some of this behavior is due to band conditions to one extent or another.
when people can only really hear each other, or they hear certain people
very well, they tend to get into the group behavior I guess.
I don't find ham radio to be quite as bleak as you have indicated...but I'm
mostly interested in dx and not in qso's with anyone in north america unless
it's a contest or a relatively rare station or rare callsign.
Don't forget, the times we live in means people are very busy and don't have
as much time for the radio as they once did.
Also, the ham population is an aging one and so many folks don't have bass
radios set up or just don't care to bother with 2m and 70Cm anymore. Grand
kids and retirement get in the way hahaha.
I find that allot of the time, guys will put in years and years of their
time with the local ham groups, and then they get burnt out and just hang
the mike up either for good, or for a long period of time.
Your not the only one who has been inactive or may still be inactive hi.
There have always been clicks and groups in this hobby and it's not that
difficult to be a part of those if you choose. It means being in the same
place, same frequency at the same times everyday and just making yourself a
part of the conversations.
there are a tonne of other variables at work now that weren't there even 10
years ago that have caused some people to leave or change their operating
habbits.
Like anything else, and thank god for it, amateur radio changes and won't be
the same as it was previously.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ronald E. Milliman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 3:25 PM
Subject: Trying to get back into the swing of things again!
> CQ CQ CQ de K8HSY
>
> I'm trying to get back into the swing of things on the ol' ham bands
> again!
> As I have mentioned before, I got my ticket back in 1957, and was really
> active for many years, but ham radio has really changed. I am trying to
> figure it out. It seems like the bands are totally made up of clusters of
> little cliques, and some of them aren't even all that little. They all
> know
> each other, and either they don't acknowledge you, or if they do, they
> give
> you the impression that you are a stranger, not welcome into their clique.
>
> When I was an active ham before, back a few years ago, I could call CQ on
> any of the bands and there was a high probability that someone would come
> back, and we would carry on a QSO for maybe a few minutes to maybe an hour
> or so. I could break into a round table or QSO and they would usually make
> you feel welcome, and after a while you fitted right into the group or
> QSO.
>
> Am I wrong and missing something? I don't get that welcome, friendly
> feeling hardly anywhere anymore on the bands, except for the "Do Drop In"
> net and the HandiHam nets. We blind hams seem like a pretty friendly,
> smooth bunch of hams.
>
> Also, I don't hear much of any activity on the repeaters anymore either. I
> used to be able to jump onto a repeater and say: "This is K8HSY; is there
> anyone around this afternoon," and about 70% of the time someone would
> come
> back. Even if they were busy doing something else, they would often come
> back and say something like: "K8HSY this KK4QL. I'm sort of tied up
> working
> on a little work bench project right now, but I just wanted to let you
> know
> you were being heard. Unless there is something you really need, I'll get
> back to my project..."
>
> I feel like I've been sleeping for the last 10 years and have woken up
> into
> a different world!
>
> Ron, K8HSY
>
>
> At 01:58 PM 6/12/2013 -0600, you wrote:
>>also listen for the fm repeaters on 29.62, 64, 66 and 68.
>>there is a big one out of new york state running 1500W on 29.62. Input is
>>100K down btw.
>>also, you will hear CW beacons, which are continuous automated
>>transmitters,
>>from 28.3 down to around 28.185 or something like that. They are a great
>>way to practice your cw because they are usually no more than 10 words per
>>minute and they repeat the same message over and over.
>>
>>openings on 10 are pretty spiratic in the summer, but they certainly
>>happen,
>>and they can be relatively short distance openings which is fun.
>>
>>73
>>Colin, V A6BKX
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "dustin thompson" <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 1:16 PM
>>Subject: 10M
>>
>>
>>> there was some openings on 10 M, i heard some CW, and some net out of
>>> Long Beach, CA. not sure what it was, because it was fading in and
>>> out. quite a few other stations too, i was going to look them up, but
>>> they gave there call sign too fast,
>>
> Dr. Ronald E. Milliman, retired Professor Western Kentucky University
> Ph: 270-782-9325
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> Chair, American Council of the Blind Public Relations Committee
>
> Chair, American Council of the Blind's Monthly Monetary Support Program
> (MMS) Committee
>
> President: South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB)
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