[amsat-bb] Re: This Is a HOBBY people

[Diane Bruce]

On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 06:36:47PM -0500, Gregg Wonderly wrote:
> 
> 
...
> >
> >Amateur radio is a fun hobby, don't pretend it is a police ancillary
> >service, that was never the intent. If you happen to be with
> >radio and you can help it is your obligation to help.
> 
> The Amateur Radio service is the service.  The FCC regs say that.  I you 
> take your equipment, knowledge (knowledge is required) and skills to use as 
> a hobby, more power too you.  But Amateur Radio is not "just a HOBBY".  

Yes it is. It is ONLY a freakin' Hobby. If we want kids in our freakin'
HOBBY we need to make it *FUN*. Learning stuff, radio stuff, building
stuff learning what radio is how antennas work. All that stuff.

> There are services which you can and should provide as your skills and
> knowledge allow you to.  Making a choice to not participate in the service

And that is the marketable skill. Many many hams are also computer
types, physicists, engineers.

> part, is your choice, no one can make you do that.  But, how other amateurs 
> see you and treat you may be driven by your desire to "just have a HOBBY" 
> and ride the coat tails of the others who are making the service really be 
> a value to your community.
> 
> EMCOMM is something that we all have opportunities to help with.  Many 

No, EMCOMM is the cancer that is eating Amateur Radio.

> times, you may not be needed.  But, it's another aspect of your skill set 
> that you can improve on through experience.  If you just want to rag chew 
> and consume a frequency, then you can do that.  But it is little effort to 
> occasionally sign up for an EMCOMM or community event and provide some help 
> so that others who want to sit down and ragchew and enjoy the HOBBY part of 
> their lives can do that too.

I have signed up to help community events, I have done my share.
many times. I have done my share of many hours of CW traffic
handling. I learned a lot about how to run nets both on CW and SSB.

But EMCOMM is still not the only reason someone should be getting
into amateur radio.
EMCOMM is what discourages the youth of today from particpating in ham
radio. Get the kids in, get them excited, get them interested in DSP
combining radio and computers, show them FUN. Don't sell them on EMCOMM.

Turn it the other way around. Both the RAC and the ARRL have been hard selling
EMCOMM for years. How well has that worked for bringing in the younger ham?

Sorry Greg, we ain't going to see eye to eye on this one.

Please re-read what I have said. I am not against being ready to help
in community service. I have DONE SO many times. I am not against being
ready to help in an emergency. I am on the local emrg list if that
(hopefully never) ever happens, I will and can show up and do my bit as a 
communicator. I did not get into ham radio to stand in the cold on a rainy
day to help some bicycle tour. I got into ham radio because I was
interested in how RADIO worked. It also served me well career wise.

All I am trying to say is we need to restore a bit of balance. That's all.

> 
> Gregg Wonderly
> W5GGW
> _______________________________________________

Diane Bruce
VA3DB
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