[HBR] [AWA] Whither SWL'ing...?

Mon Mar 23 11:59:51 EDT 2009

As one who sends in many things on the fringe, I don't think the reflector has put any real restrictions on what we post.  I have sent in a number of articles on the transition to digital TV, some things on amateur radio, a bunch on antique radio, and even enjoyed the BBQ rantings that appear from time to time (I admit to being an instigator!).  I'm sure there are some people who don't like BBQ, except for Texas BBQ, and there have been no adverse comments to these posts.  

I think sometimes we are hard on ourselves about what we post, but generally speaking we stay within some ill-defined boundaries.

With regard to the AWA itself, I don't agree or like some of the things they have done or are doing, but generally speaking I am a happy AWA'er.  I sent a long post out after the last convention lamenting what I considered to be a very poor turn out as compared to past years.  AWA 08 was down from 07 and there is every reason to believe that AWA 09 will be down even more due to the current economic mess, but that is not the AWA's fault.  Back to the long post, I got several in agreement, several disagreed, some saying the conference was a lot more than a flea market, and they are certainly correct about that.  And some constructive things came out of it.  But no one got beat up and I didn't feel I shouldn't have said it.

I also disagreed with the combining of the association and the museum, but they decided otherwise, and they have a lot more experience than I do.  I do think they listen to the members a fair amount of the time, but not always.  Besides the organization cannot be run by 5,000.

Point is, we should be free to express our views and opinions on the reflector and in other ways regarding the AWA, for it is we who are the AWA!  I don't see too many bad guys lurking in the bushes.  Now about that BBQ......................TX, TN or NC?

PS:  I need a chassis for an AK 82 and an AK 90.  Anybody got one?  I will be in Charlotte.  Can hardly wait!!!!

Joe

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paul R. Farmer 
  To: AWA Reflector ; glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu ; amradgear at yahoogroups.com ; boatanchors at mailman.qth.net ; hbr at mailman.qth.net ; novice-rigs at mailman.qth.net ; homebuilttuberadios at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 9:13 AM
  Subject: RE: [AWA] Whither SWL'ing...?

  Hey there Eddy,

  It is interesting and annoying that anything and everything that is NOT HAM should be considered off-topic here. AWA is supposed to be THE ONE, THE ONLY national club for those interested in vintage radio. I take that to mean SWL, pre-broadcast era radio history, commercial broadcast sets and programming, radio industrial design artistry (aka, style and culture), TV, etc., etc., not just Ham and early transistor pocket radios. :o)

  If this is just going to be about early amateur equipment, Ham history, electro-gizmo-technospeak, and Ham this and Ham that through the Bruce K era, then the AWA will be belly-up before the next decade is out. Not kidding; this organization has no legs on nostalgia for boat anchors alone... We are going to sink under the weight of our own boat anchors we don't wake up and pay attention to every little next best thing that came along in radio over the decades. And TV. And audio. And...

  Hi Hi, as we like to say.

  From a Ham who grew to be a lot more than just a Ham,

  Also your pal, and

  Kindest possible regards,

  Yours in electricity,

  73,
  Paul R. Farmer, K3YFQ

  P.S. Now, who's sending me that box of 50 copies of the last issue of the AWA Journal so I can induct 25+ new members to AWA at the next Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club monthly Meeting as I promised? Geoff? Marc? Bruce? Felix? Help!

  To: glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu; AmRadGear at yahoogroups.com; boatanchors at mailman.qth.net; hbr at mailman.qth.net; novice-rigs at mailman.qth.net; homebuilttuberadios at yahoogroups.com; antiquewirelessassociation at yahoogroups.com
  From: gswynar at durham.net
  Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:52:04 -0500
  Subject: [AWA] Whither SWL'ing...?

  Good Day All, 

  At first blush, this subject may be considered to be off-topic...however, ask yourself first if it was casual SWL'ing that originally interested you in radio, eventually leading you up into the Amateur ranks, before hurling flaming spit balls my way...! Hi Hi.

  I've been engaged recently here with the re-alignment & "...playing around" with my old RCA AR-88LF receiver: this has entailed lots of time cruising the short wave spectrum, and as a consequence, getting re-acquainted with the "feel" of the SW broadcast bands --- something that I haven't done since about 1971.

  What a change for the worse the past 38 years have ushered-in! 

  The lack of the "used-to-be" omni-present former big powerhouse stations like HCJB, Radio Deutche-Welle, the BBC, and Radio Canada --- and their informative broadcasts --- is bad enough, but it's the quality of stuff from the U.S.A. that is most shocking: nine out of ten U.S.-based SW BC'ers seem to be dominated by religious themes...and those that aren't are heavily into radical, extremist political rants that shock and amaze even me with their blatant content...

  Whatever happened to the steadying, re-assuring transmissions from The Voice of America...? It is sadly missed!

  What a poor image of America these current stations are presenting to the world, and what a lousy incentive to-day's SWL'ing is to budding, future, wannabe Hams...

  I often ask myself, as I come across this verbal garbage, if the current state of affairs had existed "...way-back-when", would I have become a Ham...? The answer is always, "Probably not."

  ~73~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ

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  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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