On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:01:17 -0600, dj2001@mn.rr.com wrote:
>Not a very helpful article. Someone with good writing skills should
>reply to the WSJ and let the writer and their boss (The Editor) know
>that Amateur Radio is not just a "hobby", rather a public service and
>that we ARE on the cutting edge of technology, not just a bunch of
>old guys that built "crystal sets" in their youth.
_________________________________________________________
Like the blind men and the elephant, we all have our different
perceptions, but I thought the article was quite fair and correct. For
nearly all hams, it is indeed a hobby. Those who do perform a true
"public service" are so rare they get written up in QST. Most of us
either chase DX, contest or ragchew, none of which is a "public
service".
When you say "we ARE on the cutting edge of technology" I think of an
appliance operator with the latest from Kenwood, ICOM or Yaesu. To me,
the most exotic thing hams do now is probably EME, and even that is
decades old. Years ago I built my own gear, including a complete 40
meter transceiver which was my own design from the ground up, but those
days are gone.
Don't get me wrong; I love my hobby, but I would be embarrassed to tell
someone I was "cutting edge". What part of ham radio were you thinking
of?
--
Bill, W6WRT
QSLs via LoTW
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