KH6HZ wrote:
"Mike Coslo" wrote:

No, radio. Radio was the "tech" of the '50s. Today, that "tech" takes other
forms: computers, cell phones, etc.

There is no one who has "cellular phones" as a hobby. There is no
tinkering with them. There is no making them work in a way other than
the way they work. There is no equivalent of DXing, no equivalent of
contesting. One can rag chew all day--at a price. A cellular phone is
not the equvalent of amateur radio. Neither is the internet.


If you think that Ham radio is an analog of cell phones and chat
rooms and webcams, you're not getting it, and affecionados of those
sports aren't at all likely to be interested in the ARS.

What draws people to amateur radio? The technical aspect, or the utility
aspect?

The idea of communicating without a landline phone being involved? The
thought of being active in public service communications? The interest
in DXing? Tinkering with circuits or antennas? Being able to modify
commercially built equipment to make it better? Setting up and
operating a fast scan TV station on one's own? Being able to stay in
touch with local buddies who are also radio amateurs?

It is my opinion that over the past 2 decades, the utility aspect of ham
radio has been the main drawing point, not the tech aspect. I think the tech
aspect of ham radio started to die out in the mid 80's when PCs started to
hit the scene. Radio may have been the focus of future EE's interests 40
years ago, but kids I grew up with were making breadboards for their
Apple ]['s.

I like 160 meter operation. I enjoy working my DX the hard way.
Installing efficient transmitting antennas and experimenting with
various receive antennas interest me. I enjoy weak signal VHF and UHF
operation. Some of the other locals have different ideas. K8JRG enjoys
fast scan television. W8MSD and KC8FZH enjoy tweaking their linked 440
repeaters. WD8MTN enjoys DC-to-daylight mobile operation. K8LQM likes
to rag chew with CW on 40m. KC8FZM uses 6m to control his model
aircraft. KA8YEZ is heavily involved in public service work.
Each fellow has his niche and yet is involved to a lesser degree with
other aspects of amateur radio.


It will actually be a very exciting time, I'm hoping to get some
new folk as excited about the hobby as I am.

None of the EE/CS students I work with are interested in ham radio at all.
The radio interests they have tend to focus in the consumer fields (like
cell phones) rather than, say, Marine HF or EPIRB systems. Radio simply
isn't "sexy" any longer.

A cellular phone is a two-way radio. Don't tell those EE students or
they'll all throw theirs away after discovering that they are un-sexy.

Dave K8MN