MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 690a182c   
   PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b   
   This is being cross posted from FB (GAG), the comments were "Automatically   
   turned off", so I could not get my 2cents in (Adjusted for inflaction).   
      
   Thought though I would post it here, to drum up same activity and get your   
   take.    
      
   // Begin Copied Text //   
      
   Ham Radio is Dying . not because of the internet, or technology, or .kids   
   these days. . It.s dying because of us .. And before you blame the FCC, the   
   internet, or kids these days, let's be honest ..   
      
   IT'S OUR FAULT.... The repeaters are quiet, the club meetings are empty, and   
   the *SAME* 10 people are running every event ..   
      
   Meanwhile, we spend more time arguing about Baofeng's and Digital modes than   
   actually talking on the air ..   
      
   This is something I've been thinking about for the past 10 months (January   
   2025), and a lot of people do say Ham radio is dying and I tend to agree ..   
   I scan 80+ frequencies across town (daily), and what do I hear... . STATIC.. I   
   run my BF-F8HP PRO in Channel/Scan mode constantly.   
      
   Maybe once a week I'll hear a net .. but it's the same check-ins, the same   
   voices, reading the same old scripts (high blood-pressure, low blood-pressure,   
   no-pressure at all, etc.) ..   
      
   We call ourselves a communication hobby, yet half the time there's no one   
   communicating .....   
      
   From what I hear .., local clubs are losing members faster than they can   
   recruit them .. And when someone does try to spark interest, they're told,   
   "THAT'S NOT REAL HAM RADIO" ..   
      
   This "gatekeeping attitude" of superiority is killing us from the inside out   
   .. Get out of the "old man" mentality and let's welcome some new people into   
   the hobby .. I've had it with the "holier-than-thou" attitudes of old hands ..   
   I'm over it .. We've got to be welcoming to people in this hobby. And there's   
   nothing that sparked me into this this little bit of outrage, but the fact is   
   we've got to do better, folks ..   
      
   We're making mistakes (DRASTIC MISTAKES).... Let's talk about the next   
   generation. Where are they... They're on Discord | They're on Twitch | They're   
   on Tik-Tok | They're on YouTube | They're on Facebook.   
   Building massive communities around gaming and streaming and science,   
   technology, engineering, and math (STEM) .. They're not afraid of technology   
   (they live in it) ..   
      
   And yet, we can't seem to show them how Ham radio is technology .. Instead,   
   we'll tell them it's too expensive, too complicated, or they'll need to earn   
   it like they did in the 1980's. I laugh when they call 2m the Ham-walky   
   channel ..   
      
   Then we wonder why they never come back .. And let's be real, leadership   
   hasn't really helped .. The ARRL, the organization that's *SUPPOSED* to   
   protect and promote the Amateur radio hobby (still feels like it's stuck in   
   1995) .. The magazine has pretty much disappeared .. Yes, you can get it on   
   your iPad/Tablet, but it's pretty much disappeared .. Programs are   
   disappearing and the outreach just isn't connecting with modern day audiences   
   ..   
   I feel like Rush Limbaugh right now .. We've just got to have a heart-to-heart   
   about this folks, and understand where our problems are as a hobby ..   
      
   /// End copied text ///   
      
   Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)   
   Blog and Forums  - www.catracing.org   
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   --- CNet/5   
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