[HCARC] Forwarded to HCARC Reflector for Marilyn VordenbaumKE5DDR

Wed Jun 18 14:29:02 EDT 2014

I echo Kerry's and Marilyn's praise of Harvey, Chuck and Mort for their work 
on the club repeater. Though I don't use it much, it's nice to know that 
it's there when you want, or need, to use it.

As to Gary's comments as regards "old hams," being one, I agree.

Yes we need to convince more younger people to get into the hobby, but one 
of the secrets to that is, instilling in them, a love for radio propagation. 
(How and why does it vary from hour to hour, day to day, month to month, 
year to year, wavelength to wavelength, etc? Yes, you can talk to Europe, 
Africa, South America almost anytime on 20 meters, but it's much less 
frequent on 15, 10 or 6 meters. That's why it's more fun on those bands. Why 
does the propagation very so much with the band?  And, it requires bouncing 
signals off the Moon to make overseas contacts on 2 meters and the higher 
VHF and microwave bands. Thus, when one does it on those bands, it's a BIG 
deal and FUN.

Younger people can converse, and even exchange pictures, with other people 
across the world via the Internet, so they don't see it as a big deal (fun) 
to do so via HF ham  radio. But, using the Internet is sort of like talking 
to someone across town on a repeater. It isn't a lot of fun.

Ham radio can only be made exiting to non-hams when they see how marvelous 
it is that  radio signals they generate can traverse great distances and end 
up in unusual places using a band that doesn't often support such 
propagation.

So, while we're encouraging new people, especially younger ones, to obtain 
amateur licenses, let's try to convey to them the magic that is radio, 
including the variability associated with it. It's the variability that 
makes it fun. That's why, talking to someone on a repeater, though it can be 
useful, isn't much fun. Talking to the same places day after day on 40 or 20 
meters doesn't seem like fun to many of us either.

So, yes, get them on HF, but inform them that there a whole different set of 
challenges on 6 meters and the higher bands. And working other amateur 
stations on those bands is FUN.

Yes, ham radio can be FUN. We need to convince new people of that.

Those are my thoughts.

73,

Bill, W3XO
125+ countries on 6 meters, lost track of the number of states on 144, 222 
and 432 MHz.
Holder of one end of the North American DX record on 2304 and 3456 MHz by 
working two different stations in Florida. Yes, I've only done it once, but 
it was FUN then and still is recalling the excitement of making those two 
contacts.

PS:

I had fun working stations during the VHF Contest last Sunday morning in OK 
and AR on 50, 144 and 432 MHz. Tropospheric propagation on those bands is an 
entirely different phenomenon. That's what makes it FUN.

 ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary J - N5BAA" <qltfnish at omniglobal.net>
To: "John K5XA" <k5xa at godfather-ridge.com>; "HCARC Reflector" 
<hcarc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [HCARC] Forwarded to HCARC Reflector for Marilyn 
VordenbaumKE5DDR

> "That’s a bunch for someone his age. At some point in the future, these 
> fellows will not be able to do this type work and I wonder what will 
> happen then. "
>
> All the more reason that we continue to recruit new Hams and more 
> importantly we work to help them advance and retain the interest in Ham 
> Radio.  It is a self fulfilling prophesy that even with the addition of 
> many new Hams (dubious as to how many remain active if our club is an 
> example), the average age of Ham radio operators continues to climb.  The 
> self fulfilling prophesy is that as the old Hams age there won't be 
> sufficient younger Hams to replace them.  Age is the great equalizer - no 
> matter your health - the passing years takes it's toll on all of us and 
> unless younger Hams step up, we will lose radio as a viable service.
>
> To illustrate my point the active "newer-younger" Hams in the club are 
> John H 80's, Chuck 60's, Gary J - 65, Robert Russell 60's, Hank Folk 70's, 
> Terry Hipskind 60's, and Tony Moore (the newest) 65.  There probably isn't 
> a tower climber in the bunch.  The younger Hams (30-40's)  I was in class 
> with 2 years ago aren't active - why???  Kevin Holtan was in the first 
> Preppers class.  He is in his 30's and is still active with the Preppers, 
> but only marginally in Ham Radio.  Why??  I have been working with both he 
> and Tony Moore helping them get their HF equipment and build their 
> stations.  Gale Hiese has been tremendous helping them with equipment too. 
> Here in the Kerrville area if you have to depend on 2M to maintain your 
> radio interest you get discouraged pretty quickly - there isn't anyone to 
> talk to - or better said, few talk and with so few talking it can get 
> pretty boring pretty quickly.  The secret is to get the new Hams on at 
> least 10 meters and hopefully upgraded so they have use of HF.  Another 
> source of generating interest would be to operate the Club Station on a 
> much more frequent basis for the use of the Techs.  These are things we 
> fail to do.
>
> As usual just my .02 cents.
>
> Gary J
> N5BAA
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: John K5XA
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 8:36 AM
> To: HCARC Reflector
> Subject: [HCARC] Forwarded to HCARC Reflector for Marilyn Vordenbaum 
> KE5DDR
>
> From: Marilyn Vordenbaum
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 7:19 AM
> To: Kerry Sandstrom
> Subject: Thank you!
>
> Good Morning Kerry,
>
> I would like to thank you for showing your appreciation on the net to 
> Harvey and the guys for the work they have done at the repeater.  They 
> have worked hard and many long hours to improve the conditions.  Several 
> mornings they were there at 7 o’clock to avoid the heat.  That makes for a 
> very early morning for all, especially Chuck since he comes from a 
> distance.  I’m not real sure the membership of HCARC has any idea of what 
> it takes to maintain the repeater.  One day Chuck climbed the tower three 
> times.  That’s a bunch for someone his age. At some point in the future, 
> these fellows will not be able to do this type work and I wonder what will 
> happen then.  Thanks again for showing your appreciation!
>
> Marilyn KE5DDR
>
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