[FADCA] All The Above

[bud thompson]

Subject changed from
Re: [FADCA] Anyone want to take exception to this?

NICK KF4BTA SAID:
"As probably the youngest ham on here at 24 and after about a two year
absence from  amateur radio and packet, the biggest draw for me IS the
ability to help out in an emergency, followed by the fun of just playing
with new technology and ideas.  Like the coolness factor of tracking on APRS
or the idea future high speed digital links, if it wasn't for some of these
new technologies and services being brought online then I don't think I
would have gotten back involved in amateur radio.  Sure, I look forward to
upgrading and doing some CW work and operating the existing modes, but at
least for people my age, just being able to talk over a radio to someone
across the country or typing at a command prompt isn't going to raise much
excitement. "

First, I want to thank Nick for his youthful insight.  Nick has got
to be the youngest among us and is quite perceptive - also has a lot to
offer us as food for thought.

All the reasons espoused by several for our problems are contributory -

Not everyone is in love with Winlink
No one using BBS except to be sure the links are working
Politics
Egos
Bickering and infighting
Demeaning a technology or application of technology
Aging Ham Population
Fighting over 30 to 90 year old technologies instead of keeping up with the
times....
Leadership/lack thereof
Interest/lack thereof in ARES- "no darn indians"
Relatively low percentage of active hams vs. licensees

Therefore "All the above" applies.

The one thing that is far more apparent to me but is seems some refuse to
recognize-

I just don't know where all these packet users are that don't like WL2K and
therefore are not using it.

I just don't know where all these packet users are that are or not using BBS
and may be against WL2K or ARES - or for or againist anything - for what
ever reason.

I just don't know where all these packet users are that are calling CQ on
distant nodes for entertainment.

There is not a huge packet user base out there to do anything or to not do
anything!  Is there anyone who doesn't understand that - or am I missing
something?

While my main interest is EMCOMMs, I don't give a damn what the users do
on/with the network as long as it is legal;  it is an open system - the more
users the merrier.  The more users there are the greater the number of
people will support EMCOMMs, though certainly not all of them. The converse
is also true - I've said it before - if/when we have a mad rush by ARES
folks to packet for E-mail using WL2K that will not guarantee a large number
of packet users in the same sense as the 1990s.  I hope it does - more
fun and more people to bitch when a link is down so we can keep the links up
with less downtime.

Bill West said:
" The average Amateur looks to Amateur Radio for
ENTERTAINMENT.  APRS is entertaining.  BBSing and
roundtables is entertaining. Calling CQ on a distant
node is entertaining. . . ."

I ask this: How many hams in Florida have called CQ on a distant node in the
past five years on vhf/uhf?  (Don't even answer this unless you have 50-
that's only 10/year!)

In most of our areas, the active LANS can't link to more than two or three
LANS away because we still have holes in the network.  Maybe I'm missing
something, but in the time I've been in Volusia County (almost 8 years) I
don't think I've known of more than a total of 20 hams who have been on vhf
packet (non APRS) in the five counties around me - and not all of those over
the same period of months - they come and go.

I took my FBB BBS down two years ago this December and no one has
complained.  The N4GMU BBS has been down for more than 18 months and I've
not heard of anyone complaining.

This is why I say- "If you build it they will come" - so I keep promoting
refurbishing/expanding the network.  You may say 'BS" they will not come,
and that may be true.

But there is a more certain proposition:
If you don't build it , they certainly will not come - there will be no
activity at all.

So, I suggest this thread be closed down soon and we find more positive ways
to get things moving along for more packet operation throughout the state -
what ever the users' purpose.

bud N0IA
386 574 4124