it will die out if we let it. but the public service aspects of the hobby
are surfacing and are recognized. Hopefully with the inclusion of other
technology in the hobby,l it will be a new era for hams! 73,
Barb [log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Walt Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2001 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: radio


> Well, the fact that it's an expensive hobby has _never_ been a barrier in
> the past.  Really _good_ commercial ham gear has always been expensive and
> my interest in gear goes back to the 1950's when, in fact, a good
> transmitter and receiver set were proportionally a _lot_ more expensive
than
> a decent transceiver is now.  Also, I think it's much easier to get a
ticket
> today than it was, say, thirty or forty years ago, especially since the CW
> requirement was altered.  I think that the Internet and the general change
> in culture are the responsible culprits ... people today just don't have
the
> interest, patience, or attention span to sit at a desk for several hours a
> day with only sound coming at them.  Because of television, we've become a
> visually-oriented culture and the Internet meets a lot of this need.
Also,
> the fundamental concept behind ham radio ... the making of acquaintances
and
> even good friends by some remote means ... has just lost a lot of its
> appeal.
>
> I just found out the other day that the Voicespondence Club, the world's
> oldest tape recording hobby club, is disbanding next year.  It's fallen
> victim to the same things ... the allure of the Internet and the decline
in
> a need for relationships of a more than casual or superficial kind.  Email
> can and will never substitute for the human voice, but Internet chat is so
> popular today; as are virtually no-cost telephone rates; that those who
want
> that kind of involvement can get it a lot easier than by radio.  As a
> medium, radio is simply dying out ... and that applies to all forms, not
> just to ham radio.
>
> --
> Walt Smith - Raleigh, NC
> [log in to unmask]