[Elecraft] Introduction to ham radio

[David Gilbert]

Well said.

Dave   AB7E


On 7/28/2025 4:28 PM, Al Lorona wrote:
> I hear the frustration in Dave AB7E's voice and resonate with what he has been saying; I really do. Years ago I wrote an op-ed piece very similar to Dave's comments that QST never printed... probably because it hit too close to home.
>
> We all know that most new licensees never get on the air. Many of them see amateur radio as a kind of 'disaster readiness'. They think that a Baofeng gives them a reliable back up plan in case of a communications outage. In my case, when I told my guys that they'd have to pass a test, most of them made a face as if to say, "I just wanted a SHTF radio in my house. You're telling me I have to take a test?" So, there's that. They made another face when I told them that a Baofeng will get them about as far as the last house on the cul-de-sac.
>
> Beyond that, given the current ability of even a five year old to communicate instantly with everyone everywhere, we probably have all the active hams we're ever going to get. We shouldn't believe that *anybody* should get into ham radio, any more than we believe they should get into quilting, or flute playing, or ballooning. It's a hobby, and it's not for everybody. To be a true ham, you kind of have to be an experimenter, and you kind of have to have some technical training.
>
> Still, where you see a little bit of interest, you have to nurture it. That's about all we're obligated to do. It's pretty much like leading a horse to water, and not much beyond that.
>
> Al  W6LX/4
>