[Elecraft] "Cheap Hams" ???

[Phil Wheeler]

How about: Hams are sensible when it comes to 
spending money? I like to think so in general, 
even if/when I am not :-)

73, Phil W7OX

On 4/21/15 6:44 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> What you are referring to is " Hams helping 
> other hams", and that is completely opposite the 
> "hams are cheap" end of things.
> Think about the hams who are quite willing to 
> spend $3000 on their ham gear and do not want to 
> spend $75 on a dummy load (or other accessory).  
> That is the main reason for the opinion that 
> "hams are cheap".
>
> I have been through those "cheap ham days" out 
> of necessity when the family needs came first 
> and there was not enough extra to spend on ham 
> gear.  Those days are gone now that the kids are 
> on their own. But then in those days, I did not 
> spend $3000 for a ham rig either.
>
> I was once there where I did the best bargaining 
> that I could for ham gear and appealed to my 
> other ham friends for their discards. Those days 
> are behind me, and I can now afford top of the 
> line gear.  I do reserve some funds for top of 
> the line test gear and other additions to the 
> hamshack that will provide me with the proper 
> tools to keep my hamshack in order.
>
> Yes, I have been 'thrifty', but not at the 
> expense of having proper tools to evaluate my 
> ham station.  A dummy load and an antenna 
> analyzer are on the top end of my list of 
> desired gear for any ham station.  Other gear 
> may be helpful, but not essential.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 4/21/2015 9:15 PM, G4GNX wrote:
>> It's generally been accepted for many years 
>> that if one ham has a component that he doesn't 
>> need and another ham wants it, it will usually 
>> be given for free. This culture has grown from 
>> the days when most shack equipment was homebrew.
>> Hams also tend to help each other with 
>> projects, antenna farming etc., usually without 
>> payment.
>> At our local club, members often bring unwanted 
>> items along for distribution, mostly for free. 
>> Sometimes if an item has some higher value, a 
>> donation to club funds is expected.
>> Like other hobbies, we have "junk sales", where 
>> valued equipment can sometimes be sold for 
>> silly prices.
>>
>> I think that the above is where the "cheap" 
>> label has emerged from. I prefer to think of 
>> hams as "thrifty". :-)