[Elecraft] "Cheap Hams" ???

[Kenneth Talbott]

Anyone who think hams are not cheap has obviously never tried to sell
anything at a hamfest.  The dichotomy is that hams are the cheapest and at
the same time the most generous community of people with whom I have ever
associated.  The same ham who will give a piece of equipment to a newbie
will haggle over dimes at the next swap meet.   Perhaps this is part of the
allure.
73 de ken ke4rg

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Phil
Wheeler
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 9:53 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Cheap Hams" ???

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". :-)

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