Is 2 meter and other bands all dead all the time?

[Rwb]

Sorry to hear that.
I took my Technician test in a small neighboring town. It was sponsored by the local ham club and held in a church fellowship hall. From the moment I nervously walked in, I was treated like a long lost friend and made to feel at home. I loved the experience and returned there for both my General and Extra.

There are two sides to very coin.

yes i agree.my wife said she was getting the get lost feeling and so were i.im easy going but if im given the cold shoulder im out of this.never stayed where i feel unwelcome.
Oddly i attend a gun show n very very few act like they did at the hamfest.then short time back anther person i know thats a ham gave me a cold shoulder when i asked him about getting a ham license.
If we keep getting treated like this,ham will spirle down the tubes n die its own death.sad to say it but if new people get a cold shoulder why would they become a ham?gdt license n nobody will talk to you nope not good

 

[Riverman]

yes i agree.my wife said she was getting the get lost feeling and so were i.im easy going but if im given the cold shoulder im out of this.never stayed where i feel unwelcome.
Oddly i attend a gun show n very very few act like they did at the hamfest.then short time back anther person i know thats a ham gave me a cold shoulder when i asked him about getting a ham license.
If we keep getting treated like this,ham will spirle down the tubes n die its own death.sad to say it but if new people get a cold shoulder why would they become a ham?gdt license n nobody will talk to you nope not good

Rwb, I really think you've just been unlucky. So far, you've come up tails. But if you flip that coin a few more times, I think you'll find 7 times out of ten it'll be heads. Maybe 8.
There are a LOT of very nice and helpful hams out there in person and on the air. And on this site.
Hang in there.

 

[Rwb]

My wife said no .i usually dont agree but today i do.hope i find a buyer.nice radio n extras ,sell it n walk off.knowing my luck i got a dead pig in the poke

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

FWIW being treated like claimed is usually of how one presents oneself whether done consciously or not. There has been such a HUGE influx of people that are die hard CBers and do not want to change as well as those who have radio gear yet no license yet and both tend to be frowned upon somewhat by a lot of hams. Some of that is justified by the amount of piss poor operators that have gotten licenses the past several years and have NEVER changed their ways and are slowly dragging the hobby downward along with those that turn their noses down at the ones that are often clueless and just want a bit of help. I myself will help anyone as long as they actually want to be helped. If they "know it all" or ask why should THEY change when getting a ham ticket I don't bother with them.

Also FWIW 2m and UP is NO WAY to judge activity on the ham bands. In fact if you have to question activity based on the VHF and UHF bands then it demonstrates a lack of understanding in a big way.

 

[w9cll]

well,attended the local hamfest. asked a few questions.was treated like i shouldnt be there.i got the impression i was at a sority meeting n wasnt in it.

Sorry you had this experience and I can't say it does not happen but I have seen it at gun shows, computer shows, home shows and etc.. I stopped going to ham fests years ago because all I saw there were 11-meter rigs, antennas, crappy amps and computer parts. Honestly I gave up on 11 meters years ago and I have no use for computer parts. A lot of hams have been turned off by the influx of 11 meter stuff there. After all it is called a Ham-Fest and usually put on by a ham club. What I do miss is the fun and friendship that used to happen there.

Honestly nowadays its mostly computer parts at fests.

As CK said don't judge the ham bands by VHF/UHF activity.

 

[Rwb]

i have asked a few and never get an answear,more of a shut up n go away...ive asked whats good and not so good and around my area its a secret kind of treatment.
i called the local club here about the test n was more like im busy we give it on bla bla day at this place.im asking about study groups and things pertaining to learn and go farther.i understand some are not good to be a ham.but when you ask in my area its a big door slammed in your face.and its sad future possible members of the club are subject to treatment like that.shoking 1 guy only 1 guy acted nice n did what he did for me.i pointed how i was treated n he said yes i noticed too.then he said he was the only 1 who even talked to anybody interested in getting a license.

 

[w9cll]

Well RWB you live in a bad area then... its not like that here.

 

[Rwb]

Yes probably,my wife took how we were treated even worse,she is an RN and takes life and being kind to others to the heart. She said drop the ham thing n move on.
I think about it n if i did get a license id be just me alone as for local people.

 

[Handy Andy]

No matter what - we support your choice.

It's hard to argue for or against, because it really comes down of the people whom are part of the club and they make the choices of who enters, stays on as a board member or leaves due to personality conflicts.

Radio is funny - it doesn't matter to it, who you are or where you came from - you put something together right - it will work.

Kinda' like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come."

Welcome aboard!

 

[543_Dallas]

I don't care for the local radio clubs either. Most of the members are morons that wouldn't be on the air is someone else didn't put up a repeater for them to use with their HT. If the local hams aren't worth talking to then forget them. Study for your general and take the online tests until you can pass. Go to a hamfest to take the test or find a local testing session. The local club here posts the testing schedule on their website. You do not need these people's approval to get your licence and enjoy amateur radio.

Most retired cbers end up on 75 meters. Unfortunately some of the cb mentality comes with them but the atmosphere is more causal. In the evenings you can usually talk to people a few hundred miles out with a simple dipole. The downside is that an amplifier is often a requirement. Shitty antennas and qrp won't get you above the static.

You weren't the guy at the hamfest looking for dozens of sweep tubes for your "ham radio amplifier" and d104 microphones for your "ham radio" were you? I have some friends that do this. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't try to over explain their intentions for these things as if they were pulled over with drugs in the car. The look on some of the vendor's faces is priceless.

If you want to listen to the HF bands without spending any money you can listen here. It's a little inconvenient unless you know what freq you want to listen to but better than nothing.

http://www.websdr.org/

https://sdr.hu/

 

[w9cll]

No matter what - we support your choice.

And by the same token we as a group here will help and support

 

[Riverman]

if i did get a license id be just me alone as for local people.

On 2 meters, that's not surprising. Almost no activity here.
However, HF is another world entirely. With an inexpensive 20 or 40 meter setup you can make contacts all over the country. And world. Even with the current poor conditions. Great fun.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Yes probably,my wife took how we were treated even worse,she is an RN and takes life and being kind to others to the heart. She said drop the ham thing n move on.
I think about it n if i did get a license id be just me alone as for local people.

That kind of attitude is found in ANY hobby. Some of the snobbiest people are found in boating/yacht clubs. Or car clubs. Or RC clubs. Or ........ same old excuses different hobby/day.

 

[binrat]

It happens to hams as well. People like that suck in my books.
I did a big move in 2013. I waited until fieldday to size up 2 local groups. Group"a" was rude and elitest with me, with the second I got meet with a welcoming handshake and a cup of coffee.
Funny thing, less than a year later the snobs was kissing my butt to test them for ground to air licence. They are still waiting.

 

[w9cll]

Or RC clubs

Been there to..except I used to fly better than most in the old days.