Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]> BUddy wrote: >I'm so glad you've decided to rethink leaving ham radio. I'm always >sad when people decide to do that, even when I notice someone's >license has expired and it hasn't been renewed. Yeah...radio's the >medium, but it's not just a medium...it's magic...and I think the >magic gets lost in all the tech, y'know? So, yeah, welcome back, and WEll said. I recall somebody doing some kind of survey on this list awhile back, I think I've got it archived somewhere around here since it was after the big storm. the questions this survey asked wer along the lines of if I'd get the same enjoyment and personal satisfaction using other forms of communication. the short answer is no. THere wasn't an internet connection to be had at the hospital for a week. Being able to assist the mariner at sea or the missionary in the hinterlands is rewarding. tO have the capability to phone patch a doctor in the bush with a specialist here in the modern world so as ti consult on saving a child's life is quite rewarding. YEs the doctor could possibly do this with one of those sat phones, if he had the money for a satphone, if his position was such that he had a good view of the satellite. IF the network asn't tied up with businessmen making deals. WOrking all 50 states with a hunk of wire in the trees and a little more power than it takes to run a lightbulb (or less) is fun too. Helping other folks learn how to format and handle a radiogram is fun and rewarding. THen think about this, and if you want to read the whole piece go to www.emcomm.org and read the February 2006 issue. rEmember the recent mine disaster? By the time the info got to the eoc it was garbled and the number of survivors and the number of dead got turned around. Lower hf qrp with cw is perfect for caving. SOme of the hospital traffic I handled during the hurricane would have gone well on cw. IN fact I would have had a little higher comfort level with handling that traffic with a good cw traffic handler at the other end of the circuit. tHere's always something new and different to try. I figure thatr I can never find myself bored or lonely as long as I have this hobby. 73 de nf5b Richard WEbb, Electric SPider Productions, Eads Tennessee