There are a few cranky old men in this hobby but at the same time we can't stereotype and say that just because you are old, you are also nasty. Unfortunately, it seems that old age comes with lots of intolerance and acquired prejudices.
I have been a swl in the late 70’s & later become a licence Ham in the late 80’s and it seem as this discussion of old vs young has been playing around….recently.
Yes, I had to pass the code and take my tests at the Jabatan Telekom office. Yes, I had to pass my 12 wpm code at the Jabatan Telekom office in order to get my class A ticket. But this does not in way make me better than someone who just got their ticket a week ago. We all put our pants on one leg at a time so what makes me better that anyone else...NOTHING!
We are all part of a great hobby that has many facets and activities. Like some of the old timer said, upgrade to Class A and get on the HF bands so you can experience what this hobby is all about. Why talk across the street if you can talk around the world!
You can give Morse code a crack. There is DXing, 80/40/20/17/12/15 meters, PSK31, RTTY, SSB, ESSB, contesting, antenna or equipment building and many other activities. You just have to find one that inspires or like me I enjoy pretty much all the activities I just mentioned.
I always try not to judge anyone as they can enjoy their hobby any way they want to and if I don't care for anyone, what's spouting out of their mouth or what they represent, I always have a VFO that will allow me to tune to another frequency.
In closing, after 28 years in Ham I don't think there is anything wrong with ham radio since the hobby began 100 years ago. People are people; some rude while others are nice. You just have to find the nice ones and ignore the rude ones.
You have selected to become part of a great community. Enjoy it to the maximum!
