Enjoy Your Radio, Enjoy the Stories & Never be Discouraged

Hiya All,

I do hope you're keeping well and enjoying your radio pursuits.  


I love nothing more than hearing the stories of how someone started their radio journeys, what equipment they had, how they went about it and even recollections of their adventures or early QSO's. (We often have great postings on the forum covering such as well as heard on air.)

Some of the greatest stories are ones that recollect bygone years such as how you managed to obtain early (and then illegal!) CB radios or involved yourself in PMR pursuits and even the hoops that had to be jumped (and still are) in obtaining an Amateur Radio licence.


The latter I find very interesting especially tales of yore such as the "Had to get a lift on the back of my mates BSA to report to the 'Ships Radio Inspectors Office' at Princes Dock, Hull to do my Morse test and get my full 'A' licence to enjoy HF". Brilliant stories but sometimes it can often all go too far.....

Nowadays in an attempt to save the radio hobby and fill the HF airwaves once more they allow such privileges to even 'Foundation' holders and that doesn't take away the 'magic' of such radio operations. Maybe some of the old-timers feel somehow 'cheated' by such changes but then again when the Morse requirements were dropped many class 'B' licence holders gained automatic HF privileges too. (The old G1, G7, G8 call signs and even the M1's.)

So when you hear the exclamations or so called 'banter' of how new Amateur Radio licence holders obtained theirs free in a packet of crisps or breakfast cereal box you might feel a bit disheartened should you fall into that latter group. Don't be, even when you hear the tales of 'City & Guilds London' RAE stuff often in a derogatory manner to new licence holders take it much as I often do now as misplaced tales from the past.

Stories of climbing uphill in driving snow, bare foot, to report for your Morse test as well as building your first transmitter from broken sticks found in the forest are obviously exaggerations often used to big-themselves-up for some weird reason.

The same goes for the 23 channel CB 'boys', flocking to airport sites for 'eyeballs' whilst avoiding the eyes of the law or those that marched for CB legislation and then got lumped with 27/81 but still avoided 'Buzby' as well as the licence fee. They are no better than the CB enthusiasts of today and you don't actually owe them anything no matter how misplaced their ideals are.

So when I hear such yarns quoted on air or elsewhere a picture immediately comes to mind and might also give away the fact that I too am an old fart (but a less grouchy one )......



The very funny, very classic and still comedically works despite it's vintage "Four Yorkshiremen".


If you're one of the aforementioned story-tellers with the, "But you try and tell the young people today that....and they won't believe ya", just stop for a moment and picture the above image in your head. Yep, quite comedic really.

There's also the tales that'll remind some of Tony Hancock's "The Radio Ham" especially with the exclamations of "I've been a Radio Ham for forty years passing my exam back in 19-clickety-click" often used of why they're a better Ham than you'll ever be. Often they miss out the "Sold up and came back to it 28 years later" line though.


If you're in the privileged position of owning and operating a radio setup (no matter what it is) to chat to fellow enthusiasts on the air then count it all as a fortunate blessing. We number in the few in all reality and should engender a warm welcome to all that join in.

Enjoy your radio pursuits no matter what and for some, take such disconcerting eventualities at face value and smile a little smile.


All the best,
Victor

So true, nice one Victor

I admire your optimistic outlook.

However despite being a ham it never equaled the excitement of early 11m SSB side banding for myself. Even though I have made contacts of much greater distance and difficulty, note distance not necessarily meaning difficult. Aus and NZ being easy for the most part due to the geographic/ atmospheric phenomena that make it an easier path than many from UK. (Chordal hop/Antipodal focusing etc.)

Radio cannot be everything for all people. It is one thing that you can go in and out of at whatever depth and area of interest you wish.

The trouble I have always had with it is beyond putting your best set up on the air it is about luck at the end of the day. That is both its beauty and its annoyance for myself personally.

You can sicken yourself of it if overdone, so be aware of that and go steady.

Since being a ham all mysteries are dispelled, other than moment to moment conditions. We are all broadly older people and so life itself become somewhat doing the same things over and again and the edge gets taken off things.

These days I tend to wait and do some radio when I really have the urge, this stops the boredom through routine creeping in.

So yes of course enjoy your radio endeavours but try not to wear the fun out too fast.

Once you have the basics, in terms of prop, rudimentary yet well set up antennas - wires not beams. Beams are like shooting fish in a barrel for me.  it's actually very difficult not to make 100's of contacts easily with SSB phone. And there lies the tricky part as it is actually almost too easy and that removes the challenge from it.

Especially in the next 3 years as we reach the peak of the cycle. The good thing is that it gives less than optimal set ups to make more contacts more frequently.