RadioBanter - View Single Post - Trade Modded DX-398 For Scanner

October 17th 03, 01:39 AM

(John S.) wrote in message

If the gatekeepers are going to reverse the declining trends in the
amateur radio hobby they are going to have to find new ways to attract
younger members.

It will never happen, and has nothing to do with the code tests, or
anything else. Ham radio is getting to be old hat, and fairly boring.
It will NEVER see the glory days it once did. Dropping the code tests
will not have a bit of effect on that. They sure haven't so far. You
see a quick rush at first, but most get bored and slowly fade out.
Being mainly a highly technical hobby, it was never meant to be for
everyone. And I have no problems with that. When I can do a highly
accurate simulation of flying a B737, or Lear 31a, or about anything
else you want to fly, on my computer, talking to people on radio, that
was invented 100 years ago, starts to look fairly boring. Being I've
been a licensed ham 26 years, and a SWL since I was 7, I'm about
burned out on it anyway. I built my first 40m transmitter when I was
in the 8th grade. To me, it feels like I've been a ham nearly all my
life, and I'm not 50 yet. Just flight simulation alone has greatly
diminished the amount of time I spend on amateur radio. And it's been
that way since 1992. MK