"Dave Heil" wrote in message
ink.net...
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

But, Dave. The kiddies using cell phones think that text messaging is all
the hoot these days! Hams have been doing text messaging (CW) for decades.
Cell phones? They can arguably be called modern day two way radios that have
their roots in the precursors of Ham Radio auto patch systems of 30 or more
years ago. Same concept, but with different frequencies and digital
enhancements.
I am old enough to remember way back when my buddy set up an auto patch on
his repeater system. The phone company was even then rattling the ears of
Govt. regulators by arguing that Hams were making phone calls, "free" phone
calls, and not paying the Piper..the Piper being Ma Bell.

Who needs "sexy"? Amateur Radio is a hobby that one takes to for the sheer
enjoyment of same. Besides, when our cell towers go belly up due to power
outages or simple overloads, I can easily switch over to my Marine batteries
and carry on, uninterrupted, for weeks if need be.

dit dit dit dah...