I used to enjoy CW QSO's on HF about 30 years ago. Briefly experimented with packet radio with a Commodore 64. Probably went to the Dayton Hamvention a dozen times throughout the early years. Sold all my gear maybe 15 years ago.
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Quoted from Clnilsen:Got my license a few years back… never saw a worse gatekept hobby. Tried a few clubs, wanted to find an Elmer, and besides the political advocation pervasiveness, the general distaste to help anyone younger (and I’m pushing 50!) was beyond the pale. I have a radio I bought that sits on a shelf unused. Pretty much decided I couldn’t be bothered to figure out why I’d even want to talk to these people tbh.
Since this was a life goal of mine, I even went so far to reach out to ARRL at a local event and express some frustration with the difficulty to get into the hobby. They acknowledged the difficulty; I don’t envy their uphill battle.
Did have a dude at a local ham meeting sit down next to me and promptly ask if I could drive him to his doctors appt the following week though.
I’ll stick with pinball thank you. Even the vintage audio guys are more pleasant.
Wow, that's a sad story.
Listen....screw those clubs. Just plug in your radio and make contacts on the air. You'll find people just like you reaching out to make a contact. CQ CQ CQ.
When I first got my license and radio, I didn't know any hams. I used to come home from work and make one or two contacts each night. It was fun to talk to people all over the world (talk as in code. I never liked the mic, always used morse code). I did that for several years. Eventually I lost interest. Anyway, try making some contacts on the air instead of hanging out with a bunch of grumpy old men..
Taught my wife to drive starting in the Hara Arena parking lot. We would drive around, and around, and around the building endlessly.
There are some nice old men (OM's) in the hobby. For instance:
My beginnings into ham radio was when I was a teenage paperboy. I went collecting (that's when paperboys had to go house to house and collect the monthly subscription fee)....went collecting and the man opens the door and says "come with me." He opens up his garage and there were tables filled with radios, and a ham station set up in the corner. He takes me over to an old Hallicrafters Receiver SX-16 and says "here...this is for you. Thank you for doing a good job."
I don't remember now how I got that monster home, but I do remember listening to shortwave in my youth on that radio. I'll never forget listening to WWV, Fort Collins Colorado, "at the tone the time will be...."
That was a nice old guy for sure.
Quoted from Bmad21:You think that digital technology would bring prices down.
Nope.
Seems to me a radio like this 20 years ago cost around $400.
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