It seems that the very first weekend of every new year, there are recaps of the previous year, in newspapers, and a hopeful look to the next year. For us ham radio operators, it was an interesting mix of good and bad.
The closing of all live in-person events was a real bummer. The Dayton Hamvention, Friedrichschffen, Huntsville, and dozens of local and regional hamfests, meetings, and other events, across the World, were closed by the Covid-19 pandemic. I said in the past that 2019 was my year to return to Dayton for another opportunity to meet with my fellow hams. Of course, it wasn't to be and these closures became the impetus for creating the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, our live event that attracted over 16,000 hams to our virtual convention center last August. While we look forward to live shows, hopefully sooner than later, we discovered that thousands of hams never leave home to attend even local and regional conventions. And because of our discovery, the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, will return in March. All of us on planet earth have been changed by the pandemic and this means that virtual events will co-exist along side of live events. The event industry is now calling these "hybrid events".
Amateur radio clubs who experienced declining memberships, for years, have had a "shot in the arm" by putting their meetings on line, on Zoom, and going virtual. Old friends who moved away, can re-join their old clubs. I have spoken at a few club meetings virtually and note that just about any ham club can now invite great speakers from just about anyplace to speak to their club members. This is why I sent the message about
Airmeet two-weeks ago. Club meetings should be social events and not just the treasurer's report and lecture. This format is why I can count on one hand, the number of club meetings that I have attended in the last 40 years. Hopefully, competition from virtual meetings will improve the traditional format of ham club meetings to make them interesting and social.
I started a new venture in Jerusalem at the beginning of 2019 called The Great American Songbook. The "Songbook" is a performance group where we sing the songs of the Gershwin, Porter, Arlen, Rogers, Hart, etc. I purchased enough sound equipment to support our group, hired the venue, sold tickets, only to cancel at the last minute as Israel went into shut down last Spring. My accountant says that because of this "loss" I could expense all of that gear rather than depreciate it as capital equipment. Whew!! I am anxious to get this project back up and running, but will also offer it now both in a live (when allowed) and virtual venue. I am even thinking of projecting the virtual audience on the back wall of the theater so that we performers can see who is watching outside of the live venue, to bring our audience into the live theater. The funny thing is that on-stage, you can never really see your audience because of the lighting, you feel them. It will take some real technical marvel to re-create the energy in the room.
The truth is, that un-like the contentious pop culture and media that made 2019 even more un-friendly, the ham radio community continued to be a solid pillar of strength and respect. It was for me the silver lining around the dark clouds of the pandemic. I enjoy returning to our amateur community again and again, to learn new things, to hear ham radio stories, and to share. In these difficult times, maybe we amateurs had it a little easier because of our social distancing skills and a different kind of access to each other as part of our hobby process that wasn't just complaining.
Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, in Episode 332, a couple of weeks back, got me all excited about the Maker Movement and the possibilities of crossover between our communities. We are, after all, the original makers. My father would argue that in his day, everyone was either rich or a maker. You either could buy what you needed, or you were like everyone else and you fixed, repaired, and constructed what you needed in your garage on weeknights and weekends. This was my experience growing up - endless hours holding the light for dad. I learned lots from that experience and have taken over half of our downstairs rental apartment for my projects. I convinced the XYL that makers need "maker space". I think that we have to go back to our maker roots to find the new hams in communities where they are already making. We can offer them some amazing maker upgrades with our spectrum and technology once they have their ticket.
Tim Deagan, KJ8U, is one of these makers who discovered ham radio. Tim is a major maker with his love of tools and his love of writing about his tools for maker magazines. He especially loves ham radio for the opportunities that it presents to makers. He shares his story in this week's QSO Today.
