On 3/22/2012 10:10 PM, Channel Jumper wrote:
David Quest;788733 Wrote:
It's alive and well......Spread the word

The problem is not if it is alive or dead, it is the quality of people
involved with amateur radio today.

Does this include you? Or are you a non participant?


I see a couple of different types of people.
The leaders
The followers
The Sheep
The dumb asses with the walkie talkies, cell phones, voip - computer -
that doesn't want to do Ham Radio - they want to do Cell Phone and
Computer radio.

That's four types, not a couple.. Although I suppose there is some
redundancy involved. IE: many dumbasses are sheep, many sheep are
followers, and most followers tend to follow the leader. :/


Then you have the old guys - who have done it all and doesn't want to
help anyone - is too old to buy anything new, spends most of their time
tuning up over other peoples QSO's and only talks on nets.

Maybe they are tired. And they probably already own everything they
need, and thus have no need to buy more stuff. As far as the tuning
and netting, I would consider that a personal problem..


Then you have the old hams - the guys that were licensed as teen agers,
realizes that the old hams are going to die or retire. That thinks that
the world owes them something. Wants to be the section manager or
regional manager of the ARRL. The low life scum that thinks that it is
political.

I've been a radio buoy since I was a teen. So I guess I sort of fit
this category. And I do realize that everyone retires, and then dies,
sooner or later. This is another personal problem that all must deal
with sooner or later. Novice through Extra.. All are gonna be worm
food some day.. Death is not picky, and death took the 20 wpm
code test, so even CW ops don't get a pass on death. :|

Thinks the world owes me something? What would that be?
As far as I know, no one owes me anything, and as far as myself,
I owe very little.. :/

But, if the world owes me something like you say, I'll take an old Ford
GT-40. I'm not too picky about the color.

Want to be section manager or regional manager of the ARRL?
Are you kidding me? You couldn't pay me enough to involve myself
with such silliness..


Who gets the sheep to blindly follow them, gets the followers to follow
them - with the promise that they will help them someday - maybe.

I don't want anyone to follow me..

Assumes the role of leaders at their local clubs - but doesn't really do
much of anything.

I don't do clubs..

For the most part - you have a lot of clubs where the President makes
all the rules and demands that everyone else just blindly follow them.

I don't do clubs..

The followers thinks that belonging to a club will automatically make
them ham radio operators - yet the President and the officers don't
actually teach anything, doesn't actually Elmer anyone and their only
goal is to use the club as a stepping stone - get the votes to become
the section manager etc and then the people who helped get them to where
they are at - are forgotten.

I don't do clubs..


Just look at the officers of the ARRL and see where they came from, and
their age, and the people who are lining up to take their jobs.

Why would I waste my time? I could care less about the officers of
the ARRL, and I could care less where they came from.
And if someone wants their jobs, how long is this line?
Are they as long as the lines that form outside of shopping malls
when a new brand of sneaker comes out?



Then you have the Vultures.

I've never seen a bird get a ham license... I guess they can
pass it now that they did away with the code tests.. :|

You know who you are!

Yes, I know who I am. :/


The ones that circles a mans house when he is dead or dying.
Looking to steal all of his / her ham radio equipment when they die.

Radios, radios, and more radios!!!! Yee-haw!!!!


Probably the main reason why there are so few hams who becomes
Generals.

Maybe so. After all, why would one upgrade to a higher license,
if one has to constantly worry about some vulture flying over and
dropping a vulture turd or two on their heads... :|
They practice this you know.. It's kind of like learning to drop
fire fighting mud and chemicals on forest fires, except on a smaller
scale.


Once people gets their Technician Class License, finds out how much new
radios cost, can't afford a used radio - even if it is available and
just drops out after a couple of months or years - because there is no
incentive to advance.

Life's a bitch, and then some people make the mistake of
marrying one.. :/
But realistically, it sounds like they need a better job, more
than they need a ham license.

I have loads of radios.. So many, I can't even keep track of
them all. Big radios, little radios, and many radios in between.
I think they secretly breed when I'm away, and spawn more little
radios and radioettes..


The clubs preaches public service and ECOM - but doesn't really do much
of anything about it.

I don't do clubs..

Most people cannot take traffic and are unwilling to even talk on the
radio.

Well, why don't you teach them then..
BTW, myself, I can handle traffic. I'm ex-MARS, where they actually
do run a bit of traffic from time to time..
But very few people rely on amateur radio to pass traffic these days.
So even though I can handle traffic, I rarely have the chance to
show off such advanced radio skillery. :/


They are of no use to anyone in a emergency - unless the only traffic
you want to pass is their call sign and No Traffic - because that is all
that they have said on the local nets all of their ham radio careers.

I'm of total use in an emergency. I can do anything anyone might
want to do, and I can do it from any location on the planet.

But, I rarely do nets.. Too boring for my blood.

My idea of ham radio is sitting out in the middle of the woods,
sucking down a few cold ones, kicking back, and talking to all them
good ole buoys on the radio.

No one ever follows me. My woods are so secluded, no one would
ever find me even if they tried.
I do see some vultures from time to time, but then again, I see
a lot of birds out in the woods.

Worrying about nets, managers, clubs, and vultures is no way to go
through amateur radio. Sounds pretty danged boring too..