[Wswss] A WSWSS requiem and postmortem

[Wayne Overbeck]

It's very sad to see the formal WSWSS 
organization disbanded.  I understand 
that Paul has done nothing more than 
turn out the lights--as he had to.

IF the reflector is still operational, 
I would like to say a couple of things 
about this.

One is that WSWSS is certainly not the 
first (nor, sadly, will it be the last) 
amateur radio organization to be disbanded.
It has served an important special interest--
and I hope that special interest can still 
be served by a more informal interest group.

I hope this reflector can be kept online, 
under some other name if necessary.  It has 
become a vital link to keep the west coast 
weak signal community in touch.

I also hope that those who are running nets 
will continue to do so, even if they can't 
use the WSWSS name and call sign.  Those 
nets are important activity boosters.

Perhaps we can still have informal gatherings 
of weak signal enthusiasts in various 
localities.

Weak signal operating in California has 
survived the loss of organizations before.  
Those of us who have been on the VHF bands 
for a while (I first got on in 1957, 50 
years ago) remember other organizations 
that have dropped out of sight.  There was 
the Southern California VHF Radio Club.  
There was the GD Microwave Society.  There 
was the umbrella organization that grew 
from the GD group to host the West Coast 
VHF Conference, rotating between Northern 
and Southern California. 

I hosted the 25th and 28th (I think) West 
Coast VHF Conferences in Santa Barbara--
because no one else wanted to do that task. 
Others put on about 10 more such conferences 
before the last sponsors, the Southern 
California Six Meter Club, walked away in 
frustration after they were inundated by 
criticism (unfairly, in my view).  Soon 
thereafter, the WSWSS emerged and started 
hosting annual conferences.

Why have all of these organizations folded 
while VHF organizations elsewhere have 
continued?  The Mt. Airy Packrats just 
celebrated their 50th anniversary with 
a nice dinner, and the Central States 
VHF Society seems to be doing fine--to 
cite just two examples.  Why can't we 
pull it off in California?  I don't have 
an answer.  Maybe we didn't have the 
right chemistry.  Maybe we have too 
many distractions on the "left coast."  
Maybe some of us just didn't make it 
a high enough priority in our lives.  
Mea culpa.

Maybe we can keep the reflector, the nets 
and some occasional gatherings, with or 
without the official organization.  I hope 
so.

73,
Wayne Overbeck, N6NB
Former vice director, ARRL Southwestern Division


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