[Elecraft] Reaching across the chronological divide

[Wayne Burdick]

Hams of a certain age, including yours truly (first licensed in 1971) recall their excitement on joining the hobby: there was the promise of contact with faraway places, collection of vivid QSL cards, mastery of esoteric equipment, synchrony with the rhythms of Morse code, and the crafting of antennas to harness action at a distance.

Most of us still feel that spark, occasionally--some on a daily basis--experiencing the wonder all over again. 

While the accoutrements and equipage of youth have evolved over the decades, their DNA has not. Somewhere, nestled between the genetic codes for half-pipe snowboarding, Instagram, Juul, and ambient house, there's a dormant sequence for the Radio Art waiting to be stirred.

Is there a Battle Royale for ham radio? A tactical RPG?

What is our sorcerer's stone? Our rap?

Will Gen-Z or Gen-Alpha tickle the ionosphere, and if so...why?

To hand our batons across the chronological divide, we'll need empathetic, open-ended inquiry.

73,
Wayne
N6KR