[Boatanchors] The ARRL's next move

[K5MYJ]

I live in the PNW. HF SSB seems pretty thin here. I don't know if it's worth 
the effort to put my Benton Harbor S-Line Twins back on the air.

Am I just listening at the wrong time and wrong place.

I have tried 75M (3800-4000) late evenings (after 9PM local time)
I have tried 40M (7150-7300) mid evenings (6PM to 10PM local time)
I have tried 20M (14150-14300) late afternoon(4PM to 7PM local time)

But I have not tried it recently. I gave up because I was not hearing much 
activity.

Is there anyone in the NW with recent activity.?

There is a ARRL SSB contest this weekend so I plan to try again.

Bob Macklin
K5MYJ
Seattle, Wa.
"Real Radios Glow In The Dark"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Stinson" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2018 9:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] The ARRL's next move


> While people often use straight inflation
> calculations to compare
>
> prices over time, that can be misleading.  A
> calculation that will give
>
> a clearer picture of costs over time is the
> purchasing-power of
>
> one hour of your labor.  This can give a different
>
>
> perspective in some cases.  For instance:
>
>
>
> The median wage of an Electronic/Communications
> professional
>
> (skilled professional) in 1965 was about $3.45 per
> hour.
>
> To purchase "mid-premium" ham gear of the day
> required many
>
> hours of labor.
>
>
>
> 75S3 $680, 32S3 $750, 516F2 $400, total = $1830.
>
> In 1965, it would take an average of 530.4 hours
> of labor
>
> to purchase this "mid-premium" rig.
>
>
>
> There are, of course, no "performance comparables"
> today,
>
> as even modern "economy" rigs are more capable,
> but
>
> we can still peg a price of today's  "mid-premium"
> rig at about $5000.
>
>
>
> The median wage of a similar worker today is about
> $22.50 an hour.
>
> Today, it takes about 222.2 hours of labor to
> purchase
>
> a "mid-premium" ham rig.
>
>
>
> So- Ham Radio has indeed become "more affordable"
> over
>
> the years, but IMHO, that's a "distinction without
> a difference."
>
> This improvement in purchasing power for ham gear
> has not
>
> held general for most other things in life, not by
> a mile.
>
> For most young people today, burdened with student
> and
>
> medical extortion debt, over-extended for what
> they have
>
> been trained to see as "basic to life" like a cell
> phone etc.,
>
> $1500 for an "economy" radio is out of reach.  No
> wonder
>
> our gang is getting old- we're the ones with the
> expendable
>
> assets we can toss into a $11,000 plastic "Barbie
> Radio" while
>
> these kids are driving $500 clunker cars trying to
> finish school.
>
> I hold that the biggest block for young people
> getting into
>
> anything beyond the Butt-Fang 2-meter HT is the
> expense.
>
>
>
> One fella's opinion.
>
> 73 Dave S.
>
>
>
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