thinking about hang up ham radio for good..

[feets]

If ham radio is dying, then why is it that the number of licenses out there reached its all-time high back in 2012? If that's considered dying, then I don't know what isn't.

There is a simple explaination, if you choose to accept it.

Preppers/survivalists

What was supposed to happen in 2012?

You may find that explaination a bit hard to swallow but consider these people got licensed in groups.

 

[feets]

As far as the unfriendly atmosphere, it happens in any long standing hobby. The ones that have allot of expense suffer the most.

If you think ham is hard to edge into, get into horses. It's expensive and noobs are looked down on. Few people will help and it has a high learning curve.

Racing cars is the same.

It seems that model trains is the same.

I have allot of interests and the conversation here is a mirror image of most every other hobby out there, especially the competitive ones.

It's just life.

 

[Eickerman]

When getting to know any group of people there are ups and downs.

Just to establish where I am coming from, I am one of those 60ish guys. No we are not all the same. I am 61, have had a ham license for 49 years (yep, I was 12). I have operated HF, VHF, and UHF mostly for just talking to people.

Now having said that, there are times I too have felt left out, or felt like the outsider. Mostly that feeling was me doing it to myself.

At 13 years of age I was routinely talking to a lot of adults on HF regularly. I ended up talking to doctors, lawyers, a B-52 weapons officer, a Treasury Agent (yes, Secret Service), and a guy who used to write for All in the Family, Adam 12, and Three's Company (WA6AAA, Bryan), and even Herbert Hoover III (yes, the grandson of a President).

A lot of these people answered my CQs on both voice and CW (yes, I am also a code nerd).

I even used to run the old WestCARS net on 7.255 as a teenager sometimes.

Yet even I had a hard time this last year getting back into the swing of things on 2m/440 on one of the local repeaters. I felt like the outsider, and why would anyone want to talk to me? So I listened as others talked and remained frustrated. I got in my own way. Then I opened my mouth and put my call out there. Someone talked to me. We had an interesting conversation and then I went on my way. The next day I tried it again, and someone talked to me again and we had another interesting conversation.

This was on a local repeater where I am not even a member of the sponsoring club. One of the members suggested I come to one of their breakfasts and told me where it was located. I happened to mention to another member that I was listening one day but had not broken in. He said, "Don't do that. Pop in. Say something. That's why I waited a few times to see if anyone else was around."

One thing I realize is that people (well at least me) like to talk with people who are interested in something. I'm kind of all over the map in that regard. Just over a week ago I was at a Jet RC Airplane rally (ever see and hear a real jet RC plane, it's cool). Every year I attend the Phoenix Comicon (yes I am a SciFi nerd, but hey last year I was there for the major Babylon 5 reunion, and the prior year for the Star Trek Next Gen reunion). My wife is teaching me how to make a quilt. I have written articles for online paranormal magazines. I regularly help people online who are restoring/repairing antique radio receivers.

A guy I find interesting to listen to has a major model railroad setup in his back yard and has installed his own solar house power system. Another couple of people are playing with those Raspberry Pi miniature computers (they run Linux).

I guess what I am trying to say, is that Ham Radio is what you make of it. We are not all the same. We are not all just a dying breed (well I almost died 3 months ago, but that's another story). And just because some of us are 60ish, doesn't mean we don't enjoy talking to young people or even older people than we are.

Curtis Eickerman
WB6PUS

 

[PrimeNumber]

When getting to know any group of people there are ups and downs.
.
.
.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that Ham Radio is what you make of it. We are not all the same. We are not all just a dying breed (well I almost died 3 months ago, but that's another story). And just because some of us are 60ish, doesn't mean we don't enjoy talking to young people or even older people than we are.

Well said!

Sometimes it's hard to know when to barge in, hard to know when to butt out. But there are all kinds of friendly people on the air, on the net, and in meatspace too. Always something interesting going on, and it's worth looking around. MTG, when you drop in and say the local equivalent of a polite "hello" only to be met with rudeness, it's not you that's got the problem. Just spin the dial and try again.

