What use is an F-call?

Looking through the list of Amateurs attending the WIA conference, I notice a distinct lack of attendance by F-calls. It was the same at the conference last year. Few and Far between. We don't seem to have a way to attract new blood to discussions that further the future of Amateur Radio, either because a new F-call believes that they don't have anything to say, or don't have the right to make their opinion known.

Let me disabuse you of that notion.

You have a license, you've studied for it, paid for it, passed the test and now you have the responsibility that goes with being an Amateur.

You can of course choose to just listen, but if you do that, why bother with a license at all? You could sit on the sidelines and be a short-wave listener and take enjoyment from that. Or you could take a more active role in the responsibility bestowed on you when your license was granted to you, and make no mistake, an Amateur Radio License is a privilege, one that you were granted, not one that you have a right to.

The radio spectrum is a fickle beast, it evolves with use, it challenges and changes and discussions need to be had. Are Power Over Ethernet devices a scourge or a boon, should repeaters be channelled differently, should we hand back frequencies, apply for higher power, ask for new modes, improve our training base, encourage more experimentation, develop our hobby, or just let it evaporate through apathy?

I know that participating can be challenging, sometimes even confronting, but don't think for a minute that your voice is not valuable or that you don't have the right to speak.

If that was what was stopping you from coming to a conference where lots of people share your hobby, think again.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB