In a message dated 96-06-24 11:54:33 EDT, you write:
>THE OLD HAMS HAVE FAILED TO ACULTURATE THE NEW HAMS.
>
>Old hams (smoked or plain) simply must put in more time helping new hams
>and wanna-be hams into the culture of hamming--i.e., teach the LORE of ham
>radio, the mystery, the fun, and HOW TO OPERATE on HF with ease. I don't
>care if a ham knows Morse code or not so long as he/she can responsibly
>operate his/her rig.
>
Charlie --
I agree. The multi-faceted charms and challenges of amateur radio
aren't obvious to the layperson. SOMEONE has to tell and show them on a
one-to-one basis. Great contest operators were mentored by people like K4VX,
et al. Look at the posts recently about how Field Day played a key role in
developing this interest and mentoring for many of us.
I'm not particularly hung up on WHO the new ham is or what he/she is
interested in. As long as they are part of the amateur community, I welcome
them. This talk about dilution of the amateur ranks to me smacks of elitism
and "we've always done it this way" thinking. What we've done in the past
isn't necessarily going to work now or in the future. Nor is it going to
save our hobby from decline.
I also applaud anyone who puts his money where his mouth is and actually
does something about it rather than just griping about it.
73, Steve K7LXC
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