 

[N0IU]

There is a simple explaination, if you choose to accept it.

Preppers/survivalists

What was supposed to happen in 2012?

You may find that explaination a bit hard to swallow but consider these people got licensed in groups.

I agree completely!

I wrote this on another forum that was talking about people getting into amateur radio and not having any idea what it was all about...

I don't blame the "new" licensing system or even Dick Bash for the state of amateur radio today. I blame this whole "When All Else Fails" campaign.

Pretty much as far back as I can remember, I have always been a "techie" and a "gear head". Through magazines like Nuts & Volts, PE and PM, I learned about amateur radio. The notion of talking to someone around the world didn't really mean much to me (at the time), but doing it with equipment I could build, now that fascinated me. So essentially I found amateur radio and found it to be a very satisying means of exploring my interest in this sort of stuff. Amateur radio did not have to come looking for me!

So at some point in time, someone decided that our numbers were dwindling and we needed to do something about it. Enter the "WAEF" program. If you read the propaganda, you will be convinced that our current telecommunications infrastructure is so weak and frail that it will fail in the slightest breeze, but amateur radio however, is virtually impervious to the ravages of mother nature.

So the tables have turned. Amateur radio is now looking for people have no interest in electrical doodads, gadgets and widgets and trying to lure them to enter our secret society (no wait, that is Freemasonry) by selling them on the notion that any emergency preparedness plan is incomplete unless it includes amateur radio.

That creates a whole generation of people like John Scheuchenzuber, W4QVA. He wrote a Correspondence piece in the August 2007 edition of QST in which he said (among other things), "I have been making speeches locally to try and recruit new amateurs into the ranks, telling them that you and a handheld radio can be the lifeline for the entire community." Believe it or not, they published my response in the October 2007 edition in which I said (among other things), "His speeches telling people that, "you and a handheld radio can be the lifeline for the entire community" is a gross over simplification of the capabilities of Amateur Radio and can lead to disappointing or even fatal results."

And now we have a name for these people: preppers. They think that throwing an HT, a spare battery pack, a flashlight and a handful of granola bars into a canvas bag constitutes a "go kit" that will be their saviour when the SHTF or even worse, TEOTWAWKI!

So what to do? Ignore them? Try and help them? I don't have the answer, but like it or not, the preppers are here to stay.

 

[AgentCOPP1]

Responding to feets, you know I didn't really think about that. I suppose that would definitely have an impact on our numbers.

N0IU, I don't think about preppers in the same way as you. Although I don't prep, I think it's fantastic that people have something that keeps them busy. Even though the extent that some of them go is quite ridiculous, there's nothing wrong with them doing what they're doing. It makes them feel safe, it's their hobby, and it prepares them for whatever might come. If a prepper comes to me and asks how to get into ham radio, I'm not going to turn them away and I'll go out of my way to help them just as if they were anyone else. If worse comes to worse, we might actually become friends. In fact, I think you forgot what the official purpose of amateur radio is anyway.

 

[feets]

I agree completely!

I wrote this on another forum that was talking about people getting into amateur radio and not having any idea what it was all about...

I don't blame the "new" licensing system or even Dick Bash for the state of amateur radio today. I blame this whole "When All Else Fails" campaign.

Pretty much as far back as I can remember, I have always been a "techie" and a "gear head". Through magazines like Nuts & Volts, PE and PM, I learned about amateur radio. The notion of talking to someone around the world didn't really mean much to me (at the time), but doing it with equipment I could build, now that fascinated me. So essentially I found amateur radio and found it to be a very satisying means of exploring my interest in this sort of stuff. Amateur radio did not have to come looking for me!

So at some point in time, someone decided that our numbers were dwindling and we needed to do something about it. Enter the "WAEF" program. If you read the propaganda, you will be convinced that our current telecommunications infrastructure is so weak and frail that it will fail in the slightest breeze, but amateur radio however, is virtually impervious to the ravages of mother nature.

So the tables have turned. Amateur radio is now looking for people have no interest in electrical doodads, gadgets and widgets and trying to lure them to enter our secret society (no wait, that is Freemasonry) by selling them on the notion that any emergency preparedness plan is incomplete unless it includes amateur radio.

