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
> >
> >
>