Holiday Thoughts
This is the season for reflection. The are many facets to our lives that impact our daily living and that influence who we are, but the thing that brings the readers of this blog together is ham radio, literally. We are a community of communicators and are members of a great hobby that brings people together. You will not find a more diverse hobby.
Ham radio has been used in every country in the world, covering all the worlds religions, languages, cultures and governments. And we are always able to find common ground, joy, happiness and satisfaction in a hobby so basic as communication. Maybe the world leaders could take a lesson or two from us about how to get along. We have good friends around the world who we would not have known, except for ham radio.
So my wish for the holiday season is that ham radio continue to grow, prosper and add satisfaction to our lives. I wish not for new equipment, but the time to use what I have. I wish for the continued freedom that we enjoy that allows our conversations to cross borders. I wish to make new friendships with people different than me so that I can learn more about the world I live in. I also wish that, just like the magic of Santa Claus, the magic of ham radio never disappears.
So however you say it or however you mean it I wish you Happy Holidays. The way I say it is Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Mike Crownover, AD5A, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Texas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].Ham radio has been used in every country in the world, covering all the worlds religions, languages, cultures and governments. And we are always able to find common ground, joy, happiness and satisfaction in a hobby so basic as communication. Maybe the world leaders could take a lesson or two from us about how to get along. We have good friends around the world who we would not have known, except for ham radio.
So my wish for the holiday season is that ham radio continue to grow, prosper and add satisfaction to our lives. I wish not for new equipment, but the time to use what I have. I wish for the continued freedom that we enjoy that allows our conversations to cross borders. I wish to make new friendships with people different than me so that I can learn more about the world I live in. I also wish that, just like the magic of Santa Claus, the magic of ham radio never disappears.
So however you say it or however you mean it I wish you Happy Holidays. The way I say it is Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I have another use for ham radio. I’m president of a Society called YEARS (Youth Education Amateur Radio Society). We work with a local middle school in Victoria in an enrichment program. Me and some of my friends show up on a Wednesday morning around 10 AM and work with the kids until noon. During that time we work 2m and 70cm and HF in a room that shares copier facilities. The kids come from impoverished backgrounds, impoverished in many ways. By learning some radio skills and a bit of theory they learn about being and doing things greater in life. It gives them hope that they can do interesting things some day, that they can be something greater than their parents. It’s working, that and we have even had three kids take a course in ham radio and get Basic certification. All the best. Merry Christmas. 73 VA7DH