That creates a whole generation of people like John Scheuchenzuber, W4QVA. He wrote a Correspondence piece in the August 2007 edition of QST in which he said (among other things), "I have been making speeches locally to try and recruit new amateurs into the ranks, telling them that you and a handheld radio can be the lifeline for the entire community." Believe it or not, they published my response in the October 2007 edition in which I said (among other things), "His speeches telling people that, "you and a handheld radio can be the lifeline for the entire community" is a gross over simplification of the capabilities of Amateur Radio and can lead to disappointing or even fatal results."

And now we have a name for these people: preppers. They think that throwing an HT, a spare battery pack, a flashlight and a handful of granola bars into a canvas bag constitutes a "go kit" that will be their saviour when the SHTF or even worse, TEOTWAWKI!

So what to do? Ignore them? Try and help them? I don't have the answer, but like it or not, the preppers are here to stay.

Help them.

Preppers that buy a HT to toss in their bag for emergency use generally just buy the radio, not the ticket. The radio collects dust, which is fine. It keeps manufacturerers making them and costs down.

Those serious about emergency communication buy the ticket to learn the proper use and maintainance. and have the desire to learn troubleshooting(the electronics). They get involved in emergency nets and clubs. If they've bothered to get licensed, there is a fair chance they understand that the only way to learn to use the bands is to actually use them.

While not really a "prepper", my interest in ham is the same. Us rural folks think about power outages, ect. No need for a major world ending event. I prefer audio for a electronics hobby. It's still affordable.

 

[LIScanner101]

I kind of understand how you feel. I truly think this is an old man's hobby. Let me tell you why.

I'm 52, married and have 2 10 year old boys. I travel to CA a lot on business and I like to listen to my Uniden BCT15X when I'm working in my hotel room and even when on the road. As a result, I pack a lot of scanning equipment (scanner, AC walwart, DC plug, various lengths of coax, "packable" antennas, small hand tools, ty-wraps for mounting antennas etc). A few times I wanted to browse around in the Ham Radio Outlet ("HRO") stores that are around the Bay Area. Well, let me tell you, it was not pleasant. When I walked in, I was CLEARLY the youngest person there. Now I have nothing against older people but these guys looked at me like "what the hell are YOU doing in here?" and the attention I got was commensurate with those looks. I asked for some help, the old guys behind the counter were too busy helping what appeared to be a "clique" of older men drooling over a ham radio. That was one place. I walked out. I went to a few others. Same thing happened. It seems they immediately sized me up as being a "youngster" and didn't want anything to do with me.

I am a scannist. I have no interest in ham radio. I just wanted to buy some antenna connectors and coax, and I was treated like a kid.

 

[AgentCOPP1]

I kind of understand how you feel. I truly think this is an old man's hobby. Let me tell you why.

I'm 52, married and have 2 10 year old boys. I travel to CA a lot on business and I like to listen to my Uniden BCT15X when I'm working in my hotel room and even when on the road. As a result, I pack a lot of scanning equipment (scanner, AC walwart, DC plug, various lengths of coax, "packable" antennas, small hand tools, ty-wraps for mounting antennas etc). A few times I wanted to browse around in the Ham Radio Outlet ("HRO") stores that are around the Bay Area. Well, let me tell you, it was not pleasant. When I walked in, I was CLEARLY the youngest person there. Now I have nothing against older people but these guys looked at me like "what the hell are YOU doing in here?" and the attention I got was commensurate with those looks. I asked for some help, the old guys behind the counter were too busy helping what appeared to be a "clique" of older men drooling over a ham radio. That was one place. I walked out. I went to a few others. Same thing happened. It seems they immediately sized me up as being a "youngster" and didn't want anything to do with me.

I am a scannist. I have no interest in ham radio. I just wanted to buy some antenna connectors and coax, and I was treated like a kid.

If they treat you like a kid, I think a black hole will be created if they meet me. You're a little over twice my age.

