"ham radio truth" wrote in message
groups.com...

"Michael Coslo" wrote in message
...
What is more important:

1. Having a license that allows HF access.

2. Not having to learn Morse code.

IOW, is standing on principle, and refusing to learn Morse code a better
thing than learning it to get the priveliges?

- Mike KB3EIA -

YES to CW or NO to CW makes no difference whatsoever Mike.
Not at this stage of the game. Ham radio is a dying hobby, period.

The average age of the USA ham operator is a staggering 64 Years.
There are FIVE TIMES more hams dying off per month than there
are new hams comming into the hobby and license renewals combined.


So? we concentrate on the group of folks that have the TIME to do Ham Radio
these days. The retired or soon to be retired group. Let the youth text
all they want, chase women, find drugs....so what.


80% of young people 2-day have text messaging cellphones.
Also there's AOL Instant Messenger or similar Chatroom software
plus Apple IPOD Podcasting and similar technology. (just wait till
the wireless IPOD hits around October 2005 just in time for xmas!)


None of which has a thing to do with Ham Radio.

What young person, apart from the occasional geek, would want to
invest time and money in archaic, obsolete, analog technology based
ham radio in 2005? Oh yes there will be a few, but for the most part
today's young people wouldn't know ham radio from CB and could
not care less either.


Ham Radio is and always has been a group of radio geeks. Only recently has
this become a "problem". I see no problem with a much smaller, more
dedicated group. We don't need 700,000 licensed hams if only a small
percentage are actually licensed. As a matter of fact I believe you will
find that the membership of the ARRL are the REAL ACTIVE AMATEURS. Not the
give a way Tech ticket. These are the folks that wanted a free cell phone.
Go for it.
Real hams know what this hobby/service is supposed to be. The rest of you
are at the bottom of the learning curve.

Perhaps if you would pay attention to those that have been there and KNOW
what its about....your life would be a bit easier (?).



Tune across HF any evening and tell me how many young people
you hear on SSB. Most of the guys I hear on 75 Meters are long
retired and most callsigns I recall from just 10 Years ago are either
in the local nursing home or 6 feet under the earth.


Which is exactly how 75 has been since the 1950s. Or earlier for all I
know.

YOUR POINT IS?


Read the handwriting boys. At this rate Ham Radio will be dead
by 2030.

No it wont. Changed.....but not dead. You of course will be long gone.
Good riddance.

Dan/W4NTI