Hamming it up for Great Distraction

[tugrik]

My main coping mechanism for extreme amounts of stress is to derail myself from whatever is causing the stress by jumping into a new project.  This satisfies a number of brain-happy-making impulses: creating new infrastructure, learning new skills, getting to do research with purpose and even retail therapy.  There are only two major downsides: the

Comments

[alinsa]

I'm surprised you didn't pick up any of the SDR-type gear! (FlexRadio and the like). It's way cool, though not hugely mobile.

[tugrik]

Unfortunately my first impression of dealing with other hobbyists who are into SDR is best summed up as "SDR is for the Hipsters of ham radio". Let's just say of all the helpful, fun, interesting people on the air and at the meetups about ham radio, the SDR people weren't among them. Those that did show up were there to sneer at the 'old knobs and dials losers'.

First impressions aren't everything, but they were enough to make me avoid SDR like the plague until I know I'm going to stick with the hobby. Maybe later I'll try one out. For now I'm enjoying my ancient, krufty knobs and dials.

[kitsumi]

Wow, neat! I don't even know where to start when it comes to ham radios, then again, I have a zillion hobbies on my plate already.. I was thinking about disaster situations. Is it pretty expensive to get into?

[ruwhei]

I have a ham license as well. I suppose my issue with HAM radio is that the people who are really into it are old. Very old. They're dying quickly, and so most of the discussion on the ham boards and stuff seems centered on people dying and becoming 'silent keys'. Its a little depressing.

That said, I also find the equipment costs and set up time to be a pretty big barrier to entry, especially since actually talking on the radio has lost its luster compared to talking on the Internet, which is about a thousand times more reliable.

I have a 2m walkie-talkie type that I listen to now and then to hear the local Ham's do their 'question & answer' times, though.