 

[PrimeNumber]

I kind of understand how you feel. I truly think this is an old man's hobby. Let me tell you why.
...
I am a scannist. I have no interest in ham radio. I just wanted to buy some antenna connectors and coax, and I was treated like a kid.

And the shocking thing is that Universal Radio makes HRO look all sleek and modern! At least HRO can run a competent (if clunky) e-commerce site. Man, online shopping with UR is like being time-warpped back to 1996. I tried ordering from them last summer, and was wondering why I never received a confirmation email. Two days later on Tuesday morning I called. "Oh, we print those off in batches and process them throughout the week. Here's your order. Yes, I believe we have those in stock, saw them in the warehouse last week... ooh, your order is over $1000, that pumps up the shipping by... letssee...$80." I thanked him and canceled the order. HRO had the goodies on my front porch three days later for $50 less on the invoice plus free shipping.

Not discounting your experience at all, it's just that there're even WORSE retailers out there. Given your recent experience, that's really getting down there.

 

[pyro424]

2 meters can be very much that way, depending on where you live. But don't give up! Just remember you are your own station with your own call sign. You can throw it out there and break the silence anytime. If they don't want to talk then screw em. I always make a point of talking to any ham I hear. In fact I take extra care talking to new or inexperienced hams. Some folks just want to live in their own little worlds and that is fine. As the other fellows here have suggested. Try HF, or other repeaters. Often different groups of guys can hang around different repeaters. If you don't have much room for HF antennas well that is ok. You say you have a car so you can always go mobile. Or go drive somewhere in the woods or up a mountain and set up a dipole for a few hours. As far as you being interested in scanning or CB well that is great! It all goes together. It is all radio. So do a little bit of it all! Do not let these guys get you down. Also the whole ARES thing is something that really does not interest me. I personally find them to be rather dry and boring. I have been a ham for over 15 years and these ARES types have only been showing up in my area recently. When they did show up I honestly had no interest in joining. We already have existing nets in the area. I was brought up listening to 80 meter state wide nets every night and darn well know how to communicate in the event of emergency. Not to be mean but the majority of these ARES guys don't even know what 80 meters is. It seems most of them only got their license to do ARES and not to enjoy the hobby! The hobby is all about having fun, helping each other out, meeting new friends. That is what the ham fraternity is all about. What I am trying to say is the hobby is not supposed to solely focus on emergency preparedness. If these guys want to segregate themselves then screw em. Don't let it get you down. Just go pick a frequency and call. Trust me, someone will respond and have a fun QSO. And keep up with all your radio activity. Be it ham, scanning or CB! or even FRS!

BTW here's a secret: If you keep your radio interests well rounded, with all modes, freqs, services and people. You will far out succeed any of these so called "experts" in a real emergency. Keep it all going in every aspect. Learn as much and experiment as much as possible.

Take care man, all the best.

73

 

[pyro424]

Also remember on 2 meter FM 146.520Mhz is the international simplex calling frequency. I noticed a lot of groups do not seem to be teaching that anymore for some odd reason. (I know this because when I talk to new hams I always ask them if they know that frequency) That is a good place to give a call once and a while for new ham friends!!!!

 

[barefootdipole]

there's a thing which nobody seems to get, or nobody in the hobby will say out loud because it's not politically correct......HAM RADIO ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY !! It's not grade school where everyone gets an atta boy medal for participation....ya gotta WANT IT...LOVE IT.....DEEP DOWN...and if you do, you make the hobby what YOU want it to be to you, not some other bozos.....alot of CB'ers have drifted into the hobby because the code was eliminated and tests dumbed down, and the yare trying their best to make ham radio a new extension of their CB world....sorry....it ain't....hopefully never will be.....so it's just plain truth that everone isn't a ham.....thats just the plain hard truth.period. you don't chose ham radio the way you do what tv channel to watch,out of random boredom. it's unique..special....you may be too ! only you know what's in your heart....if you love the hobby, the ART of radio, you do what you want.....if not, well, have fun with the scanner and SWL'ing......i do all three...have since i was 13.....but thats just me. one size does not fit all....

