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The problem isnt the test. In the USA the test is cheap. Books can easily be acquired online. The problem is hams - the people who are habitually are on amateu

The problem isnt the test. In the USA the test is cheap. Books can easily be acquired online. The problem is hams - the people who are habitually are on amateur radio. I find them to be incredibly anti-digital, holier than thou, loud about hard-conservative positions, misogynist, racist, and more. And when Ive tried to further the art and science of radio comms, hams are some of the first to talk down what I contributed. They are people who I dont, and dont want to associate myself with. Ive also known others that made that assumption when I said I was a ham. Lots of people have had those experiences, and also chosen not to associate with them. I'm sure this doesnt apply to "all Hams". It does apply to a supermajority in the USA, enough to say that I do not want to be a ham any longer. I already refused to communicate with them, nor associate with them.

amatecha 6mo ago
Yeah, all that stuff depends where you are located. Up here in Vancouver amateur radio community, any kind of bigoted/discriminatory/exclusionary crap is totally not accepted or tolerated. There are always people experimenting with new things, sharing knowledge/experience, helping each other out. Heck, I built a portable radio pack and made a blog post about it, and my local club included my post (with my permission) in their monthly newsletter. I've also contributed photos to them and attended numerous community events -- always 100% welcoming and there's a strong educational/sharing vibe to all their events. When I hear people complaining about "hams" I'm always thankful to have seen almost none of this stuff locally.