[Boatanchors] Callbook question

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 8/8/06, K0DAN <k0dan at comcast.net> wrote:
> Hard to imagine...but everything was manual...looking up domestic and
> foreign hams (two separate Callbooks you had to buy), writing QSL cards,
> filing them, keeping track of who your worked, what you needed, etc. Hardly
> much time to operate! In addition, it was typical that MANY of the addresses
> in Callbooks were out of date even at the time of publication. What was
> nice, in those days, was if you worked, say, a W3, you could be pretty sure
> he was physically located in 3-land !

Ah, yes - back in the day when amateur radio was more important than
vanity. And some folks wonder why we're in the condition we're in. It
certainly fits well with today's plug-n-play, 'me-me-me' mentality. At
least there are a few who still sign their actual area with the
appropriate / *call area when using calls from elsewhere.

Many AM ops in the northeast still log their contacts, despite the
requirement being dropped. I still use a paper log system for my own
use and enjoyment, it makes for interesting reading a decade or more
down the road. Real QSL cards are also great from the same historical
standpoint, as well as their varied styles and content. It's a bit odd
to look at QSL cards from contacts made with countries that no longer
exist. And of course, a bit poignant to read cards from departed
friends.

You have to wonder what will be left of ham radio as we know it, in
another 15-25 years.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