2m repeaters is NOT ham radio.....despite what all these HT newbies keep telling themselves.....ham radio is HF.....ignore the 2m ARES repeater geeks and nerds and jerks who ignore you.....ignore them....stay on HF....TALK TO THE WORLD !!! THAS WHAT HAM RADIO IS ALL ABOUT !!! look for guys locally who WORK HF....,,talk HF with them....meet up for lunch or a cup of coffee....start a local HF JT65 group/club/meetup...whatever....just don't equate 2M no code licensee repeater trolls as HAM RADIO...sorry....they ain't.....maybe just in THEIR heads.....if you are a HF person, you're heads and shoulders above the guys you are afraid of/worried about locally.....forget them.....it's YOUR LICENSE.....expand you HF interests....mode modes....more bands.....balcony antennas, stealth antennas work great ! maybe you've hit a glass ceiling as far as your interests go....maybe...only you know....

if you want to contribute, don't get blocked by one local asshat....go over his head..regional...national...another group...whatever....ARES in US is a joke on some local levels.....been there done that....consider yourself lucky

I've been a ham 40 years....but I'm still a SWL too....i was a SWL first.....and i still listen from DC to daylight.....

radios come with big dials call VFO KNOBS....TURN IT !! find what interests you and jump in !!! don't stay locked on the guys that bug you !!

But don't ASSUME that EVERYONE is born a ham radio op ! just isn't so....maybe you would feel more at home in CB.....ham radio is NOT for everyone, despite what the cracker jack licenses say these days.....

Good luck...whatever CHOICE YOU MAKE....HAVE FUN !!!! It's YOUR choice to enjoy it, to make it your hobby...or not !!!!

have fun ! enjoy............

73

PS.........you're ahead of me by the way, i haven't tried JT65---YET---HI HI !!! I like rtty thru the soundcard using MTTY and MMTTYVARI programs ............you could teach me a lot about the digital modes !!! i just like RTTY, thats my personal taste.....i love QRP too.....trust me, i'll be more than happy to talk to you if we run up on each other on HF ! look forward to it ! The whole world is waiting !! SK

 

[N1XDS]

I been a Amateur Radio operator since 2006 and I've heard it all from ham operators saying this and the other about how other ham forum members. Yes, some ham operators act like they are better than another ham operator on the radio by sounding all professional sounding or ignore the new ham operator instead of welcoming the person to the ham radio scene. Some ham operators do make fun of other people on the air cause they have problems talking, speaking or have a disability that limits how they sound and that is sad someone makes fun of someone cause they have a disability.

Best thing to do is scan around the frequencies and see what you find.

 

[tampabaynews]

LIScanner101 mentioned being 52 inside a ham shop and being looked down on... try being 23. LOL

There's plenty of arrogance in ham radio and that will be the case with any hobby. I have a friend who collects old toys and he talks of many arrogant collectors he encounters at swaps and flea markets. But if you look hard enough and stay active in it long enough, you'll find some great people too.

For instance, I had one guy question my call sign because it had WX in the prefix. He was incorrectly under the impression that the WX prefix was only issued to NWS WFO Skywarn stations and accused me of not knowing my own callsign. But the same day, I had another ham give me signal reports on various repeaters for over 30 minutes so I knew what my capabilities were on certain frequencies. Great guy.

Stick with it OP, some people will open up right away and others won't until they've heard your voice and your callsign for awhile. People handle newbies in different ways and that's simply human nature. Just be polite on the air and stay active.

 

[wbswetnam]

2m repeaters is NOT ham radio.....despite what all these HT newbies keep telling themselves.....ham radio is HF.....ignore the 2m ARES repeater geeks and nerds and jerks who ignore you.....ignore them....stay on HF....TALK TO THE WORLD !!! THAS WHAT HAM RADIO IS ALL ABOUT !!!

I think that one reason why a lot of newbies like me start out on 2m is because of the ease and low cost of getting started. HF requires a lot more expensive equipment (transceiver, power supply, ground system, test equipment including SWR meter, antenna analyzer, maybe a linear amp, etc) plus an antenna system on top of your house. Oh, you're a renter and you don't own your own house? Good luck getting the landlord's permission to string a 120' dipole from your apartment building to that pole across the parking lot! Getting on 2m is as simple as buying a $50 Baofang, programming in the frequencies and you're up and ready in 5 minutes.

