QST, CQ.... Do we need printed copy? Don't be shy!
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:40 am
Ham radio needs printed periodical publications for the world. (Yes, I use digital copy too.)
The public needs us, the people who communicate where the internet and cellphone are either not practical or unavailable. Disasters, natural catastrophes, even outdoor public events -particularly in rural areas where cell and internet are less reliable or not available at all, all call on the services of Amateur radio. There is no other group with the size and expertise of Amateur radio.
Receiving a FEMA "I Am Safe" message is a life-changing event for all concerned. Could you send such a message? Hint- you'll need to get up to speed with Winlink and FEMA message formats. I highly recommend that you look out local instruction sessions and learn. It's a lot of fun, and only a little time, and gives a comforting sense that when needed, I can now actually help. Wow!
Such help often goes unused, because It is not generally known what Amateur radio does. Believe me: ask a neighbor and see the horrifying answers you get. "Granddad used to do something with radio", "That's, CB isn't it?" You will soon discover that not only do people not know anything about what Amateur Radio offers, they don't even know it exists today. So, you can't really blame them for not using our services when much can be offered. We didn't tell them.
Tell people what we do. Why it's fun. When we meet for a meal or a coffee in a public place, put a little sign on the table: "ABC Radio Club. Ask us about Amateur Radio." When is the last time you saw a bumper sticker inviting a conversation about Amateur Radio? Ever see a copy of QST in a waiting room?
Ham radio is like a language, a living means for communication, always just one generation from extinction. Unless we pass it on to the next.
The future is bright, only if we make it so. Do your bit. Get off your duff and spread the word that Ham radio is fun, useful, even life-saving. Invite interested people to the club. Not just old farts like me, but everyone, young and old, genders, colors, cultures, the mix of the world... What a QSO!
ARRL has begun to charge $25 a year for printed copy. (Digital remains free with membership.) Subscribers and others are shrieking complaints of intolerable expense, some $2 a month. The same people who own stations costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars. So it comes down to "Do we need a $2 printed copy that can be read by Hams and most importantly, the next Hams?" I think we very much do. Here's why:
The public needs us, the people who communicate where the internet and cellphone are either not practical or unavailable. Disasters, natural catastrophes, even outdoor public events -particularly in rural areas where cell and internet are less reliable or not available at all, all call on the services of Amateur radio. There is no other group with the size and expertise of Amateur radio.
Receiving a FEMA "I Am Safe" message is a life-changing event for all concerned. Could you send such a message? Hint- you'll need to get up to speed with Winlink and FEMA message formats. I highly recommend that you look out local instruction sessions and learn. It's a lot of fun, and only a little time, and gives a comforting sense that when needed, I can now actually help. Wow!
Such help often goes unused, because It is not generally known what Amateur radio does. Believe me: ask a neighbor and see the horrifying answers you get. "Granddad used to do something with radio", "That's, CB isn't it?" You will soon discover that not only do people not know anything about what Amateur Radio offers, they don't even know it exists today. So, you can't really blame them for not using our services when much can be offered. We didn't tell them.
Tell people what we do. Why it's fun. When we meet for a meal or a coffee in a public place, put a little sign on the table: "ABC Radio Club. Ask us about Amateur Radio." When is the last time you saw a bumper sticker inviting a conversation about Amateur Radio? Ever see a copy of QST in a waiting room?
Ham radio is like a language, a living means for communication, always just one generation from extinction. Unless we pass it on to the next.
The future is bright, only if we make it so. Do your bit. Get off your duff and spread the word that Ham radio is fun, useful, even life-saving. Invite interested people to the club. Not just old farts like me, but everyone, young and old, genders, colors, cultures, the mix of the world... What a QSO!