On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 11:31:51PM -0700, Phil Karn wrote: > On 07/22/2014 11:05 AM, Robert Bruninga wrote: > > > The value of ham radio is providing communications where other systems > > cannot. And of course, playing with toys just for fun. > > I'd flip that around. With the Internet, mobile phones and other > ubiquitous communications, about the sole reason left for ham radio to > exist is **education**. And playing with toys just for fun is often > quite educational as well. > > Ham radio provides a hands-on opportunity to teach and learn radio (and > electronics) technology, and you still can't find anything like it > anywhere else.
Agreed and this is the primary focus I took when doing up our club brochure. http://www.db.net/~db/oarc_db_brochure.pdf Our future is with the young is education. The idea of sitting in your livingroom talking to people all over the world is something doable with modern technology (even IRC!) not hamradio. This is the wrong approach. > > Emergency communications is still in there somewhere, but in all honesty > I now see it as a distant second. I agree. > > And if one is to teach oneself communications and electronics technology > through ham radio, then ham radio really ought to use something like the > communications and electronics technologies that the outside world is > using today, not just those the world was using 40 years ago. Yes. SSB is a technology the phone company first used and they have moved on to digital. > > --Phil > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb -- Diane -- - d...@freebsd.org d...@db.net http://www.db.net/~db _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
