on most nets. Some folks would like to talk about other things, generally to do with Ham radio, but not always.
As for expensive, if it had to be expensive I sure wouldn't be in it. Once you get a transceiver and an antenna it matches with (electrically, not aesthetically), you're pretty much set if you want to be. That's what the grant would get you.
There is also a philosophical choice to that cost business. Some folks throw money at the hobby, yes, and all too many of them count on that to make them "good" Ham operators. I think it makes them traffic hazards on the airwaves.
There are small, low-power portables that make knowing what you're doing the primary thing rather than just jamming more watts up the wire. It's also MUCH more fun in my opinion.
Knowing how to keep track of propagation and the sunspot cycle and such stretches your mind as well as allows you to make thousand-mile contacts on five watts or less.... |
