On Feb 27, 2:29�pm, Leo wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 17:44:22 -0800, "
wrote:
From: Leo on Mon, Feb 26 2007 3:38 pm
wrote:
From: Leo on Sun, Feb 25 2007 10:57 am
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:15:28 -0500, Leo wrote:

* I disagree a bit based on my observations in one corner of
* a large urban area of the southwestern USA. *The interest
* of newbies here seems to be for the Technician class.
* Given an urban population of roughly 8 million in a 120 by
* 60 mile area, VHF and up works out very well for contacts
* that they can actually meet in-person. *Of course, the
* Greater L.A. Area is one where the auto rules what
* happens and that may not apply to other USA locations.
* Again, by direct observation, Techs seem to be younger in
* age than the other classes (discounting Novice) and prefer
* the company of those nearer their own age. *One could see
* the same thing two decades ago on the "social" BBSs (those
* that had regular in-person gatherings of members). *The
* "age" group is NOT necessarily just chronological...those
* who are bright, lively, alert, flexible with differing
* mores and opinions have a "younger" mental age.

Interesting perspective - I hadn't thought of that!

There's a parallel with the Clubs...usually a bit more than
fraternalism...some actually interested in learning about
new things. In my observation of the local scene, the old
Lockheed ARC tended to be a general downer...mostly
because the members were employed by Lockheed (in
Burbank, CA) and rather 'disturbed' because Lockheed
was abandoning Burbank, its home since the 1930s.

Several other ARCs in this area are of better attitudes
and actually go out and DO things...besides Field Day
and the "official" things. :-)

Think also of how the individual practices his/her amateur
radio: One control operator alone, connected only by some
electromagnetic thread to other similar creatures, also alone
in their "ham shack." In one way that is a "lonely" hobby
whose social intercourse is limited to reading about it. In
the beginning of BBSs it was that way with personal
computer users. Until some more aggressive BBS owners
got busy and had Gatherings of subscribers on a regular
basis. Those of us who went to those things got a MUCH
greater connection to their personnas on the screen and
could now communicate more comfortably with others.
The same is true of hams who go regularly to ARCs and
speak with others in-person; one can hear that on their
radio communications indicating a familiarity beyond the
usual formality of strangers.

* The stodgy olde-tymer will take umbrage to that since
* they maintain They are bright, lively, etc., but they
* overlook the fact that They are holding to thoughts of
* a bygone era, three to four decades ago when They were
* chronologically young. *Social mores CHANGE and They
* can't always adapt to that, preferring the company of
* those with like minds (or 'hive minds').

A favourite quote on that subject:

"A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a
conformist." *~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Good one! I'm tempted to laminate that and carry it in my
wallet!

73s, Len

From: Leo on Tues, Feb 27 2007 5:29 pm

On 26 Feb 2007 17:44:22 -0800, wrote:
From: Leo on Mon, Feb 26 2007 3:38 pm
wrote:
From: Leo on Sun, Feb 25 2007 10:57 am

...continued

After this correction, it should level off -
then it's dead guys and decreases for the forseeable future, unless
the younger members of society get r-e-a-l-l-y bored with the
Internet, cellphones, text messaging and IM!

I agree with the "dead guys and decreases." I don't
quite agree with the others. Yes, the Internet and
cell phone has become the new phenomenon of NOW. Folks
of now ARE affluent enough to afford cell phones and
unlimited-service 'Net accounts. NOW is NOT the
wind-coils-on-round-oatmeal-containers style of pre-
WW2 times or futzing with "crystal sets" and pi-net
two-tube MOPAs in the "most economical manner."
NOW is NOT the 1960s or the 1950s with attendant
monetary values.

Good point.

Sigh...I just wish some of the article writers and,
especially, the EDITORS, would GET WITH IT. :-(

A two-transistor transmitter is cute in a tuna can
but, good grief, what is to be gained by it besides
a momentary novelty.

The USA pushed a "radio panic button" with 11m CB back
in 1958.

Thanks for saying 11m!

Hmmm...let's face it, that little sliver of a band was
underutilized at the time. shrug

I doubt that anyone in North America could have
predicted the onslaught of offshore CB sets a
decade later. No evidence of it...outside some
"knowitall" claims much, much later. :-(


Amateur radio CAN help that DESIRE to communicate. But,
it will just shoot itself down if it stays mired in
what was "gee-whiz technology" four decades ago...or the
competition to collect as much wallpaper as possible
(which isn't real communication, just an odd contest).
Amateur radio just can't get anywhere if all the
cheering sections just spend all their time giving each
other high-fives on "how good we are" or "we are the
pioneers of radio" (very, very past tense). Self-
praise is something done here in moom pitchas (see
Sunday's Oscar Awards). The difference is that the
motion picture industry THRIVES on publicity; amateur
radio publicity outside of itself is almost nil.

On that point we agree completely.

OK.

I thought it interesting to mention the first sign of
the 23 Feb changeover appeared on this morning's tally
of class totals at www.hamdata.com:

No-code-test Technician class totals DROPPED by 165
between 26th and 27th, now down to 311,801. The
General class here GAINED a sudden 248 (!) to reach
142,299. Extra class also gained by 74 to make it
111,574. Considering all the others but Clubs (gained
4), LOST numbers, that certainly seems to point to
Techs upgrading and some newbies (maybe) coming in
to the middle and high class licenses.

For the first time in a lonnnng while, the individual
licensee grand total spiked upward by 94 from the 26th
to hit 711,526 on the 27th. Not a biggie and may turn
out to be a statistical anomaly. On the other hand,
it could be the first batch of exams making it through
the VEC-FCC processing. We'll have to keep watching.

We will also be treated to Micollis Tesla saying "he
predicted it all along" or words to that effect. :-)

73s, LA