This is a message to all who have been in the Ham Radio world for quite some time now.
To those who believe that the future of Ham Radio is dim
I know I might step on some sensitive toes here but the next message needs to be said:
Ham's love blaming "the internet"....
Blaming the internet that people are no longer interested in Ham Radio is equal to saying that there is no more room for Fishing as a hobby because now there are fishmongers and stores where you can buy fish. Or why would you learn how to fly if you can just buy a ticket and take a 747. It is a very very valid comparison but Ham's just don't want to see it. The truth is that Ham's are so used to the fact that they didn't have to promote their hobby, to create an interest for it, that they prefer to blame it on the victim...
Why?
Because just walking in the street with a portable radio used to be enough...
From the early days till the 80's there was no need to promote the hobby, we where so spoiled that the hobby was so exclusive, so eccentric that it was its own advertisement. And so Ham's never learned it. They never really thought about it. But starting the 90's they needed to do like every other hobby has to to get some people: Promote, Publish, Advertise... Short: CREATE the intrest for it.
And Ham's don't know how. Ham's are really bad at promoting their hobby. And I'm not saying I'm necessarily an exception to this, but I do know that new technologies are not to blame. And not until we stop blaming and start doing will our hobby gain the traction it deserves...
So what are we not doing or doing wrong?
Ham's largely try to sell our hobby using logic... But in trying to find arguments why one 'logically' should have interest in our hobby many lead to conclude that "newer technologies are making our hobby obsolete" and thus they simply run out of arguments. So for those Ham's, now You tell me: Whats the logic in collecting Tea Bag Covers? Or Cigar Bands? Or in Carving Egg Shells ? Wearing Star-trek costumes? Or many many more other hobbies... ?
Yes,
hobbies are about PASSION, not logic ...
So how about the next time somebody asks you about our hobby, instead of talking +logically+ about "emergency communication" trying to +proof+ with all kind of +arguments+ why one should therefor be interested in it or promoting "speaking with people from the other side of the world" said with a voice full of doubt where you yourself are wondering whilst saying it why that would matter in an internet world, etc, try trowing in something more like this:
"Ham Radio... ?
You make so many friends and meet so many interesting people you would NEVER meet without this hobby.
And it is intriguing !
And it's a really fulfilling hobby ...
And it's a lot of fun !
Yes, It's really joyful ... I can't explain why... you HAVE to be doing it to know what I'm talking about ...!! "
After all, if the reason is the internet, why are YOU still spending time behind your radio...?