somthing??

Enjoy the hobby Aaron, and most of all don't take it so serious that it stops being fun!

Rich KC8QNF

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (jxs2151 @ Oct. 08 2002,08:14)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Stick a fork in it.....it's done.  

The downward spiral of Ham Radio into meaninglessness is picking up speed and hams are fighting over deck chairs.  It does indeed appear as if the 'old guard' will get their way since they would rather see the hobby die than accept changes.  It is truly a shame that the very same folks who added so much to amateur radio could not stand to see it advance.


Here's the true test, a Res ipsa loquitur ("it speaks for itself") if you will:

Go find a repeater or club where they aren't arguing (not disagreeing but arguing) constantly and the members not at each other's throats about the silliest things.  For that matter, find a ham website where the discussion is civil. Go find an HF pileup and listen for courteous behavior versus discourteous behavior.  You'll soon see my point.  For the finest example, wander over to the rec.radio.amateur.misc newsgroup and see the best discussions that hams have to offer.

There are those who will disagree, stating "A few bad apples..." or something to that tune.  The fact of the matter is that if this were true you would rarely find examples of boorish behavior on the air or on the websites or in the newsgroups.  The opposite is the case.  

The result is that a lot of people are selling their equipment and leaving the hobby to the idiots.  The death stroke will be when Yaseu, Icom, et al decide that the profits just aren't enough to justify continued manufacture of ham radios.  You do realize that to the Japanese manufacturers ham radio is just a line of business? And like any line of business, if it doesn't produce a profit the line will go away.


 It's only a hobby and who in the heck wants to get in an argument everywhere they go in ham radio?  I don't mind a heated discussion but I, for one, am tired of the bickering.

Oh yeah, I await the ignorant responses that are sure to come.  Something like "Heh, if yew kant stand the heet git off my frequncy girly-man" will suffice to make my point perfectly.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
jxs2151,

Well said and I couldn't agree more

 

I'm not going to go back and find it to quote it, but someone mentioned having this young man approach the communication officer on his ship about using a radio.

Chances are it won't happen that way. Let me explain.

1. The Comm Officer or Radio Officer on board a Navy Ship is a very Junior Officer, probably less than 2 years out of college. 99% of them don't know how to operate a radio. They know how to administer a group of men that DO know how to operate radios. Most of them are business admin types who never saw a radio that did anything but play music before they went aboard ship. This is not to demean what they do, just to explain that these are not Hams and for the most part don't ever talk on a radio, they just do the paperwork having to do with communications as far as the ships requirements are concerned.

2. Chances are, unless this young man is connected to the communications area of the ship, he won't get in. Security on the Comm room is just too tight. No need to know, no entry! Period. For those times when we had visitors to Radio, it took 4 hours of prep by at least 4 people to clear up the classified things so some one could come in for a 5 minute peak, and even then certain things had blankets over them.

3. There is one chance, that he might be able to operate from the ship, using shipboard equipment inport and when the ship is in standdown and receiving all message traffic from the shore station. And this will only happen if there happens to be a Radioman or Electronics Tech aboard who is a sympathetic Ham. And then this RM/ET Ham will be looking over his shoulder every minute, because he will probably be the one responsible for the maintenance/Operation of this equipment and doesn't need someone screwing up his stuff. This is not to say this young man would intentionally screw something up, but doo-doo happens, and the person responsible for that equipment is NOT going on liberty until that equipment is up and running. No sailor in his right mind puts his equipment in jeopardy when a pair of 807s await on the beach!

The Navy ships I have known to have Ham Radio stations, have had them through the Welfare and Rec fund, gotten Collins KWM-2 type equipment and a tiny space somewhere on board with a coax link to radio to use one of the antennas when that antenna is not being used for ops. Even then you have to go down to Radio and request an interconnect.

Ham Radio on board Navy ships is not an easy thing, and you don't just go out and put up a new dipole off the mast and then call up to the bridge and get them to run North/South so you can hit the mainland. HiHi

I know the suggestion was well meant, but the Navy just doesn't work like that from a practical standpoint.

His best bet is find an RM or ET that is a Ham or wannabe and talk them into helping set up a welfare and rec system. He will still have to have the Comm officers permission but he will have some backing from the crew member that has the ships comm plan and systems knowledge to knows how to approach the system.

73
Harry Kholer N0PU
12 years Navy ET