Issue #17: The Best, But at What Cost?

W7DGJ · May 8, 2023

WW7GBA said: ↑

Dave, great article. I run an internet business, I specialize in big game fishing equipment. You want to get into an expensive venture/hobby? Offshore fishing will do that for sure! I sell fishing reels that cost $3.5K to $12K along with many other unique products, we manufacture our own big game rods, kite fishing products, trolling gear, lures, as well as swordfishing, marlin, and tuna fishing gear. I am an avid fisherman, and I also fish offshore fishing tournaments in my home state of Florida during the summer months, I also do some fly fishing here in NE Utah on the Provo River, looking to mix that with a Razor, and POTA/SOTA endeavors. The one thing that I learned in this business is that cheap stuff rarely pans out, best to save $$$ and buy the right thing when you are ready. We spend a lot of money on fishing equipment, but also on the boats that get us out into the Atlantic, another large expense. I have no budget for fishing, tough to come up with an amount, as this varies and has zero degree of consistency when it comes to what you need. At times it is "what did we break on this trip?" At my price, dealer pricing, it is still super expensive. LOL, no breaks dude!

I think Ham Radio can get expensive, but I think that if you are a regular operator, eventually you have everything you need ( I think, I am too new at this to say for sure on anything) When I decided to get my Ham licenses, I told my wife that Ham Radio is like fishing, you always need things. Currently I am in the process of setting up my shack, so I am having a lot of fun putting it together. I figure that in total, I may spend about 20K or so. I want a POTA setup, and I will probably update my 7300 to a 7610, dual VFOs and extra antenna ports come in handy. These are still in the works. Looking at the Yaesu 891 for POTA. So I have a few things I want to get. I am also having fun messing around with wire antennas, so it's all good. This keeps me busy, and will keep my mind going. Once you reach the age of 65, it is very important to stay busy, and keep the mind working. If the brain goes to sleep, the "Mr. Magoo Effect" takes over, and dementia is soon to follow. So keeping the brain entertained with new info, is a GOOD thing. I can't put a price on that! LOL

73
WW7GBA
Louis
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Thanks for the great post, Louis. I totally agree with your comments about the brain and keeping sharp. I try my hardest to stay on top of things, but can sure feel age creeping up on me. The LAST thing I want to do is to retire to an easy chair and watch TV all day long. Fishing? Love it. Never poured the big bucks into it. Have my fly rod, a kit to make lures, and so on, but rarely take the time to get out there. It's the time that is the deal killer on hobbies . . . You may love the hobby, but if you don't invest TIME into it, you'll soon fade out of it. I love radio. Sometimes I find myself WRITING too much about radio, and not being ON THE AIR enough. The same thing can happen . . . burnout. So, I get back into the shack and get on the air. That refreshes my interests almost instantly. Good luck with your business, Louis, and have fun out there . . . Dave, W7DGJ

WW7GBA · May 9, 2023

W7DGJ said: ↑

Thanks for the great post, Louis. I totally agree with your comments about the brain and keeping sharp. I try my hardest to stay on top of things, but can sure feel age creeping up on me. The LAST thing I want to do is to retire to an easy chair and watch TV all day long. Fishing? Love it. Never poured the big bucks into it. Have my fly rod, a kit to make lures, and so on, but rarely take the time to get out there. It's the time that is the deal killer on hobbies . . . You may love the hobby, but if you don't invest TIME into it, you'll soon fade out of it. I love radio. Sometimes I find myself WRITING too much about radio, and not being ON THE AIR enough. The same thing can happen . . . burnout. So, I get back into the shack and get on the air. That refreshes my interests almost instantly. Good luck with your business, Louis, and have fun out there . . . Dave, W7DGJ
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I have been busy, but I do get on the radio during the day. This year is going to be a tough one, got several speaking engagements starting on the 18th in Nashville. Covid and zoom really backed up the live presentations, so now everything is in a cluster, and it is catch up time. I ordered a DX Commander today, probably will not be able to do much with it until July. Then its back to travel. Next year I am not scheduling anything, need a break, just thinking about all the trips is stressful enough! LOL I am looking forward to getting that antenna up. I get good QSOs, but reception here where I am at is tough at times. Dipoles are noisy, sometimes you don't have enough filtering to make a QSO happen, so I am hopeful that the DX will help with some of that. I have two dipoles, a 40 and a 12/17/20 fan dipole.

73 WW7GBA
Louis

Issue #17: The Best, But at What Cost?

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