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)
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Re: Repost from FB - Ham Radio Is Dying
By: Rug Rat to All on Tue Nov 04 2025 09:13:46

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).

So why didn't you give your two cents here, otherwise, why post this?
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Rug Rat wrote to All <=-

Ham Radio is Dying

I strongly disagree and he OP is overgeneralizing.

My ham club, Northeaat Tennessee Radio Community, has been growing by
leaps and bounds since we founded it August 2024. We've already had a
very successful hamfest; we have 2 meter, 440, 220, and 900 mhz
repeaters up; every time we test we have 4-10 people and many new hams
join the club; we have been demonstrating ham radio successfully to our
BSA council at Camp Davy Crockett and it's been so successful they are
setting up a ham shack there, plus we work closely with three counties'
EMAs.

That person is ignorant.

I think he's a Technician because he doesn't mention being on HF, just
whining about repeaters and such.

-- Sean KS4TD

... Next to the dog, the wastebasket is a man's best friend.
--- MultiMail/Win
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)

Rug Rat wrote to All <=-

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 ..

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. :-)

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.

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. :-)

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" ..

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.

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 ..

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!

/// 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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I intended to give my 2 cents in a reply, and got side tracked, then decided to wait until others responded....

Picky... Picky....

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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On Tue 4-Nov-2025 9:13a, Rug Rat wrote:

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 ..

1) I have been hearing "Ham radio is dying, since becoming licensed in 1996
and I am sure this has been going on long since I have became licensed. For the most part I turn a deaf ear.


2) Thats depends on your geography, in SoCal this is not the case (Though one2 of the things I miss about SoCal, is the wide area coverage repeaters 6 - 7k mountains will give you.). I will admit in the Florida panhandle this is the case. I have had more QSOs either on SIMPLEX (My Echolink node via the EastCoast Reflector, or .520). It is what it is, though that just gives me more reason to get on HF.

Meanwhile, we spend more time arguing about Baofeng's and Digital modes than actually talking on the air ..

Where are we arguing, if it is on the air (especially your local repeater), that kind of negates your first argument. What are these arguments about?

1) That some Baofeng models have issues that cause spurrious emissions at best in band, or worse out of band? Either way, that should cause you concern as a radio amateur.

2) That people openly discuss operating the radio outside the amateur bands in bands that require type acceptance? Yes, I know people do it. Yes, I know it has been going on long before Baofeng entered the picture (Using a mobile or handheld radio on VHF Marine or Maritime HF because a second rig would take up too much space.). That doesn't make it legal, and people should definately not be encouraging new hams to do this. If you have a GMRS license, great, just don't use amateur gear to use it.

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.) ..

So get on another net. The East Coast Reflector runs some great nets, such as the Morning Brew, Tech Net, Youth Net (Which is a great way to promote amateur radio to young people). Get your younger family members involved. 3rd party traffic is not only allowed but ENCOURAGED (Which will make this post entirely superfluous.), and my favorite Trivia Net. Ham radio has always been what YOU make of it.

We call ourselves a communication hobby, yet half the time there's no one communicating .....

You obviously do not have any VOIP nodes or repeaters in your area, nor on HF. Again the hobby is what YOU make it, and the amount of effort you put into it.

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" ..

Not sure how, "That is not REAL ham radio" has anything to do with club membership or activity.

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 ..

"Gatekeeping" another overused phrase to validate any argument. Right up there with "Sad Ham", "Fanboy" "Mysoginyst", and "Narcacist". What exactly do you mean? Are you advocating making amateur radio an unlicensed service? That will kill the hobby faster than anything. If you think about the privledge and responsibility we have of the myriad of bands we are allocated, and how close we to other critical commercial bands, Public Service, Navagation, commercial broadcast. We are one of the few radio services that are allowed to build out own equipment, modify and repair our own equipment, not have to submit said equipment for costly and time consuming type acceptance, etc. If you opened it for everyone without licensing the chances of losing swaths of frequencies, and being able to experiment go away.

Are you talking about feeling butt hurt because someone who has had more experience in the hobby corrects you? Get over it, a ham licnese is a license to learn. Someone usually always have a different oppinion than you, you complain we aren't communicating, but part of interpersonal communication is the abbility to listen. In any facet of life you will have people who will brush you off, if someone at a club meeting or convention gives you the cold shoulder, likes Kenwood Vs. Yaesu, or tells you that you are not a real ham because you have a BatFang, go find someone who does.

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 ..

"Radar service terminated. Switch to Unicom 128.500, G-day.". While the numbers might not be GREAT, people are getting licensed everyday. You won't be missed. Sorry you want to believe otherwise.

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) ..

While we are making mistakes recruiting people comparing it to onther technologies, the mistake is not what you are using as an example, and this comes more from people who couldn't sell an iglo to an Eskimo in positions to promote the hobby. I applaud the effort, I understand it is hard to get people to volunteer their time to go to events. Or like me, really hates talking to people who are not already in the circle of what I am talking about. It's why I am not in sales.