I have a general license and I'd love to get going on HF, but the expense of the equipment and especially the problem of antenna placement makes it impossible for me to get onto HF for now. Maybe next year... KF5YOF

 

[k0rgr]

I would suggest you investigate the VoIP modes - IRLP, EchoLInk and Allstar in order to get beyond the limits of your local ham population. Heck, I'm sure some people are bored to death with me on 2 meters, because there are only a small number of us who are really active much in the immediate area. But, I do get on some of the EchoLink nets from time to time. They are generally very welcoming, with lots of checkins, some by radio, some by computer, some via other devices.

On HF, try some of the more conversational modes - PSK31 for starters. It's not as easy to make contacts but the conditions have been great lately, and you might be surprised. Yes, even there you will find folks who are not great conversationalists.

Speaking of conversation - how do you try to start one? Do you ask open-ended questions that can't be easily answered 'yes' or 'no' ? Do you ask questions about what the other guy is using? How about his other hobbies?

Since you're home in the daytime, consider starting your own net on one of the repeaters. You will need permission of the repeater owner(s) but done with consideration for others, you might be surprised at the positive results. We had a fellow here who started a weekly 'ragchew' net on Monday evenings that is still taking place many years later.

 

[W9JY]

Endless Possibilities

The cool thing about ham radio is there is so much you can do with it. You could live several lifetimes and never do everything there is to do. I recommend that that you continue trying new things until you find what you like. Think outside the box. Don't limit yourself. It took me about 2 years of experimenting with things before I found my niche. I tried lots of stuff that didn't work out but I'm still glad I tried it. I learned from the experience. I spend tons of time researching things. I also listen a lot more than I talk. I'm not much of a rag chewer myself. I check into the local nets which I think are a lot of fun. If someone is putting their call out on the repeater and no one is coming back to them I try to come back to them if I can. I may sound stupid or awkward but at least I make an attempt at it. It's a hobby not a job. It's supposed to be fun. If I wasn't enjoying it I'd probably move on to something else.

 

[ElroyJetson]

Amateur radio is like any other hobby I've ever become aware of in that there is enormous variety in how you can approach it. It has its cliques, and even its gangs. You will find hams who are happy to invest a few hundred bucks in total in the hobby and others who'd scoff at the very idea that you could have any fun in ham radio without spending tens of thousands of dollars. You'll find people who are brand loyal to a fault and people who buy only by price and others who buy only according to the published specs in a brochure.

You'll find people who spend large sums of money on their station and get on the radio and meet other people who've spent large sums of money on their station and when they finally make contact they talk about.....the equipment that makes their communication possible. Which I think is very funny.

The variety in the hobby of amateur radio is seemingly endless. And it bears a close resemblance to
other hobbies in which acquistion of electronic equipment is central to it. Audiophiles and videophiles
are REALLY similar, whether for better or for worse. ("I won't bother to listen to music on speakers that cost less than 5000 dollars a pair because cheap speakers don't sound good."

If you're not having fun with the aspect of amateur radio that you're currently into, try a different aspect
of the hobby. If you retain any interest at all in communicating with other people via RF, you'll find
a way to do it that interests you.

 

[elk2370bruce]

Being accepted in the local amateur radio community is a two way street. Your own attitude and on-the-air mannerisms are important. Find a local club repeater and check out their website as well as their on-the-air chatter. Find out when and where the club meets and drop in to get acquainted. A blind attempt at a QSO sometimes works and more often then not. Most people are shy with newcomers so begin by asking some questions about the club and membership requirements. From the initial posting, it would seem that you need to mellow out and relax on the air. We all have out shortcomings and our strengths. Stop dwelling on your own self-perceptions and you may find that more hams are nice decent folks. Its all in how YOU come across to others to break the ice. Also, remember that is more than one repeater or club. Listen around and see where you think the best fit is.