5 ms·

Would you mind talking about your passion for radio? It's not something I've really thought about (beyond a general, taking-it-for-granted "hey this is handy, I

by viewer5 10y ago

Would you mind talking about your passion for radio? It's not something I've really thought about (beyond a general, taking-it-for-granted "hey this is handy, I'm glad we have this in our repertoire of technology"), so I'd love to hear about your love.

photogrammetry 10y ago
Kind of a weird comment. Is this a writing prompt, or do you really talk to people in the "I'd love to hear about your love" manner? Radio is awesome because of how awesome it is. Check out the new startup, google.com, if you want to find some more material about why.
- Gnewt 10y ago
  For me, it's a joy to hear people talk about the things they are passionate about. I go out of my way to ask people to just talk about the things that interest them. I would be surprised if a majority of HN users did not have similar feelings.
- eropple 10y ago
  Do you not ask people why they like things that they're excited or jazzed about? 'Cause I mean--I do all the time. (I also ask about things people hate. You learn a lot from those two questions.)
- thecrazyone 10y ago
  @photogrammetry You could've been kinder. If that seemed "weird" to you, You could've just ignored it and moved on, as the comment was harmless. PS:Not to preach, but just saying.
- viewer5 10y ago
  Your first line is basically the same as my motivation--"Why on earth would you be interested in that?" I want to understand people and the world around me better. There's a lot out there that I know nothing about, and I like hearing about passionate peoples' interests. I love it when people get excited about the things they love, because they're also often excited to share that joy with others.
benjohnson 10y ago
For me, the best thing about ham radio are the connections you make with people - in that ham radio enthusiasts are self selected. They seem to be an eclectic bunch of resourceful, witty, kind, and clever people.
- tnecniv 10y ago
  I've always wanted to know what they talk about via radio.
  - ecopoesis 10y ago
    In my experience, weather and baseball. And of course ham radio.
  - jakebasile 10y ago
    You can listen to amateur radio without a license, you just can't transmit. Pick up a Baofeng 2 meter unit from Amazon and find your local repeater. Or, find a local Ham club and I'm sure they'll talk to you for hours about it! :-)
rmason 10y ago
Ham radio isn't just a single hobby but multiple hobbies under a single banner. Initially I was interested in building things, to go from a handful of parts and a roll of solder to a completed device. Then I got interested in communicating, talking to people all over the world. With the net that seems perfectly normal, but it was a different world back then. I made friends from all over, some of whom came to visit me. For a while I got really interested in contesting which is a competition to talk to as many people as you can in a single weekend. That progressed when I got to Michigan State into working with others in a special group of contesting called multi-multi (multiple operators with multiple transmitters) where you'd work with a group of people at one location. This produced some difficult technical challenges and helped me become a leader. After school I became interested in the public service aspect where hams provide communications during disasters or events like marches or marathons. I think my original interest in communication is why I purchased a modem for my first computer and became fascinated with BBS's and later the net. Really its just another form of communication.

by viewer5 10y ago

photogrammetry 10y ago

Kind of a weird comment. Is this a writing prompt, or do you really talk to people in the "I'd love to hear about your love" manner? Radio is awesome because of how awesome it is. Check out the new startup, google.com, if you want to find some more material about why.

Gnewt 10y ago
For me, it's a joy to hear people talk about the things they are passionate about. I go out of my way to ask people to just talk about the things that interest them. I would be surprised if a majority of HN users did not have similar feelings.
eropple 10y ago
Do you not ask people why they like things that they're excited or jazzed about? 'Cause I mean--I do all the time. (I also ask about things people hate. You learn a lot from those two questions.)
thecrazyone 10y ago
@photogrammetry You could've been kinder. If that seemed "weird" to you, You could've just ignored it and moved on, as the comment was harmless. PS:Not to preach, but just saying.
viewer5 10y ago
Your first line is basically the same as my motivation--"Why on earth would you be interested in that?" I want to understand people and the world around me better. There's a lot out there that I know nothing about, and I like hearing about passionate peoples' interests. I love it when people get excited about the things they love, because they're also often excited to share that joy with others.

benjohnson 10y ago

For me, the best thing about ham radio are the connections you make with people - in that ham radio enthusiasts are self selected. They seem to be an eclectic bunch of resourceful, witty, kind, and clever people.

tnecniv 10y ago
I've always wanted to know what they talk about via radio.
- ecopoesis 10y ago
  In my experience, weather and baseball. And of course ham radio.
- jakebasile 10y ago
  You can listen to amateur radio without a license, you just can't transmit. Pick up a Baofeng 2 meter unit from Amazon and find your local repeater. Or, find a local Ham club and I'm sure they'll talk to you for hours about it! :-)

rmason 10y ago

Ham radio isn't just a single hobby but multiple hobbies under a single banner. Initially I was interested in building things, to go from a handful of parts and a roll of solder to a completed device. Then I got interested in communicating, talking to people all over the world. With the net that seems perfectly normal, but it was a different world back then. I made friends from all over, some of whom came to visit me. For a while I got really interested in contesting which is a competition to talk to as many people as you can in a single weekend. That progressed when I got to Michigan State into working with others in a special group of contesting called multi-multi (multiple operators with multiple transmitters) where you'd work with a group of people at one location. This produced some difficult technical challenges and helped me become a leader. After school I became interested in the public service aspect where hams provide communications during disasters or events like marches or marathons. I think my original interest in communication is why I purchased a modem for my first computer and became fascinated with BBS's and later the net. Really its just another form of communication.