My bleat about Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)
Friends,
Some of you will be pleased to know that I don’t have any further time for upsetting the apple-carts in the uk-contest reflector. Here’s the nub of my issues that frustrates me and ruins my pleasure of this hobby:
Having old people with what feels like miniscule amounts of real energy running the management of my governing body is frustrating for me as a grass-roots operator. There’s a few people that need to look in the mirror and work out a real strategic plan to get this show back on the road right now. It doesn’t have to be a hobby for old people – young people will come in but they need to be welcomed. Attitudes need to change and it needs to start at the top. There seems to be absolutely zero quest for helping the new bloody. New people are continually shunned off to the sidelines. This is worse if they verbalise a desire to use SSB. This really is a desperate time for Amateur Radio but most of the culprits will die before the real shit hits the fan in 15-20 years time.
Where’s the clear communication strategy? Where’s the resource to implement? You don’t need money to get things done around here, you need energy! Goodness, this is a technical hobby. Both James and I have commercial grade web-servers that are completely under-utilised. There must be lots of people like us, waiting to contribute.. waiting for someone to motivate us. But what a dull life, I’m certainly not going to contribute to a system where attitudes favour CW over SSB and G4s over M6. It’s discrimination on a grand scale. Look in the mirror.
Most of the communication published either privately to me or via mailing lists bleats on and bloody on about how all this is staffed by Volunteers. Wake up. So is Scouting, Guiding, the local football team and the bloody Village Hall. But essentially, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing absolutely right, whether that be paid or volunteered for. Not a day goes by without me making phone calls or going to meetings for Scouting (or Guiding). I never tell people that the reason I might do a crappy job from time to time is that I’m a volunteer. I either do it well, clear up my act or clear off and let someone else take up the mantle.
Some of you are friends, others I respect due to the authority you have. Most of you have the capacity to make change. Do something about it before it’s too late.
Callum.