I however cringe going to the fair, and hearing someone trying to entice people to get into the hobby by saying, "Do you have a cell phone? You have a radio right in your pocket..". If I had no interest in the hobby, or know nothing about ham radio. Telling me I already have something that will do what you are trying to demonstrate. I will most likely stop listening as I already have it, and it has more features than what you are trying to sell me.
Again, I applaud the effort, and it would take a lot to get me to take their place, but UGGGH...

The other part of the argument is useless. as social media is a terrible place to learn physical electrical or RF enginnering. Sorry, there just is not much hands on practical education in SOFTWARE. Even with Software Defined Radio, the only experience you may learn is user interface design. STEM and MATH? How do you get that from Discord, Tik Tok, or Facebook? Sure, it takes numbers away because you can effortly talk to people around the world, but ham radio is so much more.

Anyway, that is my 2 cents.... Sorry for it taking so long, but I did get back to it..

and, thank you for your thoughtful reply Sean.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Speaking of repeaters...

I was thinking it funny and ironic, that when I lived in SoCal, all of the action was on the repeaters, and at the time some of the 70cm and 220 repeaters had some pretty cool toys. Like HF remote bases, etc. Sadly those went away when the control operators of those remote bases passed away and there was no plan within the repeater group / club to take up the torch to relocate or recreate the systems at their QTH. Except for LA and a few nets, you never heard traffic on simplex. I went 20+ years without ever having a QSO on .520.

Since moving to the Florida panhandle, I have had 2 QSOs on .520.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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On Thu 6-Nov-2025 6:32a, Jimmy Anderson@1:105/7.0 said to Rug Rat:

Yep! If someone has no interest, they have no interest. I have no interest in contesting, but I'll be happy to answer POTA CQ's once I get an HF
rig, because I like to TALK TO PEOPLE. :-) Heck - it's what got me
into BBS's years ago - the nets!

You might be a bit disapointed then with POTA, as the majority of the contacts with POTA operators are very contestest like, in that they are out there to make as many contacts as possible within the time of their activation. At the same time there are a lot of people waiting to make contact with them. Very rarely will they take the time to "TALK TO YOU"... It is exchange contact information, and off to the next station. The majority of DX is like that is well. That is not to say I have not had longer QSO with either, but it is not the norm.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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On Thu 6-Nov-2025 6:32a, Jimmy Anderson@1:105/7.0 said to Rug Rat:

You might be a bit disapointed then with POTA, as the majority of the contacts with POTA operators are very contestest like, in that they are out there to make as many contacts as possible within the time of their activation. At the same time there are a lot of people waiting to make contact with them. Very rarely will they take the time to "TALK TO YOU"... It is exchange contact information, and off to the next station. The majority of DX is like that is well. That is not to say I have not had longer QSO with either, but it is not the norm.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Brent, While reading your post I thought about one Field Day just after I got home from being in the Navy .

I served as a Radioman, anyway at the FD site I sit next to a OT CW OPR doing the Dupe Log.
After some time where he was asured I was copying Calls as well as he heard them and letting him know if the station wasn't a dupe he got to where he didn't ask me if the station calling CQ FD had ben worked or not.
He accepted my assistance
Some years later I heard him talking on 75M phone about needing a variable capacitor out of an old AM radio.
I had one in my junk box and broke in to the QSO and told him so and where I lived.
He came by ,got the junk radio , chewed the fat a bit and went on his way.
One hams junk was another hams treasure
73 de Ed W9ODR . .
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Rug Rat wrote to Jimmy Anderson <=-

You might be a bit disapointed then with POTA, as the majority of the contacts with POTA operators are very contestest like, in that they are out there to make as many contacts as possible within the time of their activation. At the same time there are a lot of people waiting to make contact with them. Very rarely will they take the time to "TALK TO YOU"... It is exchange contact information, and off to the next
station. The majority of DX is like that is well. That is not to say
I have not had longer QSO with either, but it is not the norm.

I second this. POTA is not for ragchewing; it is very much like a
contest to get as many contacts within the time you are activating a
park for POTA.

I have an ICOM IC-706MKII and a BuddiPole tat I may connect to my
mobility scooter as it has two 12 volt, 60 amp batteries I could tap
into to run a low-power mobile station I can use to activate a few parks
here in town once spring comes.

Back to the original point, yeah, you'd have better luck with a ragchew
by just calling CQ.

-- Sean KD4TD

... We now return to our regularly scheduled flamethrowing.
--- MultiMail/Win
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)

Hello Brent,

>> You might be a bit disapointed then with POTA...

Points taken regarding the contest-like characteristics of the program, but I have encountered a number of POTA and SOTA operators who will chat a bit during QSOs.

That is more my style. As an activator, keep it relaxed, fun and interactive. As long as I make at least 10 QSOs it's all good.

When hunting I adjust to the operator's style. If they are rapid-fire I respond in kind; if they want to chat a bit I'll do that too.

POTA inspired me to earn my General ticket as most of the action tends to be on the 20 meter band. For me, it's a lot of fun and very enjoyable.

73,
Jason KO6IOJ

--- FMMS / OpenVMS AXP 8.4-2L1
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