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  • Re: Repost from FB - Ham Radio Is Dying

    From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Rug Rat on Fri Nov 7 20:37:09 2025
    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)
  • From Rug Rat@1:135/250 to Jason Brady on Thu Nov 20 21:01:54 2025
    On Mon 10-Nov-2025 8:22p, Jason Brady@1:218/910.0 said to Rug Rat:
    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.

    They are out there (Just like there are stations that will try to stop and rag chew during a contest..).. It is just not the norm. I give warning because you hear people all the time how they were put off from ham radio after getting their license and feeling that nobody really wanted to talk to them.

    My response to that may sound a bit odd, but I feel that those people just toss away the hobby because it was not what they expected, are the ones that either got into it for the prepper aspect or like the example above not only believed the marketing but like all endevors had a starry eyed vision that they where going to get their ticket and everyone on on the air would want to talk to them for hours on end and instead of taking the time to find their niche either found the "sad ham theory promoting YouTube channels" and to save themselves the bruised ego belived the probelm is "those old timers.." or put their license aside..

    Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
    Blog and Forums - www.catracing.org
    IMAGE BBS! 3.0 - bbs.catracing.org 6400
    C-Net Amiga BBS - bbs.catracing.org 6840
    --- CNet/5
    * Origin: The Rat's Den BBS (1:135/250)