don't forget working sattelites and the international space station.
I heard my first ISS pass tonight.
and I plan to make a go of it even if I only have a little hand held for 
VHF and UHF.

Shaun,
vk2fese,
web sites:
http://www.myspace.com/blindmanshaunoliver
http://blindman.homelinux.org/~blindman/
skype: brailledude


On 4/11/2008 10:27 PM, the old scribe known as Megan McCarty was able to 
impart this pearl of wisdom:
> As for me, the reason that I didn't get into ham radio until now was that I
> simply had never heard of it before.
> 
> Since learning about it, I've used my online journal as a way to share this
> new found discovery with my friends. I write posts about my experiences in
> everything from Sky-Warn to Sweepstakes CW to public service.  I use simple
> English to explain things as clearly as I can.
> 
> My friends are totally shocked by all that I have been doing. They also had
> no idea that there was such a thing as this. Some of my friends think it is
> pretty neat, but as recent graduates, they are too lazy to study another
> book and take another test.  I hope they will remember what I have shared
> and someday go check it out for themselves.
> 
> 73,
> Megan KB3RGW
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 11:26 PM, Colin McDonald <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> 
>> your right.
>> In day to day life, volunteerism certainly lacks in most communities.
>> of course there are extreme situations where volunteerism becomes the norm
>> and expected such as in the New Orleans disaster and during other natural
>> disasters across the southern US.
>> However, people just don't bother to take the time, or perhaps don't have
>> the energy to take the time to help others as much as they once did.
>> Our grandparents didn't have mass polution to battle on a daily basis, they
>> weren't subjected to fast food, junk food, bad food and high sugar content
>> food like we are today.  Our energy levels are constantly being depleted by
>> our unconscious and generally unknown battle with our ever worsening
>> environment.  I know I sound like a tree hugger with this kind of stuff,
>> but
>> it's still true to a large extent.  You see kids with alergies today that
>> didn't exist 40 years ago.  Most schools have banned peanut butter and
>> peanuts from lunches because of alergies...even strawberries, bananas and
>> in
>> one very odd situation my son was in, bread was not allowed in lunches.
>> Some would argue this is due to higher awareness of kids health issues, but
>> it is a simple case of mass amounts of children being alergic to things
>> that
>> were never much of an issue before.  I blame our environment for these
>> changes.
>> Anyway, my whole point here is that these sorts of environmental health
>> issues tend to sap  our energy levels and we go into survival mode...IE,
>> look after oneself first.  This has certainly lent itself to the decline of
>> amateur radio as a community oriented hobby.
>> as it has to most other community oriented programs and tradditions.
>>
>> 73
>> Colin, V A6BKX
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Louis Kim Kline" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 8:51 PM
>> Subject: Re: the general decline of amateur radio
>>
>>
>>> Hi Colin.
>>>
>>> You are right.  I see it in conversations that I have with co-workers who
>>> are 15 or 20 years younger than I, and just the differences in life
>>> experiences over that time span is staggering.  And I haven't even turned
>>> 50 yet.
>>>
>>> I think that Amateur Radio is a victim of the decline of volunteerism in
>>> america.  I cannot speak for Canadian or British society as I haven't
>> lived
>>> in those places, but I see it in the U.S. in a number of things, like the
>>> decline of volunteer fire departments, organizations for our youth like
>> the
>>> scouts or 4-H, etc.  Part of it is that people who are in the prime of
>> life
>>> are just to busy trying to earn a living to invest in the community like
>>> they used to, and so that puts even more of the burden on older
>>> people.  Amateur Radio is falling victim to some of the same forces that
>>> are weakening our other community organizations.  Add to that the
>> plethera
>>> of electronic technologies that compete for time, and you can almost
>> expect
>>> a decline in activity.
>>>
>>> All that being said, what do we do about it?  Wringing our hands doesn't
>>> help.  I do try to make myself and my station available for new hams, and
>>> try to get equipment into the hands of young hams, but even that seems to
>>> fall short.
>>>
>>> 73, de Lou K2LKK
>>>
>>> At 06:14 PM 11/3/2008 -0700, you wrote:
>>>> well, as was said already in this thread, amateur radio as a hobby is
>> top
>>>> heavy with aging hams.  Most people over 60 are conservative in their
>>>> thinking already.
>>>> And if not conservative, then they don't necesarily have the where
>> withall
>>>> to learn new technologies and embrace them and utilize them in the
>> hobby.
>>>> Therefore, i think elmering is going the way of the perverbial dodo. If
>> we
>>>> could bring some good elmering back by those who are experienced, i
>> think
>>>> the younger generation would be able to use the structured support of
>> those
>>>> elmers to bring in new things and make them usable by everyone.\
>>>> As it stands, the generation gap in ham radio is a strong reflection of
>>>> north american society in general.  The older, conservative baby boomer
>>>> generation who don't like a whole lot of change or newness, and the
>> younger
>>>> generation who don't even think that way and who automatically embrace
>> new
>>>> technology as par for the course instead of fighting it for being "new"
>>>> Things are changing so very rapidly in our modern society that the
>> younger
>>>> generation doesn't even realize how different it is from day to day then
>> it
>>>> was 30 or 40 years ago.
>>>> The norm is change, and it's excepted at face value as a part of
>> everyday
>>>> life.
>>>> anyway i've rattled on enough.
>>>> 73
>>>> Colin, V A6BKX
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>>> Checked by AVG.
>>>> Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.8.6/1765 - Release Date:
>> 11/3/2008
>>>> 4:59 PM
>>> Louis Kim Kline
>>> A.R.S. K2LKK
>>> Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>>> Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>>> Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5740
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG.
>>> Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.8.5/1764 - Release Date: 11/3/2008
>> 7:46 AM
>>>
> 
> __________ NOD32 3580 (20081103) Information __________
> 
> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> http://www.eset.com
> 
> 
>