Were you once a HAM, quit activity, let your license expire and never looked back?

[Boombox]

In 2005 decided to study for Technician License and after getting it, put a 2 meter rig in my car but after doing a lot of listening, never warmed up to wanting to talk. Ended up using radio as a scanner to monitor PD/FD/EMS and sold off the radio after a few years. After renewal, tried it again but same result. Suppose I'll continue renew, you never know.

Maybe look into HF the next time around. Even the higher bands, like 12, 10, and 6 meters (although 6 is technically low VHF, as it's well above 30 Mhz. Antennas are reasonably small, the solar cycle's picking up, maybe the concept of talking to someone from another country might be more interesting than 2 meters, mostly local chit-chat.

I know it's more interesting to monitor than 2 meters. Just a thought.

 

[CHHTX]

I never heard of this about the "monitoring" available only to HAM licensed individuals. interesting....

 

[W8VFD]

The hobby is whatever you make it, if you let the "reasons" you listed drive you away, that's on you and nobody else.
26 years in the hobby, I've taken some breaks here and there but always came back to it.

Did the hobby no longer seem "cutting edge enough" for you?
Did it get too "commercial"?
Did your favorite hang out or mode dry up and fade away?
Were there local politics that put a damper on your enthusiasm"?
Were too many of your buddies dying off?
Was it getting too expensive?
Was the XYL an issue?
Was it due to lack of time?
Did the Internet play a part in leaving Amateur Radio?

 

[N4JKD]

Nope, never and don't plan on it. As a matter of fact, just updated to Amateur Extra in November and enjoying the new privileges.

 

[tomhank]

If you are a former HAM who is considering getting back into the hobby, I encourage you to do so. You may find that there are many changes and improvements in the technology and the culture of HAM radio since you left. You may also find that there are many resources and support available to help you get started again.

 

[Omega-TI]

If you are a former HAM who is considering getting back into the hobby, I encourage you to do so. You may find that there are many changes and improvements in the technology and the culture of HAM radio since you left. You may also find that there are many resources and support available to help you get started again.

Disclaimer: What I type below are only my personal tastes and opinions. Others may believe the opposite due to different life experiences, viewpoints, needs & wants. So please, do not take it personal, this is only MY view as it relates to ME.

Since I downsized and moved into a retirement condominium, the HOA's restrict antennas, and I'm not interested in devoting large sums of time and/or money to a stealth antenna system for the purpose of chatting with some person I've never met. All the people I used to chat with are now silent keys. Packet radio is no longer what it once was. I have too many other hobbies that get in the way and as I've grown older I'm not into ratchet jawing just for the sake of it. Simplex seems so 20th century and no longer interests me.

 

[BMDaug]

Disclaimer: What I type below are only my personal tastes and opinions. Others may believe the opposite due to different life experiences, viewpoints, needs & wants. So please, do not take it personal, this is only MY view as it relates to ME.

Since I downsized and moved into a retirement condominium, the HOA's restrict antennas, and I'm not interested in devoting large sums of time and/or money to a stealth antenna system for the purpose of chatting with some person I've never met. All the people I used to chat with are now silent keys. Packet radio is no longer what it once was. I have too many other hobbies that get in the way and as I've grown older I'm not into ratchet jawing just for the sake of it. Simplex seems so 20th century and no longer interests me.

All valid points for sure! Any changes in living situation and geography can be good or bad for a ham. I’m dealing with both good and bad at once. The place I used to live was limitless in regards to antenna placement and overall aesthetics of the equipment, but there was no support, no inspiration from other hams…

Now, I live in an HOA controlled community, but the hams in our club are amazing! One guy is a published author in the ham radio education space. A couple of others are regularly listed in QST as top three (or better) in the world for contests. Our skill sets and interests vary greatly within the hobby, so it makes for great conversation and endless learning, so I deal with the HOA…

This isn’t designed to discredit you at all. Your points are absolutely valid! There just seems to be a subset of (ex-)hams that went quiet due to either frustration with the tech of the day, or because of an interaction with an already sour ham, and I really hope those folks give it another go in a new location, or with a different circle of influence, because it can be game changing!!!

-B

 

[gwienand]

Extra operating on VHF 2 m and 450 megahertz. I have antenna issues for HF. Between hurricanes and summer storms with severe lightning dampens my HF enthusiasm.

 

[BMDaug]

Extra operating on VHF 2 m and 450 megahertz. I have antenna issues for HF. Between hurricanes and summer storms with severe lightning dampens my HF enthusiasm.

