[CW] cw future

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/5/03 7:14:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time, k4kyv@hotmail.com 
writes:


> I think after 44 years of hamming I have a pretty good idea of how 80m. and 
> 
> 40m. propagation works, day and night, since 160-80-40 have been my primary 
> bands to operate all those years.  I was  NOT referring to  the last few 
> weeks, but the past 5-8 years!  There is simply less activity both on phone 
> and cw.  The 40m. cw band has been almost devoid of activity during summer 
> daytime for several years now.  In winter there is more activity, but it 
> still can be sparce.  Of course there is more activity on weekends but still 
> 
> nothing to write home about. I suspect two factors are involved: the 
> internet and SK's.

Yup, but there's more.

I got started back in 1967 at age 13. Back then most newbies started as 
Novices on 80 or 40 meter CW. Those bands became our reference point - our 
definition of "normal". Even after we got higher class licenses we tended to stay on 
those bands for a number of reasons:

- most gear we could afford worked best on 80/40
- there was less competition from big guns intent on DX
- lots of room on 80 
- simple wire antennas worked wonders if you had the room
- TVI was less of a problem on the lower bands
- no WARC bands, no repeaters, etc.

The 'net is but one of many distractions. Back in '67, my family had one 
black-and-white TV that got 4 channels. No VCR, no Blockbuster Video, no cable, no 
satellite TV, no videogames, no walkman or mpg players, no cell phones. 
Having an FM radio was a big deal. 

Ham gear was so expensive relative to the minimum wage that most of us had 
one rig, often used, surplus or homebrew. Even the well-to-do tended to have a 
lot less equipment than is common today. 

And in most families with kids, Mom stayed home full-time. She was not a 
kid-chauffeur, either - we kids walked, biked or took the trolley everywhere. 

Seems to me that back then both adults and kids tended to get free time in 
bigger chunks than today, too. 

I'm not saying the old days were better or worse - just different.

73 de Jim, N2EY 


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