"Ashley VK3HAG" wrote in message
...
I'll put down why I have chosen to educate my Melbourne CB friends about
Amateur Radio and rebroadcast WIA & other Amateur Radio News

1. I became aware of ham radio through articles in CB Action, Amateur
Radio
Action, Radio & Communications. This magazine was bought by VK scanner and
CB enthusiasts and included advertising and info about ham radio. This is
how I learnt about ham radio. If I started over today, I too wouldn't
discover ham radio as those commercial magazines are no longer with us.

2. It took months of searching to find any Aussie radio magazine, and I
discovered AR magazine by accident. (I had been looking intensely for
months
for an ESR replacement, when all I found was USA or UK magazines at
McGills.). If it wasn't for that accidental discovery I still wouldn't be
a
ham. Of all my long-time cb friends we all used to buy R & C or CB Action.
Today, although we are still all on the air, only I buy Amateur Radio
(WIA).
I have written to AR twice with regards to why Amateur Radio is a dying
hobby and recieved many positive responses. The outcome being that to
allow
CB'ers to get some idea of what Ham radio is, (which they used to get
through CB Action) I have, with WIA permission, begun to re-transmit the
WIA
News on UHF CB 18 in Melbourne, Sundays@11am & 8pm. (HF 18 SSB coming
soon)
so those listening can find out where to find information for themselves.
(Along with ARRL News, Newsline)

3. What I am doing is allowing others to 'discover' ham radio by listening
to the WIA Broadcast and explaining to CB'ers just what is ham radio. That
way, if they are interested any further, they'll write down the links etc
given out on the news and look them up, just like I did. But without that
initial 'contact' point, whether a ham magazine, a ham radio news bulletin
etc, just how are CB'ers going to know ham radio exists?

4. Others are right in stating, that those that want to take the hobby
further than cb will discover ham radio. I ask then how and where will
they
discover ham radio if they don't use the net, are cb'ers (who don't know
any
hams) and never buy a copy of AR magazine. (Which is hard enough to find
at
best of times) CB'ers don't know that these even exist, so where I
discovered ham radio through CB Action, a potential new ham doesn't
'discover' it at all, and misses out on becoming a ham.

5. It's my opinion that there are plenty of CB'ers who would become
amateur
radio operators if they knew ham radio existed, what it was and how to go
about getting an Amateur ticket. This information, or where to find it, is
not available to the CB community. By providing WIA News I am providing an
'entry point' for CB'ers into the ham community, something that CB Action
used to do.

6. The majority of the CB community is unaware (apart from those in the
aus.radio newsgroups) of the Foundation Licence, which will make Amateur
Radio more accessible to them.

7. When I was at school all we had was CB radio to chat with mates after
school, there were no internet chat rooms or mobile phones back then. Ie,
less kids today using CB than there was a decade ago.

8. I am referring here to good, educated, operators who've been on CB for
many years. Only two other people I know out of a group of 12, who all
have
operated CB nightly since 1988 know what Amateur Radio is.

9. For the Foundation Licence to work and attract cb'ers and others to the
hobby the first step would be to let these people know that it exists. How
many cb'ers buy AR magazine and will discover that it exists. Almost none
is
my guess. For CB'ers to discover the Foundation Licence and take the test
they first need to know about the WIA Website and AR Magazine, neither of
which many (or any) cb'ers read. How else can cb'ers be kept informed, the
CB. Those that want to hear can listen in, those that aren't interested,
change channels. For the Foundation Licence to work you either need to get
AR magazine bought by many more cb'ers, get a new commercial radio mag
going
or transmit to the potential hams, this being the easiest, and most likely
to work method.

I mean seriously how can the new licence be a success, and ham radio grow,
without many cb'ers (where the majority of future 'radio nuts' will come)
knowing what ham radio is or that exists, let alone that a new Foundation
Licence has been introduced.

Not one of my CB friends knows what ham radio is, that it exists or that
they have the right to operate ham radio on the passing of some tests.
You'd
be amazed how many cb'ers don't know this, what we call 'basic
information'

There are a generation of UHF CB'ers, mostly kids & teens using 1/2w h/ts
from DSE. Could these kids (like we were a decade ago) be the next
generation of potential hams? That's why I'll continue to promote AR on
the
CBRS, so those that haven't discovered ham radio, have the same (if not
better) chance to discover it as I did. There wouldn't be many cb'ers
around
whose jaws (like me) don't (didn't) drop in awe at ham radio operation.
There are plenty of cb'ers out there who would become hams if they knew
what
it was and how and where to obtain a licence.

Please read my articles in AR's "Over To You" (Oct 2002) and AR "Over To
You" (March 2005). Or email me for a pdf copy.

Summary:
There are not the resources around that were around ten years ago that
advertised amateur radio to it's main potential market, the CB community.
What I am doing, is not forcing people into ham radio, but helping those
CB'ers that have the 'radio bug' discover amateur radio by providing them
with information about it and the WIA News Bulletin. Without magazines
such
as CB Action to bridge the gap between the CB and Amateur radio community
and take it to Australia, then it must be taken to the CB community so
they
can be made aware of it and become a ham should they choose to do so.

Also note that many cb'ers don't have computers and can't access the web,
about the only repository of ham radio information left. (Or library used
to
have a few radio books, but are all gone today.....ARRL Handbook for the
reference section I say

The above is based on my actual experience of being on CB in the late
80's,
scanning through the 90's (haven't scanned much since having ham ticket),
to
today, moving into ham in January 2005 and what I encountered along the
way
to becoming a VK.

The best place for potential hams is CB. (In months leading up to ham
exam,
I changed from writing "FM", "AM" or "LSB" in the Mode section of my log
book (yes, I have logs going back to 1st transmission in 1988) to
"16K0F3E"
for UHF CB FM, 6K0J3E for sideband and "A3E" for AM shortwave)

All I am doing is providing today's CB community with the same kind of
information that used to be available to me as a young cb'er via printed
media, which put me on the path to amateur radio. Should today's CB'ers
not
be told about us for some reason?

Isn't helping others part of our hobby? (The Amateur is Patriotic,
Friendly,
Loyal, Progressive, Balanced & Considerate) All I am doing is offering a
news re-broadcast and amateur radio information-after the news-to cb'ers
on
air. (I had no 'elmering' as I became a ham, I flew solo and it was very
difficult, it would have been nice to have a 'ham friend' to help me on my
way, but I didn't, so I went about myself.), and to offer assistance to
those that ask about ham radio. If they ask a question like "What is ham
radio" I point them to the WIA website, or if they don't have the web, to
give them info another way. And besides, I enjoy being able to help others
out. (The potential to let cb'ers know what ham radio is went with the
demise of CBA, ARA, R & C, ESR, where everyone of my generation discovered
it.)

The ARRL promote Amateur on CB bands, FRS bands and even commercial radio
and television.

Note also, that from Wednesday, March 30, 2005, check-ins for the WIA
broadcast on UHF 18 will be taken after the news, as will questions and
comments.

VK3HAG

"HUMBUG" wrote in message
...
Chris Kirby wrote:

snip


The best place for CBers are the CB bands, and the best place for
radio amateurs are the Amateur Radio bands. Whether it be in Oz or UK.

Y'know minds are like parachutes - they work best when open. If you
were a skydiver you'd bounce.

--
Humbug



Hello ashley

the AR is available from any news agent
all potential amatuers have to do is to ask
the news agent to get for you, this is how
i get my coppy every month on regular order

Alf VK5ZKL