Ya, I hear that!!! Mobile has been a fun exercise for me! I generally use my POTA radio, so I don’t actually install and mount radios in the vehicle, just an antenna mount on the bumper and I still use the POTA battery, so no impact on vehicle electrics. Low investment, low maintenance, and it’s a hobby, so if the battery runs out, it runs out.

Another thing I really love is field ops. and NVIS. You can operate NVIS on 40M and you just need a long wire about clothesline height, so it’s easy to deal with during storms and not a massive lightning rod.

None of this may interest you, but there are some cool ways to get on the air. You could also look up ‘butterfly terminated dipole’ and mount something on the eves of the house that will survive any weather event and largely doesn’t require a tuner! No it’s not the most efficient antenna, but it’s way better than not operating HF at all! Sometimes these are called ‘HOA specials’, but they have other uses!

-B

 

[Omega-TI]

All valid points for sure! Any changes in living situation and geography can be good or bad for a ham. I’m dealing with both good and bad at once. The place I used to live was limitless in regards to antenna placement and overall aesthetics of the equipment, but there was no support, no inspiration from other hams…

Now, I live in an HOA controlled community, but the hams in our club are amazing! One guy is a published author in the ham radio education space. A couple of others are regularly listed in QST as top three (or better) in the world for contests. Our skill sets and interests vary greatly within the hobby, so it makes for great conversation and endless learning, so I deal with the HOA…

This isn’t designed to discredit you at all. Your points are absolutely valid! There just seems to be a subset of (ex-)hams that went quiet due to either frustration with the tech of the day, or because of an interaction with an already sour ham, and I really hope those folks give it another go in a new location, or with a different circle of influence, because it can be game changing!!!

-B

Yeah, I had a lot of fun with it back in the day. I especially enjoyed working the ISS on voice, but mostly data (packet). I remember getting a TON of QSL requests from South America as there were a lot of non-hams monitoring the downlink and sending requests for verification that they saw your callsign. It was amusing, I actually sent out a couple, but that opened the floodgates so I had to stop replying and only sent them to true contacts that requested one.

Yes, interests vary over the years. As a kid I started out with shortwave, then had a short stint with BCB-DXing and even a shorter stint with CB back in the 70's, but the lunatics running power and the rude people turned me off. Later I got into scanning and got a little gadget to hook up between my PC and BC-200XLT and got bitten by the amateur radio bug. As time went on, the OM's I used to have QSO's with became SK's and packet became a wasteland so my interest faded. A few years back I got back into limited scanning and even shortwave, but found most of the old international broadcasters went away. If they have any programming now it's mostly on the Internet and that does not have the same appeal.

Yes! I agree, amateur radio can be a fun, rewarding and educational hobby, after all it's what we make of it. Now as a senior citizen, sadly my hands and eyes make it difficult to do things that were once second nature, so regretfully I've been forced to become more plug-n-play in my old age and that for me is no fun. at all.

I'm glad to hear you are having a blast in the hobby, after all if it's not fun, why bother, right?

 

[Omega-TI]

Fair enough. However, I know at least nine (ex)members of two U.S. radio clubs driven out of the club/hobby by harassment or self-righteous people who set their own standards of rules on behalf of themself and use the club and try to push their agenda.

I base my opinion not lightly, but due to the drama and harm some in the hobby inflict on others just to be mean, or to protect what integrity they think they possess.

To that end, a few of us enjoy the hobby without being a member of "a club", or associating with any club members. We do our own thing and don't need "a club" to represent us. Why subject yourself to the abuse?

Yes, the club I used to belong to had all great people, but there was one club further south that had their own club house, and ton of fancy equipment... and a clique led by one guy that ran many people off. I never liked the self-righteous types that treated people like dirt simply because they were not Extra Class, or the level they were at. That club turned off and ran off a lot of good people over the years, and now it shows by all the dead air on their repeater.

 

[W8HDU]

Yes, the club I used to belong to had all great people, but there was one club further south that had their own club house, and ton of fancy equipment... and a clique led by one guy that ran many people off. I never liked the self-righteous types that treated people like dirt simply because they were not Extra Class, or the level they were at. That club turned off and ran off a lot of good people over the years, and now it shows by all the dead air on their repeater.

The "one guy" form of governance in clubs has always done more damage than good. And a lot of times it's "one guy" with a board, or officers of the club which let him run people off and ruin everything because they are afraid to deal with him. I've seen more than one club die because a board, or leadership, is afraid to address bullies and malcontents. One they refuse to step in, they become the problem as well.

EDIT: To some extent, there are some here who also see the platform as a bully pulpit. As dad would say, "if you don't have something educational, civil, and helpful to add, best not to say anything."

 

[GlobalNorth]

"if you don't have something educational, civil, and helpful to add, best not to say anything."

