What use is an F-call?

Recently I celebrated my birthday, my Amateur Radio Birthday that is. I've now had my license for 12 months and each time I go on air I find myself surrounded by people who know more than I do. It's great to be in a position where you're not the "expert". In my day-job, I'm a 30 year veteran in the field. Fortunately in Amateur Radio, there are others around with that same level of black magic voo-doo that makes a conversation go along a little like this:

"How do I do this?" - "well, plug that into there and then flick that switch and it'll work." - "Cool, how did you know?" - "Well, when I was camped on the side of the road near Karratha in the 50's I had the same problem and this is how I fixed it."

I find it difficult to express what it means to be able to talk to people who are able and willing to share their knowledge and experience. There is a level of awe - I've been on the receiving end of it in my own field, I recognize it, but it doesn't seem real - and a level of gratitude that the expert spent the time to explain.

In my day job, more and more I find that the level of expertise and comprehension is declining. I suspect that there are Amateurs who believe that the Foundation License is an extension of that same phenomenon. Of course having such a license myself, I'm a little biased, but I'd like to observe that I actually paid for and attended a training course, read training materials, did a practical and theoretical test, paid for a license and had to go out, source my equipment, build some of it and make it all work.

Although I think it's true that in a technical sense the world appears to be getting dumber, I'd like to challenge the notion that this is also the case in Amateur Radio. I think the only point you could make is that a Foundation License makes it possible for more people to participate, but that participation in itself is evidence that there is a certain level of thirst for learning and improvement. I've seen Foundation Licensees around me build antennas, investigate new technologies and ideas, research and publish - all fueled by their initial Foundation License.


I'm Onno VK6FLAB