By James Benedict (N8FVJ) on October 15, 2004

Although many hams do not have that 'You done me wrong' attitude like in a
country song, it does surface a lot in this hobby.

I believe the negative attitude is contributing to the shrinking ham hobby.
This is highly visible in replies to articles, eHam Product Reviews and the
eHam.

Even honest eBay sellers like myself have issues with hams complaining via
feedback. If a carrier damages a box and the item inside is undamaged, I get
a neutral. Or an item was lost, full refund issued and a negative resulted
within 24-hours after receipt of funds. How about a ham that purchases two
new tubes, one tube is missing the box & items listed as used tubes.

Complaint on the feedback was issued & items were sold about 25% of market
value. This is 3 of 6 sales in the last 8 months. 1000+ sales to audiophiles
resulted in three neutrals & no negatives. I did not post the above as a
complaint, just the facts.

Hobbies are pursued for the fun element. With an 'outsider' looking in, is
it any wonder some pursue other avenues? Or others simply leave the hobby.
An example of another hobby is the audiophile interest. Lets narrow it down
to vacuum tube audio. This is a very small group within the hobby itself.
Quite frankly, the hobby is expanding unlike ham radio. The audiophiles are
pleased to have new products and are supportive of the suppliers. A group of
DIY audiophiles are learning electronics as fast as they can and building
their own equipment. The DIY type musicians group is also learning
electronics to build amplifiers.

One business that used to be involved in ham radio was Amp Supply many years
ago. I remember when these quality RF amps were viewed with rumors of poor
quality. Now these vintage RF amps not only sell quickly, demand way
outstrips supply. I have had excellent performance from Amp Supply products.

The owner of Amp Supply quickly got out of the ham business and settled on
making a good living in the audiophile hobby over the last 12-15 years.

In closing this article, I suggest the hams should support their suppliers
and retailers. Stop shopping for that last dollar in savings and simply
refrain from complaining about nothing. It is not good for the hobby.

http://www.eham.net/articles/9348