[QCWA] Who IS an active QCWA member on-the-air

[Vic Culver]

Gentlepersons:  Some of our hard working committee people are actively 
engaged in planning activities, events, and whatever that will provide 
support for our QCWA Chapters and help them to become more active and 
vibrant among the various amateur radio activities that we all read/hear 
about in the course of our daily lives.  One seldom hears QCWA mentioned 
as part of those activities and events, however.  Your QCWA officers and 
committee members would like to turn that around and see bright sparks 
of recognition in eye and face when QCWA is mentioned as a part of the 
ongoing practice of amateur radio.  One discussion involved what was to 
be considered a period of time to characterize on-the-air 'activity.'  
One suggestion was that one could claim to be active if one were to get 
on the air once every six months!

I am appalled to think that we might define an 'ACTIVE' amateur radio 
operator as one who has been on the air ONCE in the past six months!!!  
What is THAT all about! Hey, I'm almost as old as many of our older 
members and I have other issues counting against me, but I get the 
heebie-jeebies if more than a day or two goes by that I'm not on the air 
doing something -- DXing, Contesting, HF/VHF Nets, AFMARS service nets, 
Award chasing -- you name it.

That may be a gross over-investment in one activity by many/most amateur 
standards, but only once on the air in 6 months will ruin your radio!!  
It needs to be exercised more than that to burn out the humidity and 
keep the capacitors formed!  My radio and my 'work' computer are on each 
arm (leg, if you choose) of an L-shaped desk arrangement.  When I turn 
the computer on to start working on a bunch of stuff and while it is 
waking itself up I also wake up the radio - set the antenna, check 
activity on a DX Telnet informer, tune the radio to a promising band 
possibility, and then go to 'work.'  If something either I want or need 
for an award comes up, an alarm lets me know about it.  Or during 
periods of reflection I may swivel around and tune the band, check my 
LoTW downloads, or follow-up on a Club Log QSL possibility, i.e., when 
WILL that gentleman in North Dakota confirm our 80M CW QSO so I can 
close out a prestigious award?  When I need to return to 'work' I turn 
back to the confuser and resume 'work' there.  I enclose the word 'work' 
in quotes because actually I've been retired for over 16 years!  But I 
find things to do; sometimes things that need doing find me.

Well OK, it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars!  And it makes 
me productive.  And it keeps my interest up, and it really widens my 
perspective in so many ways.  It makes me curious about things and I 
have to read books to fill up that part of my deep gap in knowledge.  It 
keeps me in touch with some other QCWA members who are also active and 
with great friends who have come along as part of my QCWA amateur radio 
life.  Together we explore possibilities and think about things that we 
will probably never do, but the planning is exciting and .... well.... 
maybe someday we will act out those thoughts.

On the air once in 6 months?  Are we talking about people  here who have 
an amateur radio heritage to keep alive?  Are we talking about people 
with active minds and imaginations?  Some of our younger members 
probably have jobs to keep them occupied, and families to draw on what 
other time remains.  But even so -- a commitment of one hour a week 
shouldn't stress too many systems. A QCWA net, HF and/or VHF, would 
serve to keep the group together, build depth in relationships, burn the 
humidity out of a radio, and help to keep this great amateur radio 
tradition alive.  And all that can frame a new reality if only our QCWA 
members would stand up and exercise their privileges and responsibility 
to our grand avocation, and to QCWA.

Talk about WIN - WIN!  Just go do it.  Vic, W4VIC