Civility has its' place. So do revolution and coups d'etat.

 

[Omega-TI]

To some extent, there are some here who also see the platform as a bully pulpit. As dad would say, "if you don't have something educational, civil, and helpful to add, best not to say anything."

In most cases I would agree with you. Civility is a good thing, up and until an individual takes advantage and starts making continual personal attacks against an individual over a difference of opinion, then the bully needs to be called out.
I've also witnessed an incident ON ANOTHER PLATFORM of a guy being attacked for simply making an honest product review.

 

[W8HDU]

In most cases I would agree with you. Civility is a good thing, up and until an individual takes advantage and starts making continual personal attacks against an individual over a difference of opinion, then the bully needs to be called out.
I've also witnessed an incident ON ANOTHER PLATFORM of a guy being attacked for simply making an honest product review.

The only problem in having the bully called out, is it typically evolves into the bully's friends coming to his aid, which then becomes a massive sheet-show.

And when the bully is a mod/admin, then typically the super-mods are forced to support the mod/admin rather than making one of their own look bad.

The the solution is for the platform to honestly police their own to a higher degree, and time-out or ban those users making personal attacks. But do it quietly.

As I've seen in several Facebook groups, once it evolves into a brawl, or a mod/admin strong-arming or insulting people, that's when your best and most helpful users start to exit or at the least quit participating is positive discussions.

In your example, whomever attacked the reviewer should have had their access to the site cut for 30 days. Second violation, ban them for life. Play nice, or don't play here.

Ironically, in one one list I'm on, they cited a study by a university which says that around 1.7% of a group will participate in a negative or bully fashion. That's because the abuser is generally (physically) untouchable, and their culture is such that they hurt people or do nefarious things in real life. The internet is just their conduit to attack people for fun, and they look forward to it. There is an energy and enabling of power when the bully strikes. The study also cited the top 14.22% of your best elmers and mentors leave once the caca transitions to the fan.

 

[Falcon9h]

Bullies? Bullied mercilessly all through school so my tolerance is -100.
Just fix it so they don't find the body. 🤬

 

[W8HDU]

Bullies? Bullied mercilessly all through school so my tolerance is -100.
Just fix it so they don't find the body. 🤬

I find that ridiculous. How would you solve that problem here, on another forum, or social media?

 

[sunwave]

I used to have a tech class. Never went beyond that. I was HAPPY to let it expire. Based on my experience listening to amateur radio it is not what it should be. I hear 7200 act up. No hams do a thing about it just sitting on their hands. Not just 7200. No sir. I was listening last night and heard some hams talking within 2 khz of each other on 75m. Wasn't long till one ham moved to the other frequency accusing them of splattering all over the place.

I was thinking as I listened, they were too close in frequency. If they are set to 3khz transmit then it is to be expected to hear each other. The effective thing to do is to move 1khz further away from each other. Problem solved. But nope, they resorted to name calling and finger pointing.

I tell you that one bad apple in a barrel can ruin it for all. I believe in that. Hams should be policing your bands the way you are supposed to and stop the defeatist attitude of "the fcc won't do anything" and get the misfits removed from the air then I MIGHT think about it.

The Amateur radio creed is being ignored more and more every day. What a shame. The negativity is spreading. Over time all the hand sitters will find themselves thinking they might as well be on the CB.

I am positive that these words will go in one ear then out the other and/or someone will get offended. I do not care. Truth hurts. If the shoe fits then wear it. It won't be worth anytime on rebuttals. Slacking and hoping things change does nothing while you do nothing. Affirmative action gets results as long as it's persistent and relentless.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Websites and social media can and should take a rigorous 'ban' stance. Example - this forum is radio. For some people, it is a profession and for some of those people, it is based in critical public safety. They have to be serious about radio. To most of us, it is a hobby, an avocation, a past-time to be enjoyed.

If someone here cannot stop being contentious simply to be contrarian, spamming, wagging a profane and obscene tongue, etc. They deserve to be banned without recourse.

The issue comes with persons who have a strong personality. They don't spam, their posts may be curt and direct, and they may be passionate about their viewpoints. Some members may chafe at them, but they are best dealt with by the 'ignore' function.

I avoid the entire 80 meter band, because of rather puerile behaviours of some of my generation. They may be regressing towards infantilism as they near their oblivion, but I don't care to hear tantrums, endless talk of illnesses, how bad our or others' elected officials may be, etc. I abide by best operating techniques as an example towards others.

Civility is the best option with rational people are involved, but occasionally 'war' must be declared when others willingly abuse and or deny the rights of others.

 

[pb_lonny]

I am in the process of getting back on the air, been 14 years since I was last active.