Hi, Pete....thought ya'll would be interested in this,
r.e. your comments about "techies"
We have three groups on our repeater....a very active machine
in north Tx.....we have the "no-code weenies" - the "cell-phone"
type you describe....
We have the "outlaw-truck-driving-CBer-with-Extra-but-no-
soldering-iron type.....they go "elsewhere" for their
code test -HI- and buy their coax with connectors already
installed- ("I don't know nuthin' bout that 'radio' stuff---Ah
got this 'guy'that does all mah teknikal stuff, ya know, come back..."
Then we have a handful of nerds (self included) who are always
talking "tech" - antennas, boatanchors, qrp, building/restoring,
etc.....Here's the funny part:
Some of the "techies" complained to the control ops (nazis, usually
fall into the first category) that they were tired of these
half-dozen guys talking about all that "radio" stuff that they
didn't understand!! They were 'bored' with all that 'radio' technical
stuff on the machine.....needless to say, when we got wind of this,
we went on a week long discussion of antenna theory (one of our guys
is a theoretical mathemetician and physicist!)....It was a blast....
but ham radio, as we knew it, is VERY sick....I don't care, I'll
continue my BA/cw operation for the 30 or so years I have left....
but it is VERY sick......
BTW, the "technical" discussions won....we now have another reason
to continue! -HI
Walt
On
Wed, 10
Feb
1999, Peter J. F. Shaw wrote:
>
> From: Jim Reid
> --snip
> Delta, a net loss of 5960 licensed amateurs in the US
> despite an increase of 15,586 added no-code
> license holders. Thus, a drop of 21,546 license
> holders with privileges below 30 MHz in just
> 18 months time!
>
> The ARRL problem is loss of member subscribers, and
> the fact that fewer and fewer Tech class license holders
> are ARRL members, while still the most rapidly increasing
> license class as a group. Per ARRL, some new Tech holders
> do join, but few renew after the first year. But with there huge
> numbers we will continue to see all the HT ads and product
> reviews within QST.
> --snip
> =======================
> Greetings Ten-Tecers
> I have derived an opinion about the above no code licensee statistics
> based on observations and analysis made while a resident of Atlanta,
> GA and Citrus County, FL. A no code tech has no need to pay money to
> the ARRL for their services and information because many of the no
> code tech licensees aren't hams at all, but amateur licensees
> (persons) who have found a more economical (cheaper) alternative to
> cellular mobile telephone service. I hear this style of mobile
> telephone usage on the 2M and 70CM repeaters predominantly. Weeks or
> more pass without any mention of amateur radio or its related topics
> in repeater conversations. It is truly sad, and I am depressed about
> it. As I see it, the huge mistake was establishing a no code license
> class without a 2 to 4 year sunset (specific term). Here, there are
> 600+ amateur licensees in this 115K population county and you can
> count on two hands the number of hams. When times change like this,
> it isn't for the better; at least in my book.
> 73 Pete K4LDR Citrus County, FL on the Gulf of Mex
>
>
>
>
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