#123637 - 02/13/08 12:43 AM
Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
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After a break lasting from 2004 to, well, just now, I have once again procured a ham radio.
It's a simple 2M rig, and I have fairly decent pair of antennae, a medium-gain Yagi and a really nice Diamond Omni Dual-Bander.
Got some good RG-8, wired it all up before the snow started today, and....nothing.
2M is dead, dead, dead. Where did everyone go? I know ham radio is in decline, but is it gone totally?
Many of the old repeaters I used to use are still up, but I call, no answer. I know I'm reaching, I know I have a good signal, I even auto-patched through a repeater and called myself just to see how I sounded - it was fine. But empty!
Pretty darn surprising.
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#123638 - 02/13/08 12:57 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Addict
Registered: 06/04/03
Posts: 450
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It lost its appeal for me, I'm afraid, shortly after the code requirement went away and the licensing requirements were relaxed. The type of individuals I started running into gradually changed, and so did the content. I moved on, and so did a lot of others I think.
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#123646 - 02/13/08 02:10 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Old Hand
Registered: 03/13/02
Posts: 905
Loc: Seattle, Washington
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It is very quiet outside of emergency workers out here too. I think it is largely due to cell phones and wireless internet, email etc rather than any changes in the license requirements. Check out any emergency volunteer groups, they will be active. Just don't count on many 2m or 70cm repeaters to "be listening". I think the long holdout for reform in licensing left all the old geezers with no one interested in archaic communications. Packet and voice is pretty damn primative compared to all the wonder tools of youth. Who is going to sit in the shack and try and decipher static and voice or worse CW to figure out the temperature in Aukland when a Google search can show you the beach ![grin grin](/images/graemlins/default/grin.gif) Check out the ARRL for any emergency groups (RACES) in your area....that is about the only way to find any activity. My wife and I are members in a RACES group and we have a couple of repeaters that are still active.
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#123648 - 02/13/08 02:19 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: Schwert]
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Stranger
Registered: 11/13/07
Posts: 3
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Yep Cell phone and e-mail has caused a decline in vhf but the radios are somwhat cheaper than they used to be HF is still pretty active 20,30,40, and 75m anyway my radios are in storage because i'm in limbo right now i occasionally listen to short wave. code is still pretty strong and always will be no matter what people think about it or the requirements people who want to learn it will put in the time and learn it i think more will use it now the pressure is off. no matter what form of radio a person is into they will get around to tapping the key.
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#123650 - 02/13/08 02:34 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Addict
Registered: 01/27/07
Posts: 510
Loc: on the road 10-11 months out o...
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I was talking to some guys on another forum and they said that the normally use from 20-75m. I think hat what your looking for, Ive never messed with ham radios. Hope this helps some
_________________________
Depend on yourself, help those who are not able, and teach those that are.
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#123658 - 02/13/08 03:29 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: sotto]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 2432
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I don't know.
I have never been into HAM. I can say that most of the people I see on forums talking about HAM are nut-case conspiracy theorists, anti-government 'freemen', gun nuts and ranters. Not the sorts I would feel inspired enough to spend money to talk to.
I hear the related SSB marine community has a good number of friendly, roughly normal, people who depend on it daily for information, communications and company.
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#123666 - 02/13/08 04:54 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Member
Registered: 04/09/06
Posts: 105
Loc: Richardson, TX
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As mentioned before, cell phones and the internet took a big bite out of the ham population. There are still areas of activity, though. Here in the D/FW area, there are a number of large clubs, with all sorts of activities. Ham-Com, our regional hamfest, draws several thousand people.
_________________________
John Beadles, N5OOM Richardson, TX
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#123677 - 02/13/08 11:32 AM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: beadles]
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Addict
Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 627
Loc: A Canadian Back in Canada
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I have a father in law who's in ham radios and i'm personally will be working on my certs very soon.
I'm interested in all of it, but more from a marine stand point.
_________________________
"One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything" William of Ockham (1285-1349)
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#123682 - 02/13/08 12:46 PM
Re: Ham Radio: What The Heck Happened?
[Re: Art_in_FL]
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Veteran
Registered: 08/19/03
Posts: 1371
Loc: Queens, New York City
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I don't know.
I have never been into HAM. I can say that most of the people I see on forums talking about HAM are nut-case conspiracy theorists, anti-government 'freemen', gun nuts and ranters. Not the sorts I would feel inspired enough to spend money to talk to.
I hear the related SSB marine community has a good number of friendly, roughly normal, people who depend on it daily for information, communications and company. Huh? I've never met a ham that fits those qualifications (well, I'm a bit of a gun nut - I own 4 ) I have heard a few of them down on the 75m band. Most hams I know are fairly normal folks, except for being, well, hams
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