Comments

call = WD5C
email = WD5C@juno.com
Year first licensed = 1979
I agree with many of your comments, although I can be a Devil's Advocate on some aspects of ham radios' demise. Although this has become pretty much an "appliance" hobby, it allows the freedom to operators to build their own equipment legally, which is rarely afforded other radio services in this country. CW or morse code hasn't totally died either, as a requirement to upgrade ones license with testing in it is expected to remain with the proposed changes by the FCC. Another point.. So many people possess cellular phones and this service handles incredible amounts of traffic. In areas of heavy earthquake damage, these devices could become useless with downed towers or signal paths having been changed due to such a situation. Internet has its limits too with the upcoming Y2K to blame. Amateur Radio remains a service which can provide emergency communications when these cannot, and I encourage each licensed radio Amateur to remain active for when these sort of things come to pass.

call = kd6nxi
email = tacquire@earthlink.net
Year first licensed = 1992
I agree 100%. I wasn't around when the vintage gear was originally sold but I find it fascinating. I did alot of vintage operating for awhile on AM with older gear that I fixed up. It's a shame that there aren't really any decent kit makers around anymore like HeathKit or Allied etc. I think I was born in the wrong decade. :( Great Page!

Date = 19 Jun 99 23:54:03
call = WA6BRM
email = radioman@seasurf.com
Year first licensed = 1969
Nice history - I too think Ham Radio is on the way 'out'. I'm glad to have over 3,000 hits a day on my paranormal/intelligence website, and grateful for e-mail from around the world. Perhaps Wayne Green was right - Ham Radio is Dead ... too bad, I had great fun and education because of the hobby over the years. 73's radioman http://seasurf.com/~radioman

Date = 19 Jul 99 03:02:31
call = N3VMY
email = N3VMY@prodigy.net
Year first licensed = 1995
I have enjoyed reading your article. I have been interested in radio communications since 1968, when I bought my first all-band radio. I quickly learned about the CB hobby and then amateur radio. I wanted to get into ham radio in the early 70's; but didn't due to the morse code requirement. I kept busy with the scannner radio hobby and I kind of forgot about amateur radio until 1994 when a ham friend of mine told me about the no-code license. I studied for a few weeks, took my test in May '95 and passed! I was finally an amateur radio operator! I have built several of my own antennas, and experimented with building amplifiers. I would like to contribute much more to the hobby; however the code requirement is the stumbling block to get on HF. Just as there is no requirement to learn packet; which I do not use; or satellite comms; which I haven't tried yet; to talk on VHF/UHF; I think there should be some priveleges to get on HF for voice comms without having to learn! the code.
The amateur ranks have increased since the no-code license; something will have to change on HF as well to keep it from being the next swath of frequencies to be gobbled up by the FCC to sell for other uses. I just can't see why all the fuss about why you have to learn code if you don't want to in this day and age. My choice of communicating has always been by voice; even though I have a computer; I would rather talk via radio; and as long as there is a morse requirement on HF; I will continue to use the VHF/UHF bands. I am well aware that by using morse code there are no language barriers to communicate with other countries; and that morse gets through better than voice through the QRM. But thank goodness we all don't have to learn how to ride a horse before we drive a car!!!!

call= WB0OAO
email= wb0oao@pratt.net
Year first licensed= 1970
It is hams like you that keep the hobby alive, thank you. I too have build some repeaters, taught and licensed 25 hams at the local junior college and now am building an SSTV symplex repeater.. I LOVE SSTV and try to expose as many as possible hi hi. But I have another desire and thought you might be able to help. I want to add voice mail to my local repeater. I have extra computers and feel this should be possible with software only....have you seen any such software in your searches on the web? If so, I would appreciate an address. Thanks 73s, I enjoyed your site. Jim Zeltner Pratt, KS WB0OAO

call=
email=Elegan3@aol.com
Year first licensed=1972
Tink,
Thanks for the great article. I agree 100% and can relate to everything you said. I still occasionally listen in on my Kenwood R-2000. I previously built all of my own Heathkit transmitters and receivers, with extensive modifying. Those were the days! Days that our present younger generation will never experience. Heck, they do good just figuring out how to change the batteries on the remote control!
We're also on the same frequecy on all other matters. Check out my web site at: http://members.aol.com/elegan3/elegan.htm
Thanks for your excellent web site and keep up the good work!
Ken Nagele


Date = Thu 4/11/02 5:23 PM
call: AA1IP
Year first licensed: 1992
email: brad.thompson@valley.net
Hello-- I agree with much of what you've written, and I've written a couple of editorial columns on the same topic. However, I'm beginning to suspect that Amateur Radio's decline is only one symptom of a larger problem. Not many years ago, dozens of small and large machine-tool business flourished in eastern Vermont. Now, most are gone-- either out of business or overseas. The workers didn't decide to go out of businessor move offshore-- their managers did. I'm beginning to suspect that without checks and balances (either a government interested in the health and welfare of its people, or a system of strong unions), corporate greed runs out of control. And rampant greed doesn't occur only in western-style economies-- witness the economic collapse of East Germany, and the current plight of laid-off workers in the Peoples' (sic) Republic of China. Greed isn't entirely to blame, though. The people in charge of large institutions have no interest in thinking beyond the next reporting quarter, and they're overlooking the unintended consequences of their actions. For example, there's a race to the bottom built into Globalization of industries-- first, jobs go offshore. Next, laid-off workers lose their purchasing power and buy fewer goods. Retail sales decrease, and fewer orders get manufactured. In the meantime, engineering jobs go away as manufacturing goes offshore. Worse yet, the knowledge of manufacturing processes goes away-- and so does the sense of curiosity that drives young people into engineering and the sciences. Why bother taking a "black box" computer game apart when it's a.) unfixable due to custom components, and b.) not economically worth fixing? I'm getting increasingly discouraged by the general state of our technological civilization.