TZUTC: -0800   
   MSGID: 674.fido_ham@1:105/7 2d71574c   
   REPLY: 1:135/250@fidonet 690a182c   
   PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/76f469f66 Nov 04 2025 GCC 13.3.0   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.31-Linux master/76f469f66 Nov 04 2025 GCC 13.3.0   
   BBSID: DIGDIST   
   CHRS: CP437 2   
   FORMAT: flowed   
   -=> Rug Rat wrote to All <=-   
      
    RR> Thought though I would post it here, to drum up same activity and get   
    RR> your take.   
      
    RR> // Begin Copied Text //   
      
    RR> Ham Radio is Dying . not because of the internet, or technology, or   
    RR> .kids these days. . It.s dying because of us .. And before you blame   
    RR> the FCC, the internet, or kids these days, let's be honest ..   
      
    RR> IT'S OUR FAULT.... The repeaters are quiet, the club meetings are   
    RR> empty, and the *SAME* 10 people are running every event ..   
      
    RR> Meanwhile, we spend more time arguing about Baofeng's and Digital modes   
    RR> than actually talking on the air ..   
      
   Not the first time I've seen/heard similar, and it's true. I was    
   talking to a friend yesterday about VHF vs HF, and we were talking   
   about the local repeaters being 'dead.' He commented that there   
   are way more repeaters than users in this area. :-)   
      
    RR> This is something I've been thinking about for the past 10 months   
    RR> (January 2025), and a lot of people do say Ham radio is dying and I   
    RR> tend to agree .. I scan 80+ frequencies across town (daily), and what   
    RR> do I hear... . STATIC.. I run my BF-F8HP PRO in Channel/Scan mode   
    RR> constantly.   
      
   I scan while I'm in the truck. I will say that I talked to a friend   
   on the way to work and another friend on the way to church. :-)    
      
    RR> From what I hear .., local clubs are losing members faster than they   
    RR> can recruit them .. And when someone does try to spark interest,   
    RR> they're told, "THAT'S NOT REAL HAM RADIO" ..   
      
   I personally don't attend the meetings because I have a lot of   
   stuff going on... Church takes a lot of time, plus 'stuff around   
   the house' - etc.    
      
    RR> We're making mistakes (DRASTIC MISTAKES).... Let's talk about the next   
    RR> generation. Where are they... They're on Discord | They're on Twitch |   
    RR> They're on Tik-Tok | They're on YouTube | They're on Facebook. Building   
    RR> massive communities around gaming and streaming and science,   
    RR> technology, engineering, and math (STEM) .. They're not afraid of   
    RR> technology (they live in it) ..   
      
    RR> And yet, we can't seem to show them how Ham radio is technology ..   
    RR> Instead, we'll tell them it's too expensive, too complicated, or   
    RR> they'll need to earn it like they did in the 1980's. I laugh when they   
    RR> call 2m the Ham-walky channel ..   
      
   I think things like introducing to scouts to it is a good way to   
   go.    
      
   We were talking about this in church tonight too - that 'bringing in   
   the youth' is the future, but that's not nessasarily just the youngest   
   ones. So maybe this 'good attitude' that should be proffered in   
   the HAM community is not just for the 'younguns' but for ANYONE   
   of ANY age that is interested!   
      
    RR> /// End copied text ///   
      
   So what are your personal thoughts?   
      
      
      
   ... I just bought a cured ham...wonder what it had...   
   --- MultiMail/Mac v0